![“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)
Varsity boys basketball lost 45-85 to Monte Vista Christian School in an away game on Friday.
After winning the tip, Monte Vista took an early 0-9 lead by scoring consecutive layups while Harker airballed several three pointers. Then, shooting guard Alan Gao (12) scored off a rebound, earning the first points for the Eagles and bringing the score to 2-9. The Eagles committed many shooting fouls, allowing the Mustangs to sink free throws, ending the first quarter with Harker down 10-30.
“After the first quarter, we lost a lot of momentum, and I was getting nervous that we would never recover from this,” center Oliver Chen (12) said. “Being down 20 points is a rough way to start the game, and the other team took advantage of this. We called a couple timeouts to regroup and think about ways to keep the ball in our hands more.”
During the second quarter, the Eagles’ missed shots allowed the Mustangs to further their lead. Three-pointers and free throws from shooting guard Lucas Huang (10) and forward Babila Mfonfu (11) helped push the score to 13-39. Harker’s offense applied pressure by passing around the ball and screening out the Mustangs, and center Vivek Yella (12) scored a layup, bringing the score to 15-46.
“It was going very tough because they scored so many consecutive points,” forward David Li (12) said. “The team should have been communicating more to prevent all the turnovers. I was hoping to be more connected going into the second half.”
The Eagles continued to trail behind in the third quarter, and a three-pointer from the Mustangs pushed the score to 22-58. Although Alan made a free throw and Lucas scored a layup, Harker struggled to recover from the 30-point gap. Consecutive missed rebounds, passes and layups by the Eagles allowed the Mustangs to pull ahead 40-81.
Shooting guard Daniel Zhu (11) scored a three-pointer to open the final quarter. Connecting more passes and keeping possession of the ball, the Eagles prevented the Mustangs from tallying another streak of points. Harker then called another timeout, and David entered the court to make a few blocks on defense. The game ended in a 45-85 loss for the Eagles.
“We came out a little loose because of finals, but it’s all good because this is just a game to get us ready for the next one,” Lucas said. “It’s good to have a next game, next play mentality. Although we lost by a lot, our team kept spirits up, and that was good to keep each other hyped. We were celebrating each other when we made shots and good defensive plays.”
The varsity boys basketball team holds a 3-5 season record and is set to play Capuchino High School on Wednesday.
