This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
After another stellar season, the Harker boys golf program has proven itself as one of the best in the state. The team won its third consecutive league title, while going undefeated in league for the second year in a row, winning each league match by an average of 27 strokes and stretching its league winning streak to 22 matches. It placed second in CCS, third in NorCals and sixth in state, further cementing its position as a force to be reckoned with. Since her first year as head coach in 2011, Ie-Chen Cheng has seen the team steadily improve to the point where one of the most difficult parts of her job is deciding on a lineup. “This year, we have not fielded the same lineup once,” said Cheng. “We go 10-11 [golfers] deep. And it’s a very nice luxury to have.” In fact, eight different golfers led the team in scoring this season.
What’s more, the team has proven its prowess against some formidable opponents. “To keep everyone sharp with such a deep squad, we purposely scheduled a very tough season,” stated Cheng. “We play the best competition.” Early season success against this top competition gave the Eagles a confidence that they rode all the way to the state finals. “Our very first tournament was the Joe Gambetta Tournament at Lone Tree Golf Course in Antioch,” said Victor Shin, grade 10. “There, we had a nice fourth place finish, which really boosted our confidence, but showed us that we still had a long way to go.”
The team’s success continued as it finished third at the Marin Catholic Wildcat Invitational, where it beat many of the best teams in the Bay Area. “With the added confidence, we just kept moving forward,” stated Avi Khemani, grade 11. “We had our best finish ever at the Champions’ Invitational in Palm Springs, finishing sixth out of over 40 teams nationally.” Khemani led the Eagles in Palm Springs, tying for 17th out of 250 individual golfers. Sprinkled around these tournaments was a dominating undefeated league season that was a testament to the team’s devotion, passion and work ethic. “The amount of dedication and commitment that each of the players put into this game really defines this team and makes it this good,” stated Shin. “With everyone putting many hours into golfing and wanting to improve every day,” added Khemani, “we’ve become a team that has a great chance to win every tournament that we play.”
Although team members have their eyes on a state title, they also strive to be their best in the classroom. “After seeing the success of Maverick [McNealy ’13, Stanford University] and Shrish [Dwivedi ’15, Duke University] at an elite level, the boys had great role models and want to follow in their paths of success on and off the course,” explained Cheng. “Going to a great university which offers both excellent academics and a golf program is important to them.” Continuing on this path is the lone varsity senior Dakota McNealy, who will play golf with his brother at Stanford in the coming year.
The boys ended the year by facing the best competition in California at the state finals. Although they fell short of their ultimate goal, what they took from their time at state will only serve to help this talented group in the future. “We learned how to play in this type of environment,” said Sandip Nirmel, grade 11, “so next year we will have the experience to play even better.” Looking ahead to next year, the Eagles have reason to be very optimistic. “I think we have a good shot at making it to the state championship again next year, but nothing is guaranteed,” said WBAL Golfer of the Year Ryan Vaughan, grade 11. “We have to keep working and playing our game.”
Losing just one senior and returning all six golfers who competed at the state finals, as well as promoting some of the talented JV players and middle schoolers, the Harker golf team looks like it will continue to be among the best in the West for years to come.
McNealys Make Golf a Family Affair
Some of the success of Harker’s upper school golf program over the past few years can be credited to the talents of one family. Since 2009 the McNealy brothers – Maverick ’13, Dakota, grade 12, Colt, grade 11, and Scout, grade 9 – have helped the program become a powerhouse. When Maverick and Dakota were very young, their parents decided to choose a family sport that they could play with their children, and golf seemed like a natural fit. “We almost spend more time together on the golf course than off of the golf course,” stated Scout. All that time on the course was not only great for family bonding, but also developing the talents of the four boys.
With three McNealys on this year’s varsity boys golf team, the brothers are spending even more time together, and enjoying every day on the course.
“It’s definitely fun,” said Dakota. “Luckily, we are all mature enough now that we aren’t excessively competitive, so we aren’t a distraction to each other.”
The McNealys show this maturity, as well as their skill, in their scores. At a tournament earlier this year, “Scout led the field in par-3 scoring average, I led the field in par-4 scoring average and Dakota led the field in par-5 scoring average,” recalled Colt.
At this year’s CCS regionals, Scout tied with teammate Avi Khemani, grade 11, for the team lead and a fifth place finish. In the CCS finals, Dakota led the team with a fifth place finish. All three McNealy brothers helped advance this team further than any golf team in Harker history.
“What impresses me the most is how much they are each other’s biggest fans even during times when they are competing against each other,” stated Harker’s golf coach, Ie-Chen Cheng. “They don’t get jealous of each other’s accomplishments but rather utilize it to get better.”
