Middle School Teams Doing Well Across the Board
Cross Country
Harker hosted the annual middle school cross country meet at Blackford in late October. Rather than six races, one each for boys and girls of each grade level, this race is similar to the league finals race in that there are just two races, boys and girls. Harker performed very well this year, with nine runners placing in the top ten. In the girls race, eighth graders Alyssa Amick, Gabi Gupta and Diba Massihpour took places two through four, respectively, while seventh graders Alex Dellar and Mary Najibi took seventh and ninth. In the boys race, our eighth graders had an impressive showing. Thomas Doyle took first with Corey Gonzales close behind at third. Rounding out the placers were Nikhil Kishor, sixth, and Vedant Thyagaraj, eighth.
The team then traveled to Shoreline to compete in the league race. For this race the team score is calculated by adding up the places of the top five finishers on each team. At press time final places and times were not available, but check back soon for the results.
Football
Varsity A football finished off their season on a solid note winning their last three games. They soundly defeated nonleague opponent Valley Christian 28-8 in their second match-up of the season (the Eagles had won their first match with V.C., but in a much more closely contested game). The Eagles then played their final home game against Pinewood in which they triumphed 25-20. The final Varsity A game of the season was a defensive showdown at Crystal Springs. While their first game against Crystal Spring was an offensive shootout, with Harker coming out on top 40-27, this game was decided by only three points, with Harker emerging victorious 12-9. This gave them a league record of 5-4-1.
Varsity B entered the last week of their season with an impressive league record of 5-0, coming off big league wins over Keys and St. Matthews, 18-6 and 40-19, respectively. Their opponent was the also undefeated King’s Academy squad and the winner would in all likelihood be crowned league champion. Unfortunately, the King’s team prevailed 19-0 in the defensive battle that ensued. In their final game of the season the Eagles were forfeited to by Priory, giving them a league record of 6-1 for the season and putting them in uncontested second place.
Junior Varsity A football was handed their first loss of the season against Sacred Heart Middle School. The Eagles were not able to put points on the board and were shut out 20-0. The boys came back strong with big victories over Pinewood, 32-6, and Valley Christian, 20-6, to finish with an overall record of 7-1.
Softball
Softball was also handed their first defeat in a close game against Crystal Springs. The Eagles were missing Regan Heslop, grade 7, who has been a key part of the team offensively and defensively. Even short-handed the girls almost managed to pull off a victory, eventually losing the close match 5-7. However, the team showed its tenacity by coming back two days later and soundly defeating Valley Christian 7-0. In their final game of the season the Eagles played league opponent King’s Academy. The game turned out to be a nail-biter, with Harker coming out on top 6-5. The girls finished the season with an impressive overall record of 7-1, which earned them second place in their league.
Swimming
Swim had their league meet as well last week, but at press time results were not available. Check back soon for updates.