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VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 4 JANUARY 27, 2014
Winter Sports Season Recap
SPORTS
Basketball, soccer, and wrestling teams look back on season juhi gupta & vedant thygaraj
DRIBBLES DOWN Junior Nikita Parulkar moves down the field in a game against Andrew Hill High School at Davis Field on Dec. 3. The team won 5-0.
TANGLED Varsity wrestler Daniel Reidenbach (9) ends a match against Lynbrook High School at the Blackford campus on Jan. 23.
BOYS SOCCER
Under new Head Coach John Docherty and returning Assistant Coach Andrew Ransome, Varsity Girls Soccer is currently holds first place in the Skyline Division, with an overall record of 8-1-1 and a league record of 4-0-1. One of the girls’ highlights was their rewarding 3-1 victory on Jan. 16 against Crystal Springs Upland, one of the top teams in the division. “[Crystal Springs was] a tough competitor and gave us a hard game. Also, it felt really awesome to play at night under the lights,” Kaillee Gifford (9) said. Joelle Anderson and Kaillee, both only a freshman, are the highest scorers on the team, with 19 and 13 goals each, respectively. Off the field, captain Apurva Gorti (12) led the girls in their “Kicks Against Cancer” Fundraiser, last week, which raised money for Camp Okizu, a special camp for kids diagnosed with cancer. The girls celebrate seniors Apurva, Julia Fink, Camille Piazza, Alicia Clark, Kianna Bisla, and Taylor Mahal in their senior night game against Mercy San Francisco on Jan. 30.
Varsity Boys Soccer commenced its season in early December and since have won seven games and tied one, only conceding two defeats. The team is currently 4-2 in league. When asked about the season’s notable changes, Varsity player Alan Guo (11) mentioned an influx of new members and a formation shift from 3-5-2 to 4-3-3, referring to the organization of players on the field. “We graduated 11 seniors so we have a lot of new faces,” Alan said. “Also, [the formation change] is working pretty well.” Team members consider Sacred Heart Preparatory their number one rival. Despite losing to them 1-4 earlier this month, the team believes they can emerge victorious from their game against them this Friday. Their next home game will be on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. on Davis Field versus Eastside College Prep.
RIYA CHANDRA - WINGED POST
KEY SHOT Jordan Thompson (9) practices shooting during practice.
IN ACTION Varsity soccer player Oisin Coverney (10) fights for the ball in a game against Crystal Springsl on Jan. 16. The team won 5-2.
ATHLETES OF THE MONTH
Aquila news editor
GIFTED GABI Gabi prepares to kick in the Harker vs. Castilleja game, where the Eagles took the victory with a final score of 6-3 on Monday, Jan. 13.
Varsity Girls Basketball started league play fairly recently, Though the girls lost their first game, they rebounded with a 44-28 victory against Crystal Springs Uplands. Highlights from this game included captain Nithya Vemireddy (12) scoring 22 points. Captains for the Varsity team this year are Nithya, Alana Shamlou (12), and Michaela Vachev (11). One change from last season is that all selected players are on the Varsity team; there is no longer a JV girls basketball team. “Now that there’s no JV team, we have a lot of girls on the team,” Alana said. “We have to work to make sure everyone is meshing together.” The girls will next be playing Immaculate Conception Academy at Blackford on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
mariam sulakian
Position: Defensive Back Jersey Number: 25 Goals: 1 Assists: 1 Overall: 8-1-1 League: 4-0-1
new junior, and one new senior joined this season. “So far it’s been a tough season,” Darian said. “We haven’t really gotten that many wins as a team, but I’m sure we’re going to pick up.” Head Coach Karriem Stinson and assistant coaches Jason Mendel (‘11) and Charles Ward lead the team. The team’s next home match will be on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 5:30 p.m. at Blackford versus Los Altos High School.
Gabi Gupta (11) Girls Soccer
Varsity right back Gabriela (Gabi) Gupta successfully kicked off the season well, leading the team defensively in 5 shutout games. “Gabi has had a tremendous season so far,” Coach John Docherty said. “Not only does she have defensive responsibilities, but she also has to provide wide support for our forwards as we transition into attack.” The varsity star has scored a goal in all eight games played as of Jan. 21 and remains the only player who has scored playing in defense. “In the [Castilleja] game she shut down their strong attack which allowed us more possession time [and] gave us opportunities to score,” captain Julia Fink (12) said. With a few games remaining until the Central Coast Section (CCS) season begins, Gabi continues to demonstrate her defensive strengths on the field.
Omar Homade (10) Boys Soccer
Leading Varsity scorer Omar Hamade showcased his on-field talents this season, with six goals and three assists. “Omar has been in fantastic form so far this year,” Head Coach Shaun Tsakiris said. “He continues to show quality in the final third [of the season], but more importantly, he has been a great teammate with a hard working attitude.” At the Harker vs. Woodside Priory game on Jan. 15, Omar scored a hattrick and scored two goals against Crystal Springs Uplands the next day. With Omar’s help, the team currently is in second place in the West Bay Athletic League (WBAL) with a 3-1 record. Omar continues to succeed on the field throughout the remainder of the season, including eight games before the the team enters the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs.
Position: Center Forward Jersey Number: 9 Goals: 12 Assists: 3 Overall: 6-2-1 League: 3-1
KAIITY GEE - WINGED POST
MEILAN S
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(12) dribbles in a game against Sacred Heart Prep. on Jan. 10.
Varsity Wrestling began its season in October with eight student wrestlers: Davis Howard (9), Phil Kendall (9), Danny Riedenbach (9), Annirudh Ankola (11) , Arjun Kumar (12), Darian Edvalson (12), Ravi Bhandia (12), and Vincent Lin (12). Darian and Vincent are co-captains for the team. A significant change for the team this year was the amount of fresh faces: three new freshmen, one
JUHI GUPTA - WINGED POST
Although their season only officially began a couple weeks ago, the boys have already played 16 games–and won 10. Led by head coach Butch Keller and team captains Will Deng (12), John Hughes (12), and Eric Holt (11), the team has started strong. When asked about which game truly showcased the ability of the team, Wei Wei Buchsteiner (12) believed it to be the home opener against Sacred Heart Preparatory on Jan. 10. Although the boys lost, Wei Wei sees this game as one of the highlights so far. Another major game was the Jan 21. home game against King’s Academy. In addition to their 57-42 victory, this was the first game where the team had all of its players back from injuries and illnesses. Their next home game will be against Crystal Springs Uplands at Blackford on FriCAUGHT SPEEDING Sean Pan day, Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
WRESTLING
ALEXIS GAUBA - WINGED POST
BOYS BASKETBALL
JUHI GUPTA - WINGED POST
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multimedia editor & tech editor
HATTRICK HOMADE Omar heads for the ball during the Harker vs. Terra Nova game with a 3-1 win for the Eagles on Tuesday, Dec. 10.