![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[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 Altos High School 9-10 on Sept. 24 at the Singh Aquatic Center.
Immediately after Harker gained possession from the swimoff, Ossi Carrico (9) blasted a shot past the goalie, prompting “he’s a freshman” chants from the team. Los Altos turned the tide by thwarting Harker’s offensive plays with blocks and netted three goals, leaving Harker trailing 1-3 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, possession of the ball swung between the two teams due to multiple turnovers. Adam Pawliger (12) assisted Ossi, allowing him to lob the ball into the net. However, Los Altos countered with a shot, leaving Harker trailing 2-5. After Harker called a timeout, Adam stole the ball from Los Altos and scored, closing the half 3-5.
Mary Cheline, mother of Ian Cheline (10) and Alejandro Cheline (11), reflects on the team’s performance throughout the ongoing season.
“I can see them communicating a lot more and making good passes,” Cheline said. “Overall their trust with each other and their teamwork improved a lot.”
Harker’s offense dominated the third quarter, with Aden Liu (9) sinking a goal in the first minute. A shot from Los Altos prompted a pause in the game while the coach and referees discussed Los Altos’ point. Ultimately, the referees called back the point because the ball was inside the six meter line.
When the game resumed, goalie Alejandro blocked a shot and regained Harker’s possession of the ball. Capitalizing on their advantage, captain Vyom Vidyarthi (12) sank two consecutive goals, tying the score at 6-6 to close the third quarter.
At the start of the last quarter, Aden drove the ball into the net, inching Harker’s lead to 7-6. Several blocked shots and turnovers led Harker to call a timeout. After regrouping, Caio Cammer (12) tipped the ball into the goal off of Ian’s pass. Los Altos retaliated with two consecutive goals, tying the game at 8-8.
Aden explained how, despite Harker’s solid offensive start, Los Altos eventually seized the lead by the end of the match.
“We started off strong in the last quarter,” Aden said. “But we got too ahead of ourselves, and didn’t really pay attention to defense. We thought everything was fine and we could just get more on the counters.”
With under two minutes remaining, Los Altos broke through Harker’s defense with a goal, but Vyom countered, leveling the score at 9-9. After several turnovers, Los Altos netted the ball and pulled into the lead. In the last second of the match, Los Altos’ goalie blocked Vyom’s penalty shot, cementing Harker’s defeat at 9-10.
Despite the loss, Rajas Aptes (12) looked forward to competing against Los Altos later in the season and shared his confidence in the team’s future performance.
“We had some good moments today, but the outcome is not what we’d like to see,” Rajas said. “Los Altos is one of our big rival teams, and we’ve been back and forth over the years. There’s a lot of talent in the water and the rest of the season is going to be better. We’re going up from here.”
The team currently holds an overall record of 6-3 and will play away at Mountain View High School on Tuesday.
