The Harker Eagles varsity softball team (4-3 overall, 1-1 in league play) won a WBAL Foothill Division game 6-0 against the Alma Heights Christian Eagles (0-4, 0-1) on March 20. There were several highlights during the game played on Harker’s home diamond, and they were all provided by Harker pitcher Alison Rugar, grade 11.
Rugar’s lead-off home run was all the offense Harker would need to defeat Alma Heights. However, Rugar’s performance on the mound would eclipse what turned out to be the game-winning hit. She dominated the visiting team by pitching an 18-strikeout perfect game. Sixty-five percent of Rugar’s pitches were strikes, and she averaged 3.9 pitches per Alma Heights batter. The perfect game was preserved by Rugar cleanly fielding a bunt to throw out an Alma Height batter and Harker shortstop Ashley Del Alto, grade 11, snagging two line shots. Perfect games don’t happen without great catching, and Laura Thacker , grade 10, was solid behind the plate.
When the 21st Alma Heights batter swung and missed on a 1-2 count, there was no fist-pumping or leaping off the mound. Rugar jogged to the Harker dugout and thanked her teammates for their help in Harker’s winning effort. Harker coach Raul Rios awarded the game ball to Rugar after it was signed by the Harker players.
Rugar is currently leading the WBAL Foothill Division in home runs (two), and she has recorded 89 strikeouts for the 2012 season. Her overall GPA is 4.23 and she is a top flute player in the award-winning Harker Orchestra.
Harker’s summer basketball program is an ideal opportunity for boys in grades 5-8 and girls in grades 5-9 to develop their skills on the court in a fun, nurturing atmosphere. Students will work on fundamental defense and offense, shooting, rebounding, ball handling and more from Harker’s experienced coaches. Team strategy, fitness and endurance will also be incorporated for a well-rounded program that emphasizes teamwork and individual growth as well as basketball skills.
Boys coach Butch Keller, who serves as Harker’s upper school division head, has been coaching basketball for 25 years, winning 19 conference or league championships, in addition to winning numerous awards and achieving an overall record of 511-137. Most recently, he led the boys to a historical break into the upper brackets of CCS playoffs. Coaching the girls will be Alfredo Alves, who last year led the Harker girls varsity team to 20 wins and the first playoff win in Harker girls basketball history.
This program will be held at Harker’s middle school campus, and all students will receive a ball and a camp T-shirt. The boys program runs from June 25-30, and the girls program runs from July 9-13. Previous organized basketball experience is preferred. Visit Harker Summer Sports pages to find more information and register for this program.
Harker’s coed Elite Soccer Camp summer program offers students aged 9-16 a variety of opportunities to improve their skills in a professional environment with individual instruction tailored to each student’s needs. The program will feature a challenging curriculum with daily activities such as Futsal, psycho-motor training, large-goal games and full- and half-court games. Students will also receive visits and listen to talks by professional and college-level players.
The program will be held at Harker’s upper school campus on Davis Field and led by Harker varsity soccer coach Shaun Tsakiris, a veteran of four NCAA tournaments, member of the 1997 U.S. National Team and winner of UCLA’s MVP Award in 2000. He later joined the United Soccer Leagues Professional Division, and played for the Rochester Rhinos from 2002-06.
The three sessions of the program will take place June 18-22, July 9-13 and July 23-27. Each session runs from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
All students in this program will receive a soccer ball and a camp T-shirt. To find more information and register for this program, please visit our Summer Soccer web page.
Girls lacrosse had a close game against Bella Vista yesterday, but lost 15-17. Harker scorers were: Michelle Douglas, grade 11 (six); Wendy Shwe, grade 11 (five), Tiphaine Delepine, grade 11 (two); and Hannah Bollar, grade 9 (two).
Boys tennis lost to state power Menlo yesterday and face another strong team today, Monta Vista. Harker is now 2-3 overall, 2-2 in league.
Harker will offer a beginners’ water polo program this summer for students in grades 4-8 looking to learn more about the sport. The coed program will teach crucial skills necessary to compete, such as water and dry land conditioning, treading water, passing and shooting. To be eligible for the program, students must be able to swim 25 yards.
Ted Ujifusa, who directs the program, has been coaching water polo for nearly 40 years, and is the only coach in CCS history to lead two different public high schools to championships. He will be working with Allie Lamb, a 15-year water polo veteran, and swim coach Ron Usher, who has worked with every level from beginners to national champions.
This program will be held at the Singh Aquatic Center at Harker’s upper school campus, and runs from June 25-29, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. each day. More information and registration are available at the Harker Summer Camp water polo pages.
Softball is off to a terrific start! Harker is 3-2 overall, and the two losses were to teams that play in higher-ranked leagues. Harker plays in the Foothill Division of the West Bay Athletic League (WBAL), which is a “C” league. Monte Vista is in an “A” league, and Yuerba Buena, Gunderson, Menlo-Atherton and Lincoln are in “B” leagues, so the Harker softball team has actually been “fighting above our weight” and doing just fine.
Last year the squad made it to the Central Coast Sectional (CCS) tournament. The rules are that the top two finishers in the Foothill division are automatically in, and the first place finisher in the Skyline division of the WBAL plays the third place finisher in Foothill — last year, that was Harker. The team finished in third in Foothill and had to play and win one extra game to make it into the tournament. Hopes are running high for this year.