When an entire family plays the same sport, the natural question becomes, “Who is the best?” Even though older brother Maverick is one of the best college golfers in the nation, Colt says the best McNealy golfer is their mom. “She could probably win a few LPGA major championships if she wanted to chase that career.” In the fall, Dakota will join Maverick at Stanford, but Colt and Scout still have time to help the Harker golf program reach its ultimate goal of a state title.
The varsity boys water polo team continues its hot streak as it defeated Santa Clara 13-3, Saratoga 13-5 and Heritage 9-7, last week. That’s nine straight non-tournament wins for the Eagles, bringing their season record to 13-4. This week, Harker travels to Cupertino on Tuesday and hosts Milpitas on Thursday.
Girls Golf
The girls varsity golf team went 1-1, last week, picking up a win over Notre Dame San Jose, followed by a loss to Menlo. Freshman sensation Katelyn Vo once again impressed in the win over NDSJ, shooting a par 34 to lead all golfers. This week, the Eagles face Notre Dame Belmont on Tuesday and Mercy Burlingame on Wednesday.
Cross Country
Competing at the first WBAL meet of the year, Peter Connors, grade 11, led the boys with a time of 16:59 for the 2.8 mile course. Leading the way for the girls team was Anika Rajamani, grade 10, and Lilia Gonzales, grade 10. This Saturday, the Eagles compete at the Monterey Bay Invitational at Toro Regional Park.
Girls Volleyball
The varsity girls volleyball team went 1-1 in league play last week, dropping a three-game match to Notre Dame Belmont, followed by a four-game win over Notre Dame San Jose. At 2-3 in league, Harker sits in fourth place in the West Bay Foothill League. Next up for the Eagles is a trip to Menlo on Tuesday, then a home match against Sacred Heart Prep on Thursday.
Girls Tennis
The girls tennis team dropped a match with Sacred Heart Prep 5-2 last week, but looks to regain some league momentum as it faces off with Menlo on Tuesday and Crystal Springs Uplands on Thursday.
Girls Water Polo
The girls water polo team dropped two heart-braking matches last week. In an 8-7 loss to Santa Clara, Meghana Karinthi, grade 11, had three goals. Later in the week, the Eagles lost to Saratoga 5-4. The Eagles travel to Wilcox on Tuesday and host Milpitas on Thursday.
Football
The Eagles come off their bye week ready to travel to Modesto and take on Big Valley Christian on Friday.
Our very own Ted Ujifusa was recently named the 2016 CCS Boys Water Polo Honor Coach. CCS honors one coach per sport each year for “his/her contribution to that sport at the interscholastic level,” according to the CCS website. Coaches are selected based on their coaching accomplishments, contributions to their school and community, and inspiration to others, among other criteria.
Coach Ujifusa will receive his award at the CCS Water Polo Championships on Nov. 12 at Independence High School. The Harker boys water polo team was the CIF State Academic Team Champion for the 2015-16 year and is currently 11-4 under Coach Ujifusa. Congratulations, Coach! Go Eagles!
Last week, the girls tennis team picked up a 4-3 win over rival Castilleja. Freshmen Rachel Broweleit, Srivani Vegesna and Amanda Cheung won their singles matches, with Connie Miao, grade 12, and Kathleen Cheng, grade 11, winning their doubles match. Later in the week, however, the Eagles lost to Pinewood 4-3. The Eagles will take on Sacred Heart Prep this Thursday.
Boys Water Polo
The boys varsity water polo team stayed red hot, picking up a 16-6 win over Fremont High last week. It was the Eagles’ sixth straight league win, bringing their season record to 10-4. The boys team travels to Santa Clara on Tuesday and hosts Saratoga on Thursday.
Cross Country
The cross country team competed at the prestigious Stanford Invitational over the weekend, and both the boys and girls teams performed very well. Peter Connors, grade 11, and Andy Koonmen, grade 10, led the boys team. Niki Iyer, grade 12, led the girls team with a fourth place finish and a personal best. Lilia Gonzales, grade 10, and Aneesha Kumar, grade 10, each set personal bests. The Eagles’ team time was a school record for the Stanford course. Next up for the Eagles is a WBAL meet on Thursday at San Bruno Mountain Park, followed by the Serra Invitational this Saturday.
Girls Water Polo
The girls water polo team dropped a tight 3-2 match with Homestead before picking up a 5-3 win over Monta Vista last week. This week, the Eagles travel to Santa Clara on Tuesday before hosting Saratoga on Thursday.
