![“[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 succumbed to Gunn High School 8-12 at home on Thursday.
The Eagles lost the swim-off in the first quarter, but Adithya Sathyanarayanan (10) forced a steal to gain possession. After a steal and counterattack from Gunn, goalie Kyle Chun (9) blocked a shot and passed ahead to center Rohan Kaushal (9), who scored the opening goal. After the Titans committed a substitution error, Rohan added a second goal from a five-meter penalty to bring Harker ahead 2-0.
Spectator and varsity boys water polo player Jayden Rodriguez (12) noted how Rohan kept the Eagles competitive in the first quarter.
“We started out strong — two goals in the first few minutes,” Jayden said. “Rohan really stands out, doing a good job staying open in set. He’s creating opportunities out of nothing. Without him, I don’t think the score would have been quite as close.”
In the middle of the second quarter, Gunn scored twice to tie the score 2-2. Rohan responded with a third goal on a five-meter penalty, but Gunn pulled ahead with three more goals. With under a minute in the half, Rohan got around his defender and scored to bring the score to 4–5.
Rohan discussed how he found ways to score despite heavy defensive pressure.
“I scored mainly through isolation plays, one-on-one post-ups, and driving,” Rohan said. “Some of the challenges came from when I was getting double teamed, when I found it hard to get on my legs and get a proper shot off. I’m just trying to go out here and do the best I can.”
Gunn won the swim-off in the third quarter and scored on a penalty shot to make the score 4-6. The Eagles forced a turnover after a defensive stop and called a timeout to plan an offensive play. Returning to the pool, driver Mason Chang (9) scored on a skip shot from five meters, and followed with another perimeter shot to tie the game at 6-6. Kyle initially blocked a goal attempt from Gunn, but they scored from a rebound, closing the quarter 6-8.
Mason discussed his performance and points of improvement for the team.
“I scored two goals, which is the most I’ve scored,” Mason said. “Our team played to our potential, and I could tell everybody tried their best, so overall, I’m pretty proud. Our team is mainly freshmen and we don’t have much experience, but we have a lot more chemistry and communication.”
The Eagles fell further behind in the fourth quarter as Gunn scored three goals from counterattacks to widen the gap to 6-10. After a rebound during an Eagles attack, Rohan added to the score with a close-range shot. He scored another goal to bring the score to 7-10. Gunn countered with two more goals, but Rohan scored the final goal of the game on a skip shot from the five-meter line, sealing the 8-12 result.
Rohan emphasized the progress the team has made since the start of the season and expressed confidence in their ability to continue improving.
“We’ve come a long way from when we started, from being blown out by 18 goals to keeping games within two or four,” Rohan said. “It’s not the outcome we want, but it’s much better than before. We played a decent game for our level, and eventually, as we progress even more, we can get to a win.”
The team currently holds a record of 0-5 and faces Mountain View next in an away game today.
![Sai Kaneshiro (10) warms up her swinging technique during a practice. “I try to not think about [the pressure] too much and just take it one day at a time, one tournament at a time,” Sai said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/sai-kaneshiro-10-ashley-mo-min-2-e1756584218934-981x1200.jpg)
