The Harker boys golf team took the Northern California Championship yesterday, driving its way into the Harker record books as the first boys varsity team to win a championship since Harker opened its high school in 1998. Congrats to Daulet Tuleubayev, grade 11; Ryan Vaughan, grade 12; Sandip Nirmel, grade 12; Victor Shin, grade 11; Jin Kim, grade 11; Avi Khemani, grade 12; and coaches Ie-Chen Cheng and Tom Vaughan!
“This has been an outstanding year athletically,” said Dan Molin, upper school athletic director, “capped off by our boys golf team earning the school’s first boys Northern California Championship. The boys have worked extremely hard and are all about team and supporting each other. Coach Ie-Chen has had a plan and philosophy, which has been paying dividends as shown by four straight league championships, two CCS second place finishes and now a NorCal title. From the golfers to coaches, they’ve earned every bit of their success.”
Cheng was thrilled by the boys’ performance but saw the team’s potential early on. “To be honest, I felt very confident entering this postseason,” Cheng said. “In the beginning of the season, I challenged the team to shoot even par as a team for every one of our matches and tournaments. I told them if we can do this, we can win NorCals. That was our goal – win the NorCal Championship – and that is exactly what happened. We struggled throughout the season to put together a round where each shot their best.
“The team started the season well, winning their first tournament at Lone Tree” and followed with some decent scores, Cheng continued, “but we certainly weren’t playing our collective best. Our first sign of impending success was against Menlo at their home course. They played their best, and we went 2-under as a team; that put a lot of life back into the team,” she said.
Cheng went on to put together a very strategic schedule that tested the boys in many different environments. They played as many tournaments as possible, going to Las Vegas, Palm Springs, the East Bay and Marin, playing against the best possible competition she could find. “I knew this would help us in the long run, especially during the postseason,” Cheng added. “We talked consistently about getting each other’s backs and playing for each other.”
Cheng looked at the postseason as five stages. “We won the first stage by winning our league tournament,” she said. “Then, we went on to win the CCS Regionals, a first for us. Then we came in second for the second straight year at the CCS Championships. The fourth phase was winning NorCals.
“We were 2-over as a team at the turn. We had a long wait to start the back nine, and I was concerned it would ruin our rhythm,” she continued. “But we made sure the boys stayed loose, refueled to prepare for a very hot afternoon and back nine. They responded. I know we were the most prepared team. So yes, I had a quiet confidence we could pull this out. However, I think most teams there were surprised we played this well. The boys were absolutely phenomenal yesterday on the biggest stage.
“And now this is the final step for us, State Championships. Historically, Southern California has dominated the golf championships, but we’re going to give it our best shot,” Cheng stated.
Naturally, the boys were excited. “I realized we had a good chance to win when I came in with a good score and heard from the coaches that my teammates were playing well,” said Nirmel. “I have a ton of confidence in my teammates, because they always play hard and are strong competitors. However, in golf, you never really know who will be the winner until all the players have completed their rounds, and so we all cheered on our teammates as they came in on the final hole; after all, every shot counts!
“When I saw that we had won the tournament, I felt proud of all the work we had put in this year,” he continued. “Winning NorCals is no easy feat. We celebrated the occasion by high-fiving each other and taking a few pictures by the 18th green.”
As a graduate, Nirmel is going out on a high note. “It sure feels satisfying to clinch the NorCal Championship. This is what we’ve worked so hard for these past four years, slowly inching closer to the top of the leaderboard each and every time. Winning is nice, but what I’ve really enjoyed is hanging out with my team – a genuine, classy group of awesome people.”
The boys golf team started its season with a bang as it brought home the program’s first-ever tournament win. The victory at the Joe Gambetta Tournament in Antioch was highlighted by first place medalist Victor Shin, grade 11, shooting a 1-over-par 73, edging out teammate Jaimin Bhagat, grade 9, who had the same score, but took second with a scorecard playoff. Ryan Vaughan, grade 12, tied for third with a 76. This Wednesday, the Eagles travel to Livermore to compete in the Cowboy Classic at The Golf Course at Wente Vineyards.
Basketball
The boys and girls basketball season came to end last week as both teams lost in the first round of CCS.
In a 64-51 loss to Carmel, the boys team recovered from a 23-point first quarter deficit to pull to within 6 at halftime, but the Padres pulled away in the second half to move on in the tournament. Playing in their final high school game, Justin Jia and Jordan Goheen, both grade 12, led the Eagles with solid performances. Jia led the team with 13 points and four steals, while Goheen added 11 points and team-high seven rebounds.