Football
The Eagles traveled to Vallejo last week to face off with Saint Patrick-Saint Vincent. Unfortunately, the Eagles left with a 54-7 loss. Leading the way for the Harker was Anthony Contreras, grade 11, with 50 receiving yards and a touchdown, and James Pauli, grade 11, who picked off two passes on defense. The Eagles will take a week off before heading up to Modesto to face off with Big Valley Christian on Oct. 14.
Girls Volleyball
The girls varsity volleyball team defeated Mercy San Francisco last week in three games. This week the Eagles face off with Notre Dame Belmont at Harker on Tuesday, then travel to Notre Dame San Jose on Thursday.
Girls Golf
The girls varsity golf team hosts Notre Dame San Jose today at Los Lagos Golf Course at 4 p.m., then travels to Palo Alto Hills Country Club to take on Menlo on Wednesday. Go Eagles!
Between the videos, social media posts and updates from the administration, the construction progress of the new athletic and performing arts centers is clear. Harder to show is the sense that the campus is coming of age with these buildings.
From a modified café to a full-fledged theater for the hundreds of potential thespians throughout Harker, from rented theaters to home ground, with practice and dressing rooms, for hundreds of talented musicians, singers and dancers, the performing arts center looms large in imaginations.
“The students are beyond excited to work in classrooms and an actual theater in the new performing arts center,” said Laura Lang-Ree, director of performing arts. “While I think everybody realizes we do not have a theater, I think certain families realize just how difficult our job and the student learning is in our tiny, unpolished classrooms.
“We’ve never had a scene shop or a fly space, both of which will change both the audience experience and student learning,” Lang-Ree continued. “Our technical theater students will have a place to practice their craft and learn design elements as they will have a scene shop and light and sound booth on campus. Productions will look very different as we will be able to fly in set pieces (which is the norm) vs. building smaller sets and dragging them onstage!
“Having daily spaces with state-of-the-art sound and acoustical treatments that are triple and quadruple the sizes of some of our current classrooms will literally change the everyday learning experience for the thousands of students that will enjoy them in coming years.”
Our athletes also will have a home ground with the kind of essentials that allow them to focus on their performance instead of juggling rides and bags. The visions of a golden gym floor, of clean-tiled locker rooms, of training facilities that bring out the very best in our hard-working athletes are in the mind’s eye of Harker’s athletes and athletic staff.
“The athletes are absolutely thrilled about having a gym on this campus,” said Dan Molin, upper school athletic director. “One of them said, ‘It will truly feel like a home game.’ The new athletic center will generate more school spirit, more excitement and, frankly, more students will be interested in participating in sports. Students will walk by the gym, hear whistles and cheering, and come inside and join the excitement. This will positively change our sport culture and community, forever.”
The new centers, integrated as they are with Dobbins and Nichols halls, will bring a new maturity to the upper school campus.
“The athletic center completes the athletic complex, Molin said. “Looking at it visually, we’ll have the field, pool and gym all next to each other promoting a sense of unity between all sports and making a statement that we care about athletics as a part of the whole student.”
“I think the completion of both the performing arts center and gym will give our campus the feeling of completion and of being on par with other amazing high schools in the area,” said Lang-Ree. “We will have arrived!”
Now, with foundations set and walls rising, the dream is clearer than ever and the excitement is rising with the walls!
Beginning in June 2016 Harker launched two new state-of-the art building projects on the upper school campus, the result of a $45M capital campaign. The 33,000 square-foot athletic center, opening August 2017, features a 12,000 sq.-ft. gym, athletic training room with advanced hydrotherapy unit, and spacious team rooms. The Rothschild Performing Arts Center, opening spring of 2018, features a 450-seat theater with fly loft and hydraulic orchestra pit, a state of the art scene shop, vocal, instrumental, theater/musical theater classrooms and dressing rooms. For more information visit the news and video links below or contact communications@harker.org
The football team picked up a well-earned 27-25 victory over Santa Cruz High last Friday. Will Park, grade 12, rushed for 118 yards and Nate Kelly, grade 11, threw three touchdown passes, including two to Anthony Contreras, grade 11. The defense also stepped up as it forced six Santa Cruz turnovers, three interceptions and three fumbles. Check out some of the game highlights here: http://www.hudl.com/v/krSEW
Next up for the Eagles is a trip to Vallejo this Friday for a matchup with St. Patrick-St. Vincent.
