![“[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 defeated Fremont High School 21-5 on Oct. 11.
Senior Adam Pawliger won the opening swim-off, allowing sophomore Ian Cheline to lob a pass to senior Oskar Baumgarte, who landed a tap-in for the opening goal. Harker’s constant pressure paid off when Ian intercepted a pass in Fremont’s side and drew a penalty. Senior Caio Cammer scored the five-meter to double the Eagles’ lead to 2-0.
Harker pressured Fremont, cutting off the Firebirds’ space and limiting their decision-making time. The Eagles kept the Firebirds from creating any scoring opportunities while also finding chances for points off counters. With two goals each from captain Vyom Vidyarthi (12) and Aden Liu (9), the Eagles surged ahead to a 7-0 lead.
In the final minute of the quarter, Sam Li (10) and Oskar each netted a point. Goalkeeper Alejandro Cheline (11) saved a penalty to keep the Firebirds goalless. Scoring their first goal of the game, the Firebirds caught Alejandro off guard with a back-hand shot to end the period 9-1.
Ian praised the team’s nearly flawless performance in the first quarter.
“The first quarter was the best job we have done coming out,” Ian said. “We usually slowly start to come out and our best quarter is the fourth. This game, we did really well at starting with the intensity we needed to carry through it to the end.”
Fremont ramped up their defensive pressure in the second quarter, but the Eagles continued to uphold their solid defense, preventing the Firebirds from scoring a single goal. Oskar and Caio repeatedly thwarted the Firebirds’ attacks with key interceptions and blocks.
Spectator and junior varsity player David Tang (10) attributed the Eagles’ success in the first half to their defense.
“The defense especially was really strong,” David said. “They were pressing a lot and they managed to steal a lot of balls in the opponents’ half. They were really proactive on that.”
Harker netted four goals in total during the quarter, with Vyom assisting Oskar in a pass into the interior, and Ian scoring from a tight angle from the wing. Aden commended Ian for his ability to capitalize on his two scoring opportunities of the quarter and to convert difficult chances into goals.
“He took advantage of counters, and he finished all of them,” Aden said. “That, combined with the good defense that he played the entire game, led to the score we got.”
Ossi Carrico (9) opened the third quarter with a penalty goal, and Aden scored an additional two points in the following plays. Despite Harker’s initial control, Fremont responded by scoring three goals in a row off the counter. Harker recovered with a goal from Vyom and a save from Alejandro to bring the score to 18-4.
The pace of the game slowed as Harker shifted their focus to defense rather than a high press. Both sides were unable to score until halfway through the fourth quarter when Akash Dubey (10) faked a shot to set up Aden for a goal. Although the Firebirds momentarily interrupted the Eagles’ control by scoring a long range shot, Alex Zhong (12) and Akash retaliated with two goals in quick succession to end the game with a score of 21-5.
Alex reflected on how the game provided opportunities for every player to gain in-game experience.
“Because this game was against a less strong team, there were a lot of opportunities for usual bench players like myself to shine in the pool,” Alex said. “I scored my first two goals this season during this game.”
Varsity boys water polo currently holds a record of 11-5 and faces Mountain View next in a home game on Oct. 22.
