Congratulations to the girls grade 5 basketball team for their 28-6 victory over Woodland last night! Today they play in the semifinal game against either Sacred Heart 2 or St Matthews in Harker’s Bucknall gym at 5 p.m. Please come out and support the girls!
In addition to the accomplishments of the girls basketball, boys soccer and wrestling teams, we participated in the first ever middle school WBAL golf tournament. Please see the results below.
Harker tennis coach Craig Pasqua was honored at the 2012 Awards Celebrating Excellence in Service (ACES) dinner in February, held by the Northern California Chapter of the United States Tennis Association. Pasqua, who has spent several years working with at-risk children on Indian reservations, was given the Trailblazer award in the Diversity category.
A graduate of Stanford University and a professional tennis coach since 2000, Pasqua was first approached to work with Native Americans in 1996, when David Gantzer of Standing Tall Tennis asked him to help out with the organization. “Being American Indian, I was able to break down some barriers and go places Dantzer was unable,” said Pasqua, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and also part Modoc. When Dantzer retired in 2006, Pasqua took over the organization and moved it to San Jose, where he has been running it ever since.
Since its inception, Standing Tall has worked with more than 10,000 people in 21 states and 40 reservations, serving about 80 tribal entities. “We have had continuing programs in the Dine, Hopi, White Mountain Apache and Potawatami Nations,” Pasqua noted.
In addition to his work with American Indians, Pasqua has been an active volunteer at other organizations. He has volunteered at the U.S. Open’s Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day since 2009, and serves on the board of the Santa Clara Indian Health Center. He has also been the president of the North American Indian Tennis Association.
Despite his impressive service record, Pasqua was “totally surprised to receive this award!” he exclaimed. “I’m extremely grateful and wish to thank the USTA NorCal Division and Harker for giving me the flexibility to spend some of my time away from the school.” Pasqa runs the Harker summer tennis program, too. Details are available on our summer web page.
Boys baseball defeated St. Lawrence yesterday 14-4 in five innings to improve to 1-1. Kevin Cali and Jacob Hoffman, both grade 11, and Noah Levy, grade 12, each hit home runs. Cali also pitched eight strikeouts to earn the victory.
Girls softball defeated Yerba Buena 15-5 behind junior Alison Rugar’s eight strikeouts on the mound. She also hit a grand slam! Other hits were made by Angela Singh, grade 12; Ashley Del Alto (double) and Akarsha Gulukota, grade 11; Laura Thacker (triple), Alana Shamlou and Nithya Vemireddy, grade 10; and Sarah Bean and Safia Khouja , grade 9. The girls are now 2-0 on the season.
Today’s games:
3:30 Varsity Tennis v. King’s Academy @ Oakwood
3:30 JV Tennis @ Blackford
3:30 Baseball v. Lynbrook @ Blackford
4:00 JV Boys Volleyball v. Archbishop Mitty @ Blackford
5:15 Varsity Boys Volleyball v. Archbishop Mitty @ Blackford (home opener)
Harker athletes have roared out of the gates in spring sports, showing some fantastic results.
Track & Field opened the season at the Willow Glen Invitational, with Isabelle Connell, grade 11, winning first place in both the 200m and 400m field (with times of 26.12s and 60.62s, respectively). Sumit Minocha, also grade 11, stunned the meet with a second place in the 100m dash and a incredible 22.60s first place finish in the 200m dash, which, broke the long-standing meet record. Matt Giammona placed 11th (out of 42) in the discus (105’2”) and 14th in the shot put. Ragini Bhattacharya placed ninth in the two-mile run (12:14.16). As a team, the girls placed eighth out of 21 teams and boys 10th out of 24.
Harker softball defeated Menlo-Atherton in their season opener 10-4 behind junior Alison Rugar’s twelve strikeouts and senior Angela Singh’s three hits.
Boys volleyball won their season opener at SLV 3-1. Andrew Zhu, grade 10, had thirteen kills in the victory. The freshman/sophomore combined team defeated the Bellarmine freshman team 2-0.
Boys golf defeated Pinewood in their opener 189-191. Maverick McNealy, grade 11, and Shrish Dwivedi, grade 9, both shot 34’s at Los Lagos.
Upcoming Home Games:
Thursday, March 8: Tennis vs. Crystal Springs, Softball vs. Monta Vista, Boys volleyball vs. Willow Glen
Friday, March 9: Softball vs. Pinewood, Baseball vs. Woodside Priory, Boys volleyball vs. Harbor at Bucknall.
Harker News Online thanks Dan Molin, Greg Lawson and the staff of Winged Post/Talon for updates and information in this story.
Final Update: Feb. 29, 2012
The boys basketball team pushed their game to the end Tuesday night at Menlo as they went down 68-44 to Sacred Heart Prep in semifinal play. Senior Vik Jain had a team high 13 points and fellow senior Stephen Hughes added 7. First quarter scoring was slow, ending up at 19-6, with Harker already fighting to stay in the game; the half ended 52-21 and the rest of the game was of that ilk, ending with a loss for the team but a win for the school over all with this historical break into the upper brackets of the playoffs.