Girls Golf
The girls golf team has stayed very busy, competing in four matches over the past week. Last week, the Eagles fell to Menlo by just nine strokes, but rebounded with convincing victories over Mercy Burlingame and Sacred Heart Prep. In the victory over the SHP Gators, the girls golf team set the school record for the lowest score ever shot by a girls team (183). On Monday, the Eagles also defeated Castilleja, their first victory over the defending league champions since 2008. Katherine Zhu, grade 11, and Katelyn Vo, grade 9, continue to lead the Eagles. The girls golf team will rest up this week and return to action next week against Notre Dame San Jose and Menlo.
Girls Volleyball
The girls volleyball team continued its difficult schedule against some of the best teams in the Bay Area last week. The Eagles fell to Menlo in three games, then dropped a tough five-game battle with Sacred Heart Prep. Lindsey Trinh and Rachel Cheng, both grade 12, led the Eagles with six kills each in the Menlo loss. Lauren Napier, grade 11, led Harker with 15 kills in the loss to SHP. On Tuesday, the Eagles travel to Mercy San Francisco.
Boys Water Polo
The boys water polo team continued its winning ways as it picked up a 15-3 win over Cupertino and a 13-3 win over Milpitas. The Eagles are now 9-4 on the season. This week, the Eagles face off with Fremont High on Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at Harker.
Girls Tennis
The girls tennis team opened its league season with a 6-1 loss to Menlo. Rachel Broweleit, grade 9, picked up a win at No. 3 singles. Later in the week, the Eagles defeated Crystal Springs Uplands 4-3. This week, the girls tennis team will face Castilleja on Tuesday and Pinewood on Thursday.
Girls Water Polo
Last week, the girls water polo team fell 7-3 against Wilcox, getting two goals from Meghana Karinthi, grade 11. Later in the week, the Eagles defeated Milpitas 12-2, with Karinthi, Alicia Xu, grade 9, Nina Levy, grade 12, and Cas Ruedy, grade 9 each scoring two goals. Finally, over the weekend the Eagles went 1-3 at the Watsonville Tournament led by four goals each from Xu and Karinthi. The girls water polo team plays at home twice this week: Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Homestead and Thursday at 4:30 p.m. against Monta Vista.
Cross Country
The cross country team returns to action this weekend as it competes in the Stanford Invitational.
The girls golf team competed at the Helen Lengfeld Memorial Tournament last week and placed seventh out of 18 teams. Katherine Zhu, grade 11, took fifth out of 108 golfers. Later in the week, the Eagles picked up big wins over Palo Alto and Notre Dame Belmont with Katelyn Vo, grade 9, earning her second medalist honors in as many tries. The girls stay busy this week as they take on Menlo on Monday, Mercy Burlingame on Tuesday and Sacred Heart Prep on Wednesday.
Boys Water Polo
The boys water polo team defeated Santa Clara 13-4 and Saratoga 13-5 last week to pick up two big league wins. The Eagles will host Cupertino on Tuesday and then travel to Milpitas on Thursday.
Cross Country
The cross country team competed at the De La Salle Invitational over the weekend, led by some younger runners in their second cross country meet of the year. Anika Rajamani, grade 10, placed 24th out of 150 in the frosh-soph girls race. She was followed closely by classmates Lilia Gonzales and Aneesha Kumar.
Peter Connors, grade 11, had Harker’s fastest time in the varsity division. Freshmen Rishi Dange, Martin Bourdev, Mihir Sharma and Richard Hu finished within 30 seconds of each other in the 224-runner frosh-soph race. Michael Wang and Andy Koonmen were the top sophomore finishers. Next up for the Eagles is the Stanford Invitational on Oct. 1.
Football
The Eagles were dealt another home loss last Friday as visiting Encinal High defeated Harker 49-12. Next up for the football team is a trip to Santa Cruz High this Friday.
Girls Volleyball
Last week, the girls volleyball team lost to Saint Francis in three games. Melissa Kwan, grade 11, led the Eagles with 16 assists, while seniors Rachel Cheng and Lindsey Trinh each had a team-high six kills. The Eagles host Menlo on Tuesday at 5:45 p.m., then travel to Sacred Heart Prep on Thursday.
Girls Water Polo
Last week, the girls water polo team dropped a 10-2 match to Santa Clara and a 9-3 match to Saratoga. The Eagles will host Wilcox on Tuesday and then travel to Milpitas on Thursday.
Girls Tennis
The girls tennis team opens its league season on Tuesday as it hosts Menlo at the Santa Clara Tennis Center at 4 p.m. On Thursday, the girls will travel to Crystal Springs Uplands for another league match.
