![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Varsity boys water polo lost to Los Gatos High School 8-14 in their season opener on Sept. 10.
Los Gatos started the game with three quick goals off of steals. Harker responded with a goal by junior Ruhan Arora from the left wing. Both teams interchanged turnovers before the Cats capitalized on back-to-back steals, ending the first quarter with Harker down 1-5.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game — Los Gatos is one of the best teams in the country, and they beat us twice last year,” goalie Alejandro Cheline (11) said. “They did really well from the start, and we had a tough first quarter. But then after that we were able to stick with them and improved as the game went on.”
The second quarter opened with senior Oskar Baumgarte powering through the left side to score. Ossi Carrico (9) followed and launched the ball from deep for another goal, bringing the Eagles’ deficit down to 3-5 and prompting chants of “he’s a freshman” from the team.
The Eagles matched the Cats in scoring throughout the second quarter and ended trailing 4-8. Captain Vyom Vidyarthi (12) launched a skip shot from half tank with three minutes remaining, sending the large crowd of spectators into cheers.
Sophomore Ian Cheline started the third quarter strong and converted on a steal to narrow the Cat’s lead. In response, Los Gatos stepped up their defense by blocking Eagle shot attempts from Vyom and Oskar and stealing possessions. A quick series of passes along the perimeter led Oskar to bring the Eagles up to 6-10. Los Gatos made a few more shots, ending the quarter with the Eagles down 7-13.
Ruhan scored Harker’s only goal of the fourth quarter halfway in, only for Los Gatos to retaliate with a skip shot within seconds. Los Gatos put on a press, which allowed them to beat Harker players to the ball and disrupt their possession. This allowed Los Gatos to further their lead and won the game 8-14.
Varsity boys head coach Lee McBride acknowledged the Cats’ physicality and the team’s room for improvement.
“We have more than six underclassmen here on varsity,” Coach McBride said. “It’s big shoes to fill — to play probably the best team in the league as their first experience on varsity. I thought all of them contributed well, and I’m proud of their camaraderie.”
Vyom highlighted Ian and Ossi for finding ways to score against the Cats’ heavy defense which prioritized pressure even at the cost of fouls and occasional ejections. Vyom looks forward to continuing to practice and growing substantially in their remaining games.
“There’s always room for growth,” Vyom said. “It was a good starting point, definitely not what we were hoping for result wise, but it is a good place for us to begin. From here out, it’s only going to get better. We know what we need to work on. We have a target to get and improve towards at practice.”
The team plays Saint Francis at home on Sept. 21.