“On behalf of the boys, the athletic department would like to thank the large, raucous Harker crowd (which out-numbered Prep’s crowd) in attendance as well as the entire school community for their support,” said Dan Molin, athletic director. “It was another great Harker High School event last night; those in attendance thoroughly enjoyed the competitive atmosphere. Great job to senior Zach Ellenberg for leading the student-body cheers!” Go Eagles!
Update: Feb. 27, 2012
The boys basketball team made history Saturday as they defeated Soquel High School in the CCS quarterfinals 62-59 in front of a large supportive Eagle crowd at Menlo School. This marks the first time in Harker basketball history we’ve qualified for the semifinal round which will take place Tuesday versus league rival Sacred Heart Prep 7:15 at Menlo School. The boys mentioned the fan support was a significant factor in assisting with the victory, so please come support your basketball Eagles as they try to qualify for Friday’s finals at Santa Clara University.
Special to Harker News Online from Greg Lawson
Update: Feb. 24, 2012
The boys varsity basketball team won last night, 61 to 43, in CCS round two play. Harker trailed at the end of the first quarter, 15-13, and then went on a consistent run that made the score 60-35 at one point. Junior Spenser Quash came off the bench to pour in 16 points to lead all scorers. Junior Nikhil Panu had 15 points and six rebounds, and senior Stephen Hughes played a marvelous game at the point and scored 12 points and dished out seven assists. So the boys move on to play Soquel Sat., Feb. 25, at Menlo, to see if they can improve on their 17-8 record. Game time is 2:45 p.m. Harker fans turned out for the earlier game – a good mix of parents, students and teachers – but the team can really use support on Saturday! There is a required charge for CCS games: $8 adults, $3 students. Click here for the bracket.
Girls lost a heartbreaker at Sacred Heart Prep, 53-49. Harker led at the half and the score was tied at the end of three quarters but the second-seeded Gators proved too much for the Lady Eagles in the end. Junior Daniza Rodriguez led the way with 19 points. Sophomore Nithya Vemireddy added 11 points and 15 rebounds to the cause, and junior Priscilla Auyeung had nine points, seven rebounds, and five assists. The Eagles finish their season with a 17-10 record.
Posted Feb. 23, 2012 By Dan Molin
Boys basketball had a successful break earning one of the most significant victories in Harker hoops history as they defeated previously unbeaten and first-place Pinewood on their home court and senior night. The 68-62 victory was a significant factor in attaining a very respectable number seven seed in the CCS tournament and a first round bye. The boys will host Stevenson School at 7 tonight at Blackford in the second round of CCS. There is a required charge for CCS games: $8 adults, $3 students. Click here for the bracket.
Girls basketball also had an outstanding break earning a huge victory over Mercy-Burlingame 41-39 in the WBAL Tournament. Mercy had previously beaten our girls twice in the regular season but our Lady Eagles came through when it counted most. The victory earned our girls the right to play five-time state champion Pinewood the next night, which we lost but prepared our girls well for the CCS tournament. In the first-round CCS game Tuesday our girls defeated Greenfield 57-38, behind 21 points and nine rebounds from Nithya Vemireddy, grade 10. The girls travel to Sacred Heart Prep tonight, Thursday, for a second round matchup. Click here for the bracket.
Please congratulate and send good luck wishes to wrestlers Darian Edvalson, grade 10, and Corey Gonzales, grade 9, for qualifying to the CCS tournament this Friday and Saturday at Independence High School. Edvalson in the 160-lb weight class and Gonzales in the 106-lb class qualified by placing fifth in the league tournament.
Football players in grades 6 through 8 looking to improve their skills at a certain position or learn a new one will have the chance to learn from one of the sport’s most respected trainers at the Harker Football School. The program starts Tues., March 13, and will run every Tuesday and Thursday until May 17.
“Success in producing football players who can compete on the highest level is the direct result of a consistent commitment to developing athletes who are sound in the fundamental skills of their respective positions,” says Harker football coach Ron Forbes, who directs the program.
Over a career spanning more than 15 years, Forbes has trained more than 60 athletes who were later drafted by the National Football League. He helped the University of Florida Gators on their way to seven consecutive bowl games, and helped Stanford secure its spot as one of the top teams in the NCAA’s PAC 10 division, second only to the University of Southern California.
Harker Football School sessions will take place at the upper school campus at 500 Saratoga Ave. in San Jose. Beginning- to advanced players will participate in practice drills to build speed, agility and quickness, learning fundamental skills such as proper stance and start, as well as higher-level concepts such as advanced offensive and defensive strategy.
Individual sessions can be purchased for $25 each. Purchasing a package of five sessions for $95 will save $6 per session for a total savings of $30. A package of 10 sessions is available for $125, cutting the cost of each session in half to save 50 percent overall. Tickets can be purchased at the following URL: http://bit.ly/wZOTko. The general public can register by clicking here. Harker parents should register from the link in the Harker Parent Portal.