The boys golf team took ninth place at the Aptos Tournament last week, with Scout McNealy, grade 9, leading the way with a 2-over-par 73 to place second individually. Colt McNealy, grade 11, had a good day as well, finishing tied for fifth. Later in the week, the Eagles defeated Crystal Springs Uplands with Ryan Vaughan, grade 11, shooting a team low 1-over-par 37. On Monday, the Eagles took down Sacred Heart Prep to stay unbeaten in league. Scout once again led the way, this time shooting a 1-over-par 37. The boys golf team takes on Pinewood on Tuesday.
Boys Volleyball
The boys volleyball team continues to roll in league play as it defeated Wilcox and Fremont last week, both in three games. The team is still undefeated and in first place in league. This week, the Eagles are at Eastside College Prep on Wednesday, home against Santa Clara on Friday and at the Habor Tournament on Saturday.
Girls Lacrosse
The girls lacrosse team fell to Woodside 13-2 last week. It’s a busy week for the Eagles as they travel to Mercy Burlingame on Tuesday, host Christian Brothers of Sacramento on Wednesday and then travel to Carlmont on Friday.
Baseball
The varsity baseball team dropped two high scoring games to Jefferson High last week. In a 12-8 loss, Trenton Thomas, grade 12, drove in two runs. Later in the week, Miles DeWitt, grade 12, had two hits and three RBIs in a 9-7 loss. This week the Eagles will play at Westmoor on Tuesday and host Westmoor on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Softball
The Eagles fell 6-2 to Castilleja last week, but Kristin LeBlanc, grade 10, had three hits and an RBI in the loss. This week the softball team is at Castilleja on Tuesday, followed by homes games on Wednesday versus Yerba Buena and Friday versus Pinewood.
Track and Field
Last Friday the track team competed at the CCS Top 8 event at Los Gatos High School. Anthony Contreras, grade 10, took second in the frosh soph 100m; Demonte Aleem, grade 9, hit a personal best by three feet in the shot put to place fifth; and Niki Iyer, grade 11, was fifth in the varsity girls 1600m, with her season best time of 4:59.55. The track team was back at it on Saturday as it headed to Mountain View to compete in the Saint Francis Invitational against some of the top athletes in Northern California. Contreras placed fifth in the varsity 100m, setting a personal best and sophomore school record as well. Bill Liang, grade 11, took home a fourth place finish in the 300m hurdles. Next up for the Eagles is a WBAL meet at King’s Academy on Wednesday.
Boys Tennis
The boys tennis team split its two matches last week, losing to Sacred Heart Prep 5-2, but defeating Crystal Springs Uplands 4-3. The team will travel to Menlo on Tuesday and then begin the WBAL tournament on Thursday.
Swimming
The Harker swimmers host King’s Academy on Wednesday. It is also Senior Day, so come support our graduating Eagles. The festivities start at 3:40 p.m., and the meet starts at 4 p.m.
This article originally appeared in the spring 2016 Harker Quarterly.
With hundreds of grade 5-8 students competing on dozens of teams and using facilities at three campuses, the lower and middle school sports program has become a force to be reckoned with. The program is a finely tuned machine that helps produce well-rounded Harker students, many of whom will move on to the upper school. It balances competitiveness, hard work and learning, all while emphasizing the love for the game.
Theresa “Smitty” Smith has the task of managing 55 lower and middle school teams in 16 sports, as well as coaching the upper school varsity girls volleyball team – for which she recently eclipsed 300 career wins. But it is all in a day’s work, she says. “There are a bazillion kids in the program, there are tons of teams. It’s a huge undertaking. But we have a really good program and I’m proud of that.”
Dedicated Coaches
Gazing around the middle school gym just outside of Smith’s office, one can see the source of her pride in the many championship banners.
Since 2008, the middle and lower schools have won 56 league titles. Smith gives the credit for the program’s success to her amazing coaches. “Any extra help that I need, all hands are on board. It’s a great unit of people to work with,” Smith said. “All are willing to jump in and take initiative, and it makes my job easier.” There are plenty of hands to help, too, as Smith has more than 40 devoted coaches and assistants, with about a 50-50 split between walk-on coaches and Harker employees.
One of those coaches is Raul Rios, who has been working with Harker athletes for a decade. During the fall and winter, Rios can be found with the middle school athletes; in the spring he works with the upper school students. “I coach because I love sports and working with kids,” said Rios, who also heads up the shipping and receiving department at Harker. “It’s very rewarding seeing somebody using something you taught them and succeeding with it.”
Dan Pringle is another loyal coach, who first began coaching at Harker in 2000. Pringle is involved with four different middle school sports and also assists the upper school’s girls varsity basketball team. One might think that kind of schedule would take its toll on a coach, but not Pringle. “Every year coaching at Harker, there has been a special memory of a team, player or season that brings a smile to my face and shows me how lucky I am to be coaching at such a great school,” stated Pringle.
