![“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 baseball demolished Pajaro Valley High School 18-2 in their season opener at Washington Park on Wednesday.
Taking the field as the game started, Harker set up a strong defense at the top of the first inning, preventing Pajaro Valley from scoring. During the bottom, leadoff batter Ryan Pham (11) advanced to third base by stealing bases, and Shaurya Jain (11) drew four balls to walk. Ryan scored the Eagles’ first home run, and Pedro Castro III (11) followed shortly by sliding onto the base just before a Grizzlies defender contacted it, increasing the lead to 2-0.
With bases loaded, Shaurya sprinted home on a steal during Arturo Vilalta’s (12) at-bat, bringing the score to 3-0. Following ball four, Jackson Powell (12) walked to first base. The inning concluded when a Grizzly defender reached first base before Eaton Cao (9) during his batting turn.
“We were really focusing on getting back into the groove of playing,” head coach Jon Cvitanich said. “We have a lot of returners from last year that we tried to get the rust off, and they were able to do that. A lot of our young guys were able to get in the game and do lots of good things. We were trying to get everybody in the game, and we were able to do that, so that was very encouraging.”
The Grizzlies opened the second inning strong, hitting a deep ball to the outfield that cruised past the defenders and gave them the first points on the scoreboard for 3-1. Shaurya responded by striking out subsequent batters, and Jackson tagged one more, moving Harker to offense.
Powerful hits from Ryan and Pedro at the bottom of the second allowed both to score two consecutive home runs. Shaurya then singled to first, advancing home off hits from Vidwat Shekar (10) and Arturo to close the inning 6-1.
“A standout moment was being able to hit the ball to the right side of the field, just get people on base, being able to see the ball, get on base just keep it rallying,” Ryan said. “For me, I was able to hit 1000 [1.000 batting average] in this game, hit three balls to the right side of the field, get some runs batted in (RBI), get some runs myself.”
At the top of the third, Shaurya struck out the first two Pajaro Valley batters, and first baseman Matt Macmillan (11) forced another out. Harker dominated offense in the bottom of the inning, scoring 10 runs through consistent swings and aggressive base running. Mason, Vidwat and Eaton contributed consecutive RBIs, allowing their teammates and themselves to score runs. With a swing into the outfield, Shaurya assisted two points from Eaton and Ryan, ending the inning 17-1.
“It’s a first match, and we are grade nine, so it’s also our first match in Harker, so we are very happy to watch it,” Wei Cao, father of Eaton and Adam Cao (9), said. “A lot of standout moments, especially for Eaton. It’s the first time Eaton got one run.”
The Grizzlies secured one more run at the beginning of the fourth inning from a deep hit, but the Eagles’ strong defense prevented further scoring opportunities. Ryo Sugaya (9) hit once the Eagles were on offense, and he added one final run to seal the game 18-2, with no runs occurring in the fifth inning.
Despite the team’s victory, Cvitanich emphasized the importance of staying focused on growth and improvement as they prepare to face a stronger opponent.
“We don’t play until next week, so we have some things to work on at practice that we saw today that we need to tighten up,” Cvitanich said. “Our next game is against a very talented team. It’s going to be a very difficult challenge, which will be a great learning experience. They’re a successful team that has good players, and we want to challenge ourselves to make ourselves better. So looking forward to that next season and just continuing.”
The team holds a 1-0 record and will play Capuchino High School next on Tuesday.