Basketball: The Harker School’s boys varsity basketball was busy over winter break, chocking up numerous wins. Early in the break, they defeated Greenfield and Galileo in non-league matchups. The team then went 4-1 at the consolation championship at the Monta Vista Tournament to win it. The team lost to host Monta Vista in an exciting overtime match, and had defeats against Gunderson and Wilcox. The boys had a 7-3 record going into league contests, but then lost to Menlo in front of what Dan Molin, the upper school athletic director, described as, “a packed Blackford gym crowd.” The final score was 52-44, which dropped them to 8-4 overall, 1-1 in league play. “It was a great spirited event as the Knights proved to be a bit stronger this time,” Molin said.
The Harker girls basketball team had a busy break, as well. They competed in the Gunderson Tournament, where they finished sixth, going 2-3 with defeats over Prospect and James Lick, and losses to strong teams from Branham, Oak Grove and Milpitas. Once back from break, the team defeated Capuchino High 53-31 to improve to 7-5 overall. Molin pointed out Daniza Rodriguez, grade 11 (who scored 16 points), Priscilla Auyeung, grade 11 (with 10 points and eight rebounds) and Nithya Vemireddy, grade 10 (with 14 rebounds), for their outstanding performances.
Soccer: The Harker girls soccer team competed in the Garces Tournament in Bakersfield, where they went 1-2 with a win over Arvin and suffered defeats to Taft and Burroughs. Nikita Parulkar, grade 9, was singled out by Molin for her score in the Arvin victory. The team went on to tie Summit Prep with a final score of 1-1. “Apurva Gorti, grade 10, scored for the Eagles, assisted by Julia Fink, grade 10,” Molin said. The girls now have a 3-1-1 league record.
The Harker boys soccer team competed over break, defeating St. Francis-Watsonville with a final score of 4-1 and tying Pioneer High to improve their league record to 2-1-1 overall. After break was over, the boys suffered a defeat to what Molin called “league power” Sacred Heart Prep on Davis Field, making their current league standing 3-2-1 overall.
Wrestling: Freshman wrestler Corey Gonzales continues to impress; Molin reported that he earned his first dual meet victory over Homestead in December in the 106 lb. class, and is now “listed as CCS honorable mention due to his 6-1 overall record.” Molin also noted Darian Edvalson, grade 10, who earned a victory over his Lynbrook opponent recently, along with Vishal Vaidya, grade 9 and Vincent Lin, grade 10, saying they are doing well in their young wrestling careers.
Michael Amick, grade 11, a left back soccer player, was invited to the U.S. Men’s National Under-18 (or U18) team camp for a week in early January. The camp was held in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and was coached by American coach and soccer player Richie Williams. Amick plays on the De Anza Force Soccer Club, located in Cupertino. Throughout the year, Williams will lead the 24 players chosen for the camp through tournaments and training camps to get the style of play, training sessions and fitness testing for the U18 into the same structure as the Men’s National Team. Kudos!
The Harker School is proud of our students’ accomplishments not just in the classroom and on campus, but also off of campus, where they pursue their passions.
Avinash Nayak, grade 10, recently participated in the JUIC International Junior and Cadet Championships in table tennis, where he finished as the runner up. Players from several countries participated in the event, held in Milpitas at the India Community Center’s Table Tennis club. In the final, Nayak was down two games but came back to win the third. The fourth game was well fought, but ultimately went to his opponent, Adolfo Torres from Mexico. Stellan Bengtsson, the former World Singles Champion from Sweden, was there to award trophies to the winners.
Kudos also go out to Jerrica Liao, grade 6, who continues her consistent winning pattern in fencing. Liao traveled to Arizona in early December to compete in the Super Youth Ciruit. She placed third for Youth 12 in women’s foil, and as of mid-November, was ranked 12th in the United States, it is expected that after her high placement in Arizona, her current ranking may be higher
Finally, kudos go out to Shannon Richardson, grade 8, who was selected to participate in the Girls Future Selects High Performance Beach volleyball camp in Chula Vista in July, which will take place at the Olympic training site. The term “future Select campers” refers to players who were born from 97-99. Players must attend a high performance beach tryout, and may then attend the camp by invitation only.
On Wed., Feb. 1, 2012, student-organized Kicks Against Cancer will again take place at Davis Field. At 3:30 p.m., The Harker School’s girls varsity soccer team will be facing off against Immaculate Conception Academy, followed by the varsity boys soccer game against Eastside College Prep. The event will once again help raise money for Camp Okizu, the camp program for young cancer patients and survivors. Last year’s event raised nearly $8,000, an amount that organizers hope to surpass this year.
Starting mid-January, T-shirts and wristbands will be sold during lunchtime to raise money for the event. Donations are also being accepted, and can be arranged by contacting girls soccer coach Jason Berry at jasonb@harker.org.
Returning this year is the popular halftime activity “Butts Up,” in which attendees can donate money for a chance to hit a teacher in the posterior with a soccer ball. Prizes will also be raffled during both games.