The girls team traveled to Santa Cruz, where it played to a tough 57-53 loss in a game that was close throughout. Jordan Thompson, grade 12, finished her illustrious high school career with a game-high 24 points.
Last week, Thompson also was recognized for her amazing career:
Daniel Reidenbach, grade 12, Eric Fang, grade 9, and Davis Howard, grade 12, competed at the CCS wrestling championship over the weekend. Howard picked up the only win for Harker with a win by fall over Half Moon Bay in his second match. Congrats on a great season, wrestlers!
Baseball
The baseball team opened its season with a 28-0 victory over Yerba Buena last week. Logan Frank, grade 10, had three hits and drove in two runs to lead the offense. Dominic Cea, grade 11, Zach Hoffman, grade 10, and Anthony Meissner, grade 10, each drove in three runs. This week the Eagles travel to Del Mar on Thursday and host O’Connell on Saturday.
Softball
The softball team kicked off its 2017 season with a 13-3 victory over Del Mar. Kristin LeBlanc, grade 11, and Cameron Zell, grade 10, led the Eagles with three hits each. LeBlanc, Mahi Gurram, grade 10, Grace Park, grade 12, Marti Sutton, grade 12, and Lily Wancewicz, grade 10, each drove in two runs. This Thursday, the Eagles host Terra Nova at Blackford.
Boys Tennis
The boys tennis team gets its season going this Tuesday versus Sacred Heart Prep before traveling to Clovis this weekend for the California Tennis Classic.
Lacrosse
The lacrosse team officially opens its 2017 season this Wednesday as it hosts Newark on Davis Field, followed by home games versus Los Altos on Thursday and the York School on Friday.
Swim
Harker swimming opened its season at the Palo Alto Invitational. Vivian Wang, grade 11, won the 200 IM and broke the school record in the 100 breaststroke while qualifying for CCS in both events. Ethan Hu, grade 9, broke the school record in the 200 free and also qualified for CCS in the 200 free, 100 fly, and 100 backstroke. On March 18 the swim team travels to Sacred Heart Prep to compete at the Small School Invitational.
Track and Field
The track and field season gets started this Saturday at the Willow Glen Invite.
Boys Volleyball
It will be a busy week for the boys volleyball team as it travels to Monterey High on Tuesday, before hosting Oak Grove on Wednesday and Cupertino for its opening league match on Friday.
Alumni Track
Izzy Connell ’13 lowered her own Pepperdine school record in the 400-meter run last week as she took second place during the three-team meet with her Waves, host Westmont and UC Santa Barbara. Connell also holds the Pepperdine school records in the 100m, 200m, 4×400 relay, as well as indoor records in the 60m, 200m and 4×400 relay. Check out the full story: http://www.pepperdinewaves.com/sports/c-track/recaps/021817aaa.html
The first Wednesday of February is a day that many elite high school athletes look forward to their entire careers – and for three Harker seniors, that day has arrived! Today, on National Signing Day, Joelle Anderson, Kailee Gifford and Lyndsey Mitchell inked commitments to play college soccer. Anderson will play for the Pepperdine University Waves, Gifford will play for the Golden Bears at UC Berkeley and Mitchell will travel to the Midwest to play for the Nebraska Wesleyan University Prairie Wolves.
Anderson, who played basketball and soccer at Harker, is currently leading all girls CCS soccer players in goals and points and was recently named the NSCAA/MaxPreps California Player of the Week. “This is unreal,” said Anderson. “I am so excited to attend Pepperdine in the fall.”
Gifford, who played basketball, football and soccer at Harker, hit 81 percent of her PATs this year for the varsity football team. However, at Cal she will concentrate on soccer. “I have worked hard for so many years,” stated Gifford, “and the view from the top of the mountain gives you a little retrospective on your journey, and it’s really cool.”
Mitchell, who played softball and soccer at Harker, is second on the girls soccer team in points this season, while mainly playing defense. Mitchell was turned on to NWU by her grandmother who took classes at the university. “This is really emotional,” said Mitchell. “All the hard work my family and I have put in to get here has paid off.”
Congratulations to Joelle, Kailee and Lyndsey on this exciting new chapter in their athletic careers! Go Eagles!
