![“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)
Junior varsity boys water polo lost to Saint Mary’s High School in their 2-20 season opener on Saturday.
Saint Mary’s opened the game by winning the swim-off to gain possession and converted a five-meter penalty after a foul on the shot. On their next possession, they earned a one-on-one off a fast break, but goalie Kyle Chun (9) blocked the shot. Saint Mary’s forced a steal off of Harker’s pass and scored.
A Harker foul led to another penalty for Saint Mary’s. Kyle stopped the initial attempt, but the Saints capitalized on the rebound to extend their lead to 2-0. With a series of quick counters and cross passes, Saint Mary’s pushed the score to 5-0. With a minute left in the first quarter, driver Luka Degoricija (11) stole the ball and took a shot that sailed wide. The first quarter ended 6-0 after a Saints counterattack.
Kyle commented on the challenges of facing constant pressure in goal during his first league game.
“[We] got blown out, but we still kept on fighting,” Kyle said. “We didn’t give up and that’s all that mattered. We were 80% on defense, and 20% on offense, so sometimes we have to even that out. There were three that easily went by me, but they did shoot from two or three meters out, so I feel content with how I played, especially since it was my first game in goal.”
After winning the sprint in the second quarter, Saint Mary’s scored quickly. Harker created a six-on-five power play opportunity after hole set Rohan Kaushal (9) drew an ejection. However, he missed wide from the six-meter range. After a timeout with four minutes left on the clock, Luka attempted a shot but turned the ball over. On the next play, Saint Mary’s scored again on a man-up possession.
Harker scored their first goal when Luka stole the ball from the Saint Mary’s goalie and scored from two meters, cutting the deficit to 7-1. The Saints responded with back-to-back goals from cross passes to lead 10-1 at halftime.
Center defender Adithya Sathyanarayanan (10) noted that the game served as an important learning experience, especially for many new members on the team. He also pointed out key areas of improvement for himself.
“It was more of a development game for the players who showed up,” Adithya said. “There was an opportunity for everyone to get playing time and to build their skills against an opponent on a higher level. Personally, I could work on awareness a little more because there were times where I could have stolen the ball from the opponent or gotten open and made a shot or pass.”
In the second half, driver Bartu Milci (9) briefly stepped out with an injury, forcing the Eagles to play with five players, during which time Saint Mary’s scored twice more. Drivers Ido Eyal (10) and Mason Chang (9) made consecutive shot blocks to deny the Saints on one possession. On offense, Bartu, Adithya and Mason created scoring opportunities for each other with passes across the pool. Their shots were blocked or missed, however, leading to more counter-attack goals. By the end of the third, Saint Mary’s had pulled ahead 15-1.
The fourth quarter began with another Saint Mary’s goal off the sprint. Kyle notched a save and set up Rohan on a counter, but he missed the one-on-one attempt. Later, Rohan found the back of the net with a set play, but the goal was called off for an offensive foul. With under two minutes left, Adithya drew a five-meter foul that Rohan converted, leading to Harker’s second goal. The Eagles ultimately lost 20-2 to Saint Mary’s.
Junior varsity boys head coach Garrett Duardo, who joined Harker this year, emphasized that the team’s effort mattered more than the scoreline. Since several key players were absent, the Eagles played without substitutes for the whole game, which served as a challenge for the players.
“We didn’t have a lot of players — we had exactly enough to field a team,” Duardo said. “But overall, I’m proud of the guys. For a lot of these guys, it’s their first time ever playing, and it’s a hard sport, so there’s a big learning curve. We took the opportunities that were given to us and we played hard, all four quarters with no break and no rest. We’ve gotten better, so we’re digging little steps and building towards the end of the season to win more games.”
The team currently holds a record of 0-1 and faces Valley Christian next in a home game on Saturday.