The sound of dozens of basketballs beating against the pavement as three girls teams practiced on the blacktop was almost deafening, but Charlotte Blanc, grade 8, loudly stated, “Coach Pringle is the best basketball coach I’ve ever had. He’s really serious and he’s really funny. He pushes you to work really hard.”
Hard Work On and Off the Field
Hard work is a common theme in conversations with Harker athletes, and is clearly something they do not shy away from. When asked for a favorite Harker sports memory, Ryan Tobin, grade 7, said, “We were playing soccer against Menlo last year and it was back and forth all game. The whole team worked their hardest and never gave up and we eventually won.”
So what makes Harker athletes wantto work and try so hard? “Our students are unique, because at a very young age they are motivated to be successful in the classroom,” said Brighid Wood, coach and assistant to the middle school athletic directors. “We have been able
to extend that focus onto the eld and have seen some amazing results.”
Dhruv Saoji, grade 6, thinks the influence sometimes moves in the opposite direction. “Sports help you focus. It lets you clear your mind and then you have a fresh mind when you go back to academics.” Whether it is academics influencing sports or sports influencing academics, Harker students seem to enjoy bringing the same intensity into both arenas.
The work ethic displayed by Harker students produces an amazing effect in that the student athletes actually grow and evolve in their sports, and as people. “My favorite part of coaching is getting to see the progression in the kids,” said first year Harker coach Brittney Moseley. “Just seeing how much they’ve grown on and off the field is beneficial and shows that I’ve done my job.” Wood added. “As [the students] grow in our system, we’ve seen some great strides on and off of the field. I feel like the success is found in development of character alongside ability, and that is always our goal.”
The Element of Fun
But the middle school athletic program isn’t only about work ethic and personal growth, it is also about the athletes enjoying themselves. According to Smith, one of the philosophies of the program is “the element of fun.” When asked why he plays sports, Saoji answered just as one would expect a sixth grader to: “It’s time to have fun!” Though a little older, Blanc answered the question similarly: “It’s always so much fun. Even if your teammates aren’t your friends regularly at school, you connect as a team.”
“Last year we won the championship and all had an amazing time,” said basketball player Ashley Barth, grade 6. “We bonded as a team and became really close friends!”
Pringle hopes his coaching style encompasses all these qualities. “I want all my student athletes to gain confidence and self esteem while learning how to work as a team, and build lifelong relationships while having fun.”
Preparing for High School
The results of the middle school sports experience are evident at the upper school campus. Jared Anderson, grade 9, is one of the stars of the boys varsity soccer team this year and a product of the Harker sports program. “The middle school sports program prepared me for high school sports because it led me to understand the competitiveness of high school sports without too much pressure being placed on me,” Anderson noted.
Joelle Anderson, grade 11, who has been lighting up the scoreboard this year for the girls varsity basketball team, partially credits her success to her Harker middle school coaches. “They help you develop your skills. Those skills come in to effect when you play at a higher level,” she said.
In addition to the sport-specific preparation the Harker athletes receive in middle school, the variety of sporting opportunities also serves students well at the next level.
This year, Rachel Cheng, grade 11, earned a West Bay Athletic League first team honor in volleyball, but she might not have discovered her talent if not for the breadth of sports offered at the middle school. “I delved into a number of sports when I was in middle school,” she said. “I ran cross country, track and eld, played soccer and played volleyball,” recalled Cheng. “I experimented with all these different kinds of sports, so I could easily nd which ones I was good at, and which ones were my passion.”
Giving young student athletes choices and opportunities is all part of the pathway that Harker’s sports community has built over the years. Academics have always been prevalent at Harker, but appealing to students with a high interest in athletics has become a focus in recent years. “When we initially started the upper school one grade at a time, a lot of our students and parents were hesitant to go [there].
Our better athletes went to the Mittys and Bellarmines and St. Francises,” remembered Smith. “Within the last ve years, the retention rate on those top athletes has exploded.” This retention rate has shown great results as the upper school just came off one of its best fall seasons in Harker history, with five teams making the postseason. This success may not have been possible without the groundwork that Smith and her coaches create in their athletes at the lower and middle school levels.
On any given day, on any given Harker campus, a sixth grader could be scoring his first-ever basket, or an eighth grader kicking her nal goal before heading to the upper school. But whether their teams are playing in a championship or working on drills, the Harker playing eld is always filled with joy.
“You can’t make everyone happy, but I think we make a lot of people happy,” stated Smith with a slight grin.
This article originally appeared in the spring 2016 Harker Quarterly.
