![“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)
From moving up a division to tight Central Coast Section (CCS) runs, the fall sports teams scored significant victories to end their season. For only the second time in Harker history, all CCS-eligible teams this season, which includes all varsity fall sports teams except football, qualified for postseason competition.
Varsity football ended their season 3-1 overall, even with the smallest roster ever of eight players initially and several injured players. The team secured a 44-8 win against Pinewood in their tailgate game on senior night to end Fall Spirit Week.
After earning the first seed in the CCS Division II bracket, varsity boys water polo overtook several teams to earn a place in the finals. They succumbed to Leland 9-12, on Saturday, concluding their season with an 18-8 record.
Varsity girls water polo also secured a spot in the CCS Division II playoffs, though they succumbed to third seed St. Ignatius 10-15 in the quarterfinals for an overall record of 15-12.
With the best individual league performance in school history taking top three spots in WBAL, varsity girls tennis achieved the fifth seed in CCS but lost to Los Altos 2-5 in the quarterfinals. Frosh Angela Li and sophomore Kendra Zhao advanced CCS Singles Tournament and competed on Wednesday, winning their first round games but ending their season at quarterfinals.
During their first season in the WBAL Foothill Division, varsity girls volleyball reached CCS Division IV semifinals but lost 0-3 to first seed Scotts Valley , ending 15-12 overall and 6-6 in league play. The team also hosted the homecoming game in the first ever outdoor volleyball games in Northern California, prevailing over Branham in three sets on Harker Day.
Despite poor weather conditions and several ill players, varsity girls golf earned seventh place at the CCS Tournament and won their eighth consecutive WBAL championship.
Varsity girls and boys cross country placed second and third overall at the WBAL finals, respectively, marking their highest combined ranking since 2008. Frosh Sophie Shen placed thirteenth with a time of 19:38.8 in CCS championships, and she will represent her team in the CIF State Championships.