Congratulations to Michael Amick ’13, who was selected in the second round (32nd overall) of the MLS draft by the Portland Timbers. Amick played college soccer at UCLA, where he was a three-time team captain, first team All-Pac 12 selection in his sophomore year, honorable mention All-Pac 12 selection in his junior and senior years, Pac 12 All-Academic first team selection in his junior and senior year, and Pac 12 men’s soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year in his senior year. “When I finally heard my name, it was a huge relief and a very exciting moment to walk on stage, taking the next step to pursue my soccer career,” said Amick. See the moment when Amick was selected: http://www.timbers.com/post/2017/01/13/2017-mls-superdraft-defender-michael-amick-s-draft-day-podium-speech
Girls Basketball
The girls basketball team dropped a close 37-35 game against Castilleja last week. Jordan Thompson, grade 12, led the Eagles with 18 points in the loss. Later in the week, the Eagles bounced back with a 60-33 win over Mercy Burlingame. Thompson again scored 18 points, with Selin Sayiner, grade 11, adding 11 points. The Eagles have most of the week off until they host The Kings Academy on Friday.
Boys Basketball
The boys basketball team picked up a 66-50 win over Crystal Springs Uplands last week, with Eric Jeong, grade 11, leading the way with 17 points. The victory also marked the 600th win in the impressive career of coach Butch Keller. However, later in the week, the Eagles fell to Eastside College Prep 51-44. Gene Wang, grade 10, led Harker with 11 points. Next up for the boys are home games versus The Kings’ Academy on Tuesday and Menlo on Friday.
Boys Soccer
The boys soccer team dropped two matches last week, a 2-1 loss to Crystal Springs Uplands and a 4-0 loss to Sacred Heart Prep. This week, the Eagles host Menlo on Friday and Eastside College Prep on Friday.
Girls Soccer
The girls soccer team was defeated 8-0 by Woodside Priory last week, but looks to rebound with three matches this week. The Eagles travel to Castilleja on Tuesday and Mercy Burlingame on Thursday, before hosting Eastside College Prep on Friday.
US Wrestling
The Eagles wrestling team opened its league season with a 45-36 loss to Los Altos last week. Alan Hughes, grade 11, Eric Fang, grade 9, and Davis Howard, grade 12, all picked up wins by pin. This past weekend, the Eagles competed at the Los Gatos Wildcat Invitational with Fang finishing third in the 195-pound division, Devin Keller, grade 9, finishing fourth in the 136-pound division and Kobe Howard, grade 10, finishing seventh in the 132-pound division. The Eagles host their first match of the year this Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Blackford against Saratoga High.
MS Wrestling
Congrats to Dezi Johnsen, grade 7, who took first in the grade 6-8 boys 142-pound division at the prestigious New Year’s Bash middle school wrestling tournament in Clovis this past weekend.
Congratulations to cross country and track coach Scott Chisam on being named a starter at this year’s state track meet. Chisam is a member of the CCS Starters Association and was nominated to join starters from other CIF sections at the finals in June.
Izzy Connell ’13 continues her stellar collegiate career at Pepperdine University as she set two school records in the first meet of the women’s indoor track season. At Northern Arizona’s Friday Night Duals last Friday, Connell broke her own school record in the 60-meter sprint, placing sixth in the event. She also placed sixth and broke the school record in the 400. Connell also holds the school records in the 100, 200, 400, 4×400 and the indoor 200.
On Tuesday night, Butch Keller reached an impressive milestone: his 600th career win as a boys basketball coach.
In a 66-50 win over Crystal Springs Uplands, the Eagles brought home the benchmark in Keller’s 31st season as a coach. In 2007, after 25-plus years coaching in Virginia, where he racked up eight state finals appearances, won three state championships and was named Coach of the Year a wondrous 18 times, Keller and wife, Jane, a upper school math teacher, came to Harker. Keller began coaching Harker’s boys basketball in 2011.
Amazingly, Keller’s 600 wins do not even include his AAU, summer league or girls basketball wins. “Six hundred is just a number, a big number, but just a number nonetheless,” said Keller, also Harker’s upper division head, with characteristic humility. “It means I have been coaching a long time.”
Over the years, what has continued to impress Keller is the athletes he has coached. “I have been blessed with the opportunity to coach a lot of incredible young men for 31 seasons. The work ethic, attitude and talent that they bring to the sport has made coaching an incredible privilege,” stated Keller. “The wins, championships and accolades are all a by-product of the process and relationships.”
