![“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 basketball lost 18-67 against Mountain View High School on Wednesday.
Mountain View came out strong from the tip, opening the game with a seven point run before guard Eric Zhang (9) put Harker on the board with an and-one finish. Guard Ethan Xu (9) hit a pull-up jumper in transition and forward Mason Chang (9) added a free throw, but the Spartans continued capitalizing off their early momentum, closing the first quarter ahead 6-14.
The Spartans began the second quarter with a floater. Harker implemented an aggressive press to speed up the game and force turnovers. The pressure generated several steals that led to free throws for center Rishik Sehgal (10), pushing the score to 8-19. Mountain View adjusted, breaking the press consistently through quick passing to extend their lead to 8-30 by halftime.
“They were more physical than us on both ends of the floor,” Guard Alex Zhu (9) said. “We need to improve our shooting, but also do a better job attacking the paint and drawing help defenders so our shooters get better looks.”
Carrying their momentum into the third quarter, Mountain View began by knocking down another three-pointer. Guard Noe Parra (9) responded by draining a three right before the shot clock expired. He followed it up with free throws on the next possession, bringing the score to 13-33. The Spartans followed by firing off five consecutive threes to bring the score to 13-48. Mason added a layup with two minutes left in the period, but Mountain View closed the quarter leading 15-52.
“Mountain View is a tough team, and they played really well, especially shooting the ball,” Eric said. “We didn’t play to our best ability and missed a lot of shots. Going forward, we need to get back faster on defense and do a better job helping and hedging on screens.”
Momentum stayed with the Spartans as a three fell to begin the fourth quarter. They followed with a pair of fast-break finishes and a pull-up jumper to stretch the lead further to 15-62. Noe sank another three three minutes into the fourth quarter, but Mountain View responded with a three of their own and a transition layup, finishing the game with a final score of 18-67.
“In the last 2 days, we’ve had some below average practices, and that’s where I think it starts,” Head Coach Nick Nguyen said. “It clearly showed today, and that’s where it all starts, we need to be practicing harder.”
The Eagles currently hold a record of 5-2 and will play Monte Vista Christian away on Friday.
