![“[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)
Junior varsity boys basketball suffered a close defeat to Mountain View High School 36-43 on Dec. 12 in the Zhang Gymnasium.
Power forward Babila Mfonfu (10) won the tip-off, and the Eagles quickly pulled into a 4-0 lead by scoring two layups. Later, after drawing a shooting foul, Babila landed one of the free throws. In the final minutes of the quarter, the Spartans scored two layups, bringing the score to 4-5.
“We were getting steals and pushing it down court, which kept our momentum and kept us in the lead in the beginning,” guard Crichton Rockwell (9) said. “As a team, we should work on being more patient and driving and kicking, making sure that we get the best shot out of every possession.”
At the start of the second quarter, the Eagles retained their advantage, with shooting guard Joey Diffenderfer (9) hitting a three-pointer and widening the score gap to 8-4. After Babila scored a free throw, the Spartans attempted a series of shots, scoring a layup. Crichton retaliated with a three-pointer, and both teams traded shots until the first half ended at 21-10.
“There was a lot of effort from everyone on the team,” Babila said. “It was definitely one of our best games, even though we lost. We did well at keeping the team energy up. I’m looking forward to a lot of our new freshmen getting more minutes because there’s a lot of talent there.”
The Eagles opened the third quarter in possession of the ball, but the Spartans intercepted a pass to score a layup. Harker responded with a three-pointer, but Mountain View began to pull into the lead with more successful shots. After a three-pointer from Mountain View, the Eagles trailed behind 26-27. With seven seconds left on the clock, the Spartans made another three-pointer, ending the quarter 26-32.
“We started off strong,” Assistant Coach Brendan Carroll said. “But as the game went on, we fell apart a little bit here and there and couldn’t close it up. Our guards were able to handle the pressure, but it just wasn’t enough.”
In the final quarter, both teams scrambled for the ball with several more attempted shots across the court. Mountain View landed the first score to bring the score to 34-26. On the next possession, Babila drove into the paint and scored a layup, and the Spartans quickly replied with a basket of their own.
With the score set at 30-39 to the Spartans, Crichton made a four-point play, landing a three-pointer while also drawing a foul and hitting the subsequent free throw. Harker scored another layup in the final minutes of the quarter, but the game ended with Harker falling short at 36-43.
Despite the loss, Crichton admired the team’s cohesive efforts in the first half of the match, holding a consistent lead against a tough opponent.
“The first half of the game proved that we were a strong team and showed our potential going forward,” Crichton said. “In the future, we’ll be working hard so that we can come out and play exactly like we did then.”
The team holds an overall season record of 3-4 and will play Andrew Hill on Friday at home.