Winter Sports Wrap
The winter sports season was one for the Harker history books! Harker’s teams set scoring records, broke opponents’ streaks and reached new heights in the playoffs. And the Eagles continue to soar as the spring season gets underway.
Girls Basketball
The girls varsity basketball team started the season on fire, winning nine of its first 10 games by an average margin of victory of 31 points. The team finished with an impressive 16-8 regular season record, and third place in the West Bay-Skyline Division.
The Eagles headed into CCS with a No. 10 ranking in the Division 4 tournament, which gave them home court advantage against their first round opponent, Terra Nova. However, injuries and illnesses left the Eagles shorthanded and the team fell to the Tigers 52-44, ending Harker’s season.
Leading the way for the Eagles were Joelle Anderson and Jordan Thompson, both grade 11. Anderson averaged 14.3 points per game, while Thompson averaged an amazing 27.2 points per game, the best in the CCS and fifth in the state, according to MaxPreps.com. Thompson also became Harker’s all-time leading scorer this season, with her senior year still ahead of her.
Thompson was honored with a WBAL first-team selection, Anderson was named to the second team, and Satchi Thockchom and Selin Sayiner, both grade 10, received honorable mentions. Coach Tomas Thompson has his sights set high for the program’s future. “This was a great year for Harker girls basketball. Next year we return all five starters and, if we continue to work hard, we will contend for the league championship and have goals to advance in CCS,” he said. “This is the start of something special, and we can’t wait to get back to practice to get to the next level.”
Boys Basketball
The Eagles opened the year by winning the James Lick Invitational Tournament, the first tournament championship under coach Butch Keller. Elijah Edgehill, grade 12, was named tournament MVP, averaging 14 points and 14 rebounds a game.
The Eagles finished the season with a 12-12 record, making the playoffs as the No. 11 seed in the CCS Division 4 playoffs. They traveled to San Lorenzo Valley for their first round game, where the very talented Cougars defeated Harker 67-47, ending the team’s season. Edgehill and Roy Yuan, grade 9, led the Eagles offensively as Edgehill averaged 13.8 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, while Yuan dropped in a team high 15.2 points per game.
The boys basketball team also racked up accolades. Edgehill was named to the WBAL first team, Rohan Desikan, grade 12, received an honorable mention, and the team shined in the classroom, as it won the CCS scholastic championship with a 3.655 team GPA.
“This group worked really hard all year, from summer league to the Thanksgiving and winter breaks,” stated Keller. “This was a remarkable team.”
Wrestling
Although the varsity wrestling team was winless this year, several of its wrestlers had impressive individual seasons. Davis Howard, grade 11, became only the fourth Harker wrestler in school history to reach the league finals.
Howard finished second in league in his weight class and qualified for the CCS tournament, where he went 3-2 and became just the sixth Harker wrestler to reach the second day of the CCS tournament.
Anthony Contreras, grade 10, placed third in league and also qualified for CCS, where he had a solid 1-2 performance. Meanwhile, Daniel Reidenbach, grade 11, placed eighth in league for his weight class, although he didn’t qualify for CCS. Howard, Contreras and Reidenbach were each named to the all-league team. As a team, the Harker wrestlers were named the CCS scholastic champion with a 3.475 team GPA.
Coach Karriem Stinson said, “I have been working with these guys since middle school. It’s great to see them grow up.”
Girls Soccer
It was a rebuilding year for a very young varsity girls soccer team. They fielded only one senior, lost multiple starters and played up to a higher division. The Eagles went 0-15-1 on the season, but with a team comprising mostly underclassmen, the future looks bright.
The team always worked hard and stayed positive, and it showed as four Eagles were named to the WBAL all- league team. Lyndsey Mitchell, grade 11, was a first team selection, Anuva Mittal, grade 11, was named to the second team, and Layla Walker, grade 12, and Maile Chung, grade 11, were both honorable mentions.
“Throughout the year, we really grew as a team and became more comfortable with each other,” said Mitchell. “I’m really excited for next year.”
Boys Soccer
The boys varsity soccer team played well all season, finishing with a 7-9-1 record and fourth place in the WBAL.
The Eagles started the season off on the right foot with a couple of big wins. First, they defeated Valley Christian 3-0 on Davis Field. Two days later, the Eagles made history as they upended Sacred Heart
Prep 2-1 on their home field. Jared Anderson, grade 9, scored both goals in Harker’s first win at SHP in nearly 10 years and the Gators’ first home loss in five years!