Student athletes spoke to Keller’s leadership skills. Tri-captain Eric Jeong, grade 11, scored a team-high 17 points in the win over CSU and was quick to point out the bond between Keller and his players. “Coach Keller always has great relationships with every player on the team,” said Jeong. “He knows how to get the best out of every player and always encourages us to be ourselves on the court.”
Jordan Goheen, grade 12, added, “What impresses me the most about Mr. Keller is that he genuinely cares about each player on the team.”
Being a coach requires a lot of extra time on nights and weekends, and Keller said he couldn’t do it without his family. “The support that I have received from everyone in the schools I have worked has been phenomenal, but the biggest thing has been the support I have always had from my family,” said Keller. “My family has sacrificed a lot to allow me to coach and I am very grateful.”
And there are a thousand young men who played under Keller who are grateful, too. Heartfelt congratulations, Coach Keller, and unending thanks for your time and dedication; Harker is fortunate to have you. Here’s to many more wins with the Eagles!
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
Read the full Eagle Report in Harker News, with team statistics, and player and coach interviews, at http://wp.me/pOeLQ-7ER.
Boys Volleyball
Boys volleyball started off the season losing eight of its first 10 nonleague games, but dramatically turned things around when they started league play, winning a league title with a perfect 10-0 record and qualifying for CCS. All told, they ended their season with a 16-12 record.
Boys Tennis
It was an exciting year for the boys tennis program. Competing at the California Tennis Classic in Fresno early in the season, the Eagles went 1-2, but there was more to this weekend than just numbers. After winning the division 4 championship in the tournament last year, the Eagles were moved up two divisions to face some of the best teams in the state. Their sole victory came against defending section champ Clovis West, proving that they could play with the big boys. The team then finished the season in third place in the WBAL, which produced a CCS berth. Their season ended in the next round of CCS as Gunn High defeated Harker 5-2.
Swimming
The 2016 swim season was full of amazing individual and team achievements, and led to many All-League selections. In addition to their prowess in the pool, both the boys and girls swim teams were CCS scholastic champions with a 3.5441 and 3.8451 GPA, respectively. “We had a very committed core who were encouraged by their improvements,” said coach Tania Chadwick. “By the end of the season it was great to see swimmers come together showing their team unity and camaraderie as they supported each other during practice and meets.”
Softball
The Harker softball team started the year on fire as it went 4-0 in its first four games, winning each game by an average of nine runs! The Eagles would finish the season tied for fourth in the WBAL with a 6-10 overall record. Read the full Eagle Report in Harker News, with team statistics and player and coach interviews, at http://wp.me/pOeLQ-7ER.
Girls Lacrosse
It was a tough season for the girls lacrosse team as team members played their hearts out through a 2-18 season. In addition to being a CCS scholastic champion, leading all CCS girls lacrosse teams with a 3.9098 GPA, the team also received many All-League awards.
Baseball
The varsity baseball team ended its season with a 9-13 record, but the future looks promising for this team. With only three graduating seniors on a 19-man roster, a solid core of players will return next year.
“Even though we will only have one senior next year, we’ll have eight to nine juniors, all of whom will be beginning their third year on varsity,” said coach Mike Delfino. “So, we’re definitely optimistic about the next few years. I am proud of the efforts each of the players put into the season. These guys worked hard and steadily improved as the season went along.”
Boys Golf
What a year for the boys golf team! They were WBAL champs for the third consecutive year and enjoyed a second-straight undefeated season, which included 22 consecutive league wins. They had a second place finish at CCS, third place finish at NorCals, and sixth place at state. Read the full story on the boys golf team.
Track and Field
It was one of the best years in Harker history for the track and field team! Every meet seemed to produce multiple personal and/or school records. At the WBAL finals, the Eagles had 14 season bests, and five athletes earned trips to the CCS championships. Junior Niki Iyer had a particularly stellar season; read more about Iyer, here!
Lower, Middle School Spring Athletes Finish Strong
By Theresa “Smitty” Smith
It was another great season for lower and middle school athletes!
VA (Grades 7-8) Girls Volleyball: The Varsity A team, coached by Diana Melendez and Stephanie Coleman, finished as league champs in the WBAL with a record of 7-1. Team awards went to Emily Cheng, grade 8 (Eagle), and Julia Yusupov, grade 7, and Lauren Beede, grade 8 (Coaches).
