![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“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 its played such a major role in who Ive 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 Im [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)
![“[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)
![“Im 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 theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones 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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent 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)
![“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)
Setting a new standard for the program, the Varsity Football team made school history again, continuing their historic run with a win over California School for the Deaf (CSD) to bring their record now to 4-0.
After strong wins against San Jose High and Yerba Buena, 21-7 and 17-0 respectively, the team pulled off two more victories against James Lick High School and CSD.
Minutes into the James Lick game, Gautam Krishnamurthi (11) scored a strip touchdown by securing a fumble, and Captain Kevin Fu (12) later secured the 14-7 win on another touchdown by receiving a pass.
Against CSD, Rohan Shah (12) and Kevin caught passes from Captain Cole Davis (12) for touchdowns. Bogdan Botcharov (12) also ran one in for their final touchdown, the final score being 19-6.
New to the team, kicker Jose Costa (12) nearly maintained his record, missing his first Point After Touchdown (PAT) in the last game.
Both players and coaches were in high spirits, proud of the night’s results.
“Feels great!” Sean Morgan (12) said, echoing the thoughts of the rest of the team.
“Have you had a first kiss yet? Magnify that by a thousand times and bring it to the power of five. That’s how I feel right now,” Kevin said after the James Lick game.
Cole credits the improvement of the team to the Juniors “stepping up” as well as players putting in extra work off-season. Rishi Bhatia (11) stands out after making huge plays in the past games.
Varsity Head Coach Karriem Stinson emphasized the team effort.
“The only people that are counting on them are their brothers and their coaches,” he said, referring to the Junior Varsity team members. He also wanted it known that the game against James Lick was dedicated to history teacher John Near, who recently passed away after a long battle with cancer.
“They’ve overcome adversity,” Coach Ray Fowler said. “We had a bunch of guys out with the flu, we have a smaller team than the other teams we play—in numbers and also the size—and they come out every week and do it.”
However, as JV Head Coach and former player, Geoffrey Lundie said, the big win before CSD “means nothing in our league”. The league start of the season was Thursday night against CSD.
The team is already looking ahead to play-offs, hoping to show at Central Coast Section (CCS) this year. Any wins from now on will increase their chances of meeting this goal.
The players are anxious for their first home game against Salesian High School coming up on Friday, October 16, the strongest competition the team will face. Salesian is “pretty much the number one team in our league,” Jason Kuan (10) said.
Despite the loss last year, Gautam said “if we play the way we played today, and the way [we’ve played] the last two weeks, I think we can pull it off.”
The JV team has not been as successful on the field. At 1-2 after canceling the game against Yerba Buena because of the flu, the team had its first win against CSD last Thursday, 18-8.
“Our team’s looking a lot better and improving a lot,” said Captain Zachary Ellenberg (10).