The Eagles were well represented in the WBAL All-League awards as Oisin Coveney, grade 12, was a first-team selection, Omar Hamade, grade 12, was named to the second team, and Rohit Shah, grade 10, and Anderson were both honorable mentions. The boys soccer team also finished third for the CCS scholastic championship with team GPA of 3.680. “We had a really talented group with lots of raw talent,” stated Hamade. “It was super fun working with everyone on the team. We are all a family.”
Lower and Middle School Results
The early winter sports season for grades 4-8 has concluded. Nearly 220 lower and middle school students participated in boys basketball and girls soccer.
Our varsity B and JVB1 boys basketball teams were both league and tournament champs!
Here are the teams’ final results:
VB (Grades 7-8) Boys Basketball: The varsity B team, coached by Josh Miller and Rich Amarillas, finished in first place in the WBAL with a 7-0 record and went 9-0 overall. They were league champs of the south division and tournament champs!
Team awards went to Michael Mitchell, grade 7 (MVP), Vance Vu, grade 8 (Eagle) and Vedanth Sundaram, grade 8 (Coaches).
VB2 (Grade 7) Boys Basketball: The varsity B2 team, coached by Jon Cvitanich, finished in sixth place in the WBAL with a 3-4 record. Team awards went to Levi Sutton (MVP), Marcus Anderson (Eagle) and Anmol Velagapudi (Coaches).
JVA (Grade 6) Boys Basketball: The junior varsity A team, coached by Mike Delfino, finished in fourth place in the WBAL with a 3-3 record and went 3-4 overall. Team awards went to Rishi Jain (MVP), Anquan Boldin Jr. (Eagle) and Alex Zhang (Coaches).
JVB6 (Grade 6) Boys Basketball: The junior varsity B6 team, coached by Matt Arensberg, finished in fifth place in the WBAL with a 3-4 record. Team awards went to Marcus Page (MVP), Josh Tseitlin (Eagle) and Jack Hayashi (Coaches).
MS Intramural Boys Basketball: Team awards went to Tuhin Chatterjee, grade 7 (MVP), Alex Shing, grade 8 (Eagle) and Harrison Chang, grade 6, and Akshay Manglik, grade 7 (Coaches). The team was coached by CJ Cali, Jeff Martarano and Raul Rios.
JVB1(Grade 5) Boys Basketball: The junior varsity B1 team, coached by Dan Pringle and Karriem Stinson, finished in first place in the WBAL with a 7-0 record and went 9-0 overall. They were league champs and tournament champs! Team awards went to Matthew Chen (MVP), Zeke Weng (Eagle), and Michael P aging and Armaan Thakker (Coaches).
JVB2 (Grade 5) Boys Basketball: The junior varsity B2 team, coached by Kristian Tiopo, finished in fourth place in the WBAL with a 4-3 record. Team awards went to Boulus Ajlouny (MVP), Max Pflaging (Eagle) and Pranav Mullappalli (Coaches).
JVC (Grade 4) Boys Basketball: The junior varsity C team, coached by Jim McGovern, finished in fourth place in the WBAL with a 4-3 record. Team awards went to Om Tandon (MVP), Rohin Bhagat (Eagle) and Spencer Mak (Coaches).
LS Intramural Boys Basketball: Team awards went to Panav Gogte, grade 4 (MVP), Jack Ledford and Kyle Leung, both grade 4 (Eagle) and Vivek Nayyar, grade 4 (Coaches). The team was coached by Ken Allen and Jeff Paull.
VA (Grades 7-8) Girls Soccer: The varsity A team, coached by Brighid Wood, Brittney Moseley and Kelcie Lai, finished in seventh place in the WBAL with a record of 2-5-0. Team awards went to Aria Wong and Hannah Grannis, both grade 7, (MVP), and Dylan Williams, grade 7, and Delaney Logue, grade 8 (Coaches).
JVA (Grade 6) Girls Soccer: The junior varsity A team, coached by Cyrus Merrill and Mandy Schroeder, finished in fifth place in the WBAL with a record of 2-3-1. Team awards went to Ashley Barth (MVP), Angela Jia (Eagle) and Diana Kohr (Coaches).
JVB (Grade 5) Girls Soccer: The junior varsity B team, coached by Lisa Lubke and Jared Ramsey, finished in second place in the WBAL with a record of 2-1- 1 and went 2-3-1 overall. Team awards went to Anya Chauhan (MVP), Anika Muddu (Eagle) and Jia Parikh (Coaches).
LS Intramural Girls Soccer: Team awards went to Ananya Sriram, grade 4 (Eagle) and Kinnera Mulam, grade 4 (Coaches). The team was coached by Randy Le Gris and Maria Maldonado.