VB (Grades 7-8) Girls Volleyball: The Varsity B team, coached by Xiaofeng Foret, finished in third place in the WBAL with a record of 5-2. Team awards went to Rachel Abellera, grade 8 (MVP), Hannah Grannis, grade 7 (Eagle) and Anvitha Tummala, grade 7 (Coaches).
VB2 (Grades 7-8) Girls Volleyball: The Varsity B2 team, coached by Josh Miller, finished in sixth place in the WBAL with a record of 3-4. Team awards went to Anu Selvaraj, grade 8 (MVP), Aria Wong, grade 7 (Eagle) and Ayla Tanurhan, grade 8 (Coaches).
JVA (Grade 6) Girls Volleyball: The Junior Varsity A team, coached by Tina Mai, finished in fifth place in the WBAL with a record of 2-4. Team awards went to Tara Ozdemir (MVP), Leyla Artun (Eagle) and Sarah Leafstrand (Coaches).
JVB6 (Grade 6) Girls Volleyball: The Junior Varsity B6 team, coached by Sarah Bell, finished as league champs in the WBAL with an undefeated record of 6-0. Team awards went to Michelle Liu (MVP), Emily Tan (Eagle) and Elizabeth Shchegrov (Coaches).
JVB1 (Grade 5) Girls Volleyball: The Junior Varsity B1 team, coached by Ellie Pereria, finished in second place in the WBAL with a record of 5-1. Team awards went to Claire Chen (MVP), Shea Bryden (Eagle) and Lexi Nishimura (Coaches).
JVB2 (Grade 4) Girls Volleyball: The Junior Varsity B2 team, coached by Sydney Voss, finished in ninth place in the WBAL with a record of 0-6. Team awards went to Kate Grannis (MVP), Margaret Cartee (Eagle) and Masha Velikhovskaya (Coaches).
LS Intramural Girls Volleyball: Team awards went to Emily McCartney and Maggie Yan, both grade 4 (Eagle), and Emma Cai, Ceren Erdogan and Cecilia Yang, all grade 4 (Coaches). The team was coached by Maria Maldonado.
VA (Grade 8) Boys Volleyball: The Varsity A team, coached by Pete Anderson, finished as league champs in the ADAL with an undefeated record of 8-0 and an overall record of 9-0. Team awards went to Jeffrey Kwan (MVP), Vedanth Sundaram (Eagle) and Vance Hirota (Coaches).
JVA (Grades 6-7) Boys Volleyball: The Junior Varsity A team, coached by Pete Anderson, finished in second place in the ADAL with a record of 6-2. Team awards went to Marcus Page, grade 6 (MVP), Avery Young, grade 7 (Eagle) and Sujith Pakala, grade 6 (Coaches).
VA (Grades 7-8) Baseball: The Varsity A team, coached by Jeff Paull and Matt Arensberg, finished in fifth place in the WBAL with a record of 1-4 and an overall record of 2-4. Team awards went to Nicholas Coulter (MVP), Marcus Anderson (Eagle) and John Lynch (Coaches), all grade 7.
JVA (Grades 6-7) Baseball: The Junior Varsity A team, coached by Jon Cvitanich and Richard Amarillas, finished in fifth place in the WBAL with a record of 0-3-1 and an overall record of 0-5-1. Team awards went to Richard Amarillas, grade 6 (MVP), Chirag Kaushik, grade 6 (Eagle) and George Wehner, grade 7 (Coaches).
JVB (Grades 4-5) Baseball: The Junior Varsity B team, coached by Dan Pringle, Randy LeGris and Kristian Tiopo, finished in fourth place in the WBAL with a record of 2-4. Team awards went to Frederick Hoch, grade 5 (MVP), Tyler Beede, grade 5 (Eagle), and Wyatt Cote, grade 5, and Ashwin Kuppahally, grade 4 (Coaches).
VA (Grades 6-8) Water Polo: The Varsity A team, coached by Ted Ujifusa and Allie Lamb, finished with a WBAL record of 0-5 and an overall record of 1-6. Team awards went to Cassandra Ruedy, grade 8, and Bayden Yazalina, grade 7 (MVP), Anna Arnaudova, grade 7 (Eagle) and Chloe Affaki, grade 7 (Coaches).