Many girls have been coming out to play, and their skills are developing quickly. This can only happen with parental support for their regular attendance at practice, good nutrition and adequate sleep. The coaches also appreciate the planning families are doing to help the team go.
The game on March 14 was a perfect end-of-preseason match as almost every player was able to get into the game (skill development), there was great camaraderie in the dugout (having fun), and Harker won! The coaches look forward to seeing continued support from the Harker community throughout the softball season.
Boys varsity tennis went 2-0 last week with their wins over King’s Academy and Crystal Springs. Jason Chu, grade 9, played in his first singles match and beat his King’s Academy opponent in straight sets. Boys varsity tennis is now 2-1 (2-0 league) and hosted rival Sacred Heart Prep on March 14.
Boys golf is now 2-0 and atop the league in the early part of the season with wins over Pinewood and King’s Academy. Maverick McNealy, grade 11, posted a 36 and Shrish Dwivedi, grade 9, showed a 37 against King’s at Los Lagos.
Baseball went 2-1 last week with a tough 5-7 loss to Lynbrook but came back strong with a rousing 11-3 victory over Priory and a dominating 15-3 win over Trinity Christian. Noah Levy, grade 12, went three for four against Lynbrook with a home run and two RBIs. Against Priory, Drew Goldstein, grade 11, had two hits, an RBI and two stolen bases. Versus Trinity, Jacob Hoffman, grade 11, went three for four with a double and two stolen bases. The boys are now 3-2 as they travel to Sequoia, Capuchino and Fremont this week.
Boys volleyball lost to Mitty and Willow Glen last week, but came back Friday to defeat Harbor High 3-1. Andrew Zhu, grade 10, had 22 kills and Dwight Payne, grade 12, contributed 35 digs in the Willow Glen match. The boys (2-2) open league play this week as they host a tough Homestead High squad at Blackford.
Softball lost to Monta Vista last week despite 11 stikeouts by Alison Rugar, grade 11. The girls are now 2-1 and play three games this week, hosting Notre Dame Friday in the league opener.
Girls lacrosse lost to Bella Vista of Sacramento Friday. Christine Lee, grade 10, had 17 saves in goal, Michelle Douglas, grade 11, had five goals and Hannah Bollar, grade 9, added two goals.
Harker’s summer Tennis Camp is a great opportunity for tennis enthusiasts aged 7-14 (entering grades 2-8 in fall 2012) to improve their knowledge and skills. For competitive tennis players aged 6-18, the Harker Oakwood Tennis Training System (HOTTS) will have team practices and interclub matches, in addition to instruction on advance techniques, strategy, footwork and sports psychology.
Both programs will incorporate physical training, on-court instruction, technique practice and practice with both instructors and ball machines. “For the past two years, we have been using the Spanish developmental foundation used by the renowned Sanchez Casal Academy for our aspiring players,” says Harker tennis couach Craigh Pasqua, certified by the United States Professional Tennis Association. “This foundation emphasizes a different way to address the ball and includes techniques to mitigate the high levels of repetitive stress placed on one’s body by using today’s angular strokes.” Emilio Sanchez, who developed the technique and has helped develop top players such as Rafael Nadal and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, personally introduced Pasqua to the method.
New to this year’s program is the Quickstart League. Geared toward players under 10, the league will hold regular afternoon practices and offers participants the opportunity to play on smaller courts with smaller nets. Students will also attend the Bank of the West Classic tennis competition at Stanford University. “During our annual visit, our campers have the opportunity to meet many of the players and participate in a special program for junior players,” Pasqua said.
In addition to coaching, Pasqua also directs Standing Tall Tennis, a nonprofit organization that specializes in helping at-risk youths on Indian reservations through tennis instruction. For his years of community service, he was recently recognized by the Northern California chapter of the United States Tennis Association, who honored him with a “Trailblazer” award for his years of service.
The Tennis Camp and HOTTS both take place at the Oakwood Tennis Center in San Jose, located at 700 Saratoga Ave. Both programs run from June 25 through Aug. 10, 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. More information and registration are available on the Harker Summer Camp Tennis web pages.
The Grade 5 girls basketball team defeated St. Matthews yesterday in the semifinal game by a score of 41-14! They have earned a spot in the WBAL championship game taking place today at Pinewood, on Fabian Way, at 5 p.m.. Congratulations to coaches Michelle and Tim Hopkins and to all the girls for their amazing season and good luck today!
Harker’s Sports Conditioning program, which used to be call Eagle Iron, invites students aged 9 -17 to learn how to improve upon all of the fundamental components of sports performance from Ron Forbes, one of the nation’s most successful sports performance specialists. Athletes will be grouped by age, size and skill level. “Conditioning helps players perform more effectively and avoid injury. Students learning to prepare and care for their bodies is a huge part of being successful athletes,” said Kelly Espinosa, director of summer programs.
The key to achieving one’s true potential as an athlete, regardless of sport or skill level, is becoming sound in the fundamental components of sports performance.
dynamic flexibility
core strength and stabilization
balance
speed and agility
power and first-step acceleration
The more proficient an athlete is at these components, the greater his or her potential as an athlete. Even athletes who compete at the elite level devote more than 60 percent of their time to continued development of these fundamental components of sports performance.
Harker’s Performance Camp is designed to help young athletes of all athletic skill levels learn and develop the fundamental components of sports performance.
The Harker School has been offering extensive summer programs for more than 50 years, and is accredited nationally by the American Camping Association.