VA (Grades 6-8) Tennis: The Varsity A team, coached by JP Fruttero and John Fruttero, finished as league champs and tournament champs of the WBAL with a record of 7-0. The team also finished as league champs of the MTP with a record of 4-0. In the MTP playoffs, Harker lost 5-4 to Kennedy in the finals. The Eagles finished the season with an impressive 13-1 record. Team awards went to Mihir Sharma and Ramanand Vegesna (MVP), Simar Bajaj and Gina Partridge (Eagle), and Jack Hansen, Bryan Wang and Rachel Broweleit (Coaches), all grade 8.
VB (Grades 6-8) Tennis: The Varsity B team, coached by Matt McGee, JP Fruttero and John Fruttero, finished as league champs and tournament champs of the WBAL with an undefeated record of 6-0 and an overall record of 8-0. Team awards went to Fonda Hu, grade 7, and Shika Tseitlin, grade 6 (MVP), Dawson Chen, grade 6 (Eagle), and Alexander Liou and Dhruv Saoji, both grade 6 (Coaches).
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
Alumna Shatters Records at Pepperdine
It has been a very good year for Izzy Connell ’13! After a break from track while she spent her sophomore year abroad in Florence, Italy, Connell returned as a junior this year to set three Pepperdine University records in indoor track (60-, 200- and 4×400-meter relay) and four school records in outdoor track (100-, 200-, 400- and 4×400-meter relay). Connell actually broke her own record in the 200 three times throughout the season!
“At the beginning of the season, I wasn’t focused on the records,” said Connell. “I concentrated on achieving my own goal times in specific events and breaking records was just icing on the cake.” This is the school’s first year competing in indoor track, and Connell had the unique experience of traveling to Arizona with her teammates to race against collegiate and professional runners.
“Racing in between professional women was intimidating but the competition made me faster,” she recalled. Connell, who is studying psychology, has been named a scholar-athlete both seasons that she has competed at Pepperdine. Her secret to success is managing her time well.
“I never procrastinate because that just makes things worse in the long run,” Connell said. “Being a student athlete has definitely taught me to be disciplined when it comes to my studies.” Connell ran varsity track all four years at Harker, qualifying for CCS every year. She also set school records in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 runs and the 4×400 relay, all of which still stand, except the 800, which was broken by Niki Iyer, grade 11.
Niki Iyer Continues Stellar Career
In her time at Harker, Niki Iyer, grade 11, has accomplished a lot. The distance runner has multiple first team and league MVP awards; she holds the Harker record in the 800-meter, the 1600 and the 3200; she has been a top three CCS finisher in cross country and a top five CCS finisher in the 3200 for the past three seasons, with back to back fifth place finishes at the state cross country finals; she briefly held the top high school 3200 time in the country earlier this year; and, most recently, she was the 2016 CCS champ in the 3200 that led to a third place finish at the state finals.
The week before CCS, Iyer was ranked eighth in the state in the 3200, but according to coach Scott Chisam, “She has not pushed a fast race since early April … she will go all out this Friday.” And go all out she did, taking home a CCS championship, outrunning the next runner by 2.5 seconds and earning a trip to the state finals. At state, Iyer ran an incredible race, finishing third, less than a second behind the second place finisher.
“It’s been such a fun experience this past season, because I was blessed by being healthy,” said Iyer. “I’ve never had a full season where I’ve been injury-free, so it was pretty awesome to go out there and actually be able to perform to the best of my ability.” Heading into her senior year, Iyer hopes to leave Harker with a lasting impression of who she is as an athlete.
“I feel like the legacy I’d like to leave is not just one of fanfare and athletic accomplishments, but one in which people remember me as an athlete who just loved the sport,” she said.
Harker’s varsity girls volleyball team is the 2007 Nor Cal Division IV champ!
The team took the title in four games in Sacramento Tuesday evening against Christian Brothers High School. Harker won the first pair 25-13, 25-18, lost the third game 19-25 and slammed back to cap the match 25-19. Harker math teacher Stephanie Woolsey attended the game – along with close to 300 other loyal faculty, staff, students and parents who made the trek – and called in to report: “We were hot, they were not! We had a great crowd here, incredible, with two bus loads of students and many who drove up on their own. It was crazy!”
Since the inception of Harker’s Upper School – launched in 1998 – this is the first Harker team in its history to be named NorCal champions.
Next stop is San Jose State University for the State Championship against the Division IV SoCal champs, Santa Fe Christian, this Saturday, Dec 1. Game time should be around noon. Check back for more details, but plan to come out and cheer the team on to the championship