Adhir Ravipati ’05 inducted into Harker’s Athletic Hall of Fame

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Adhir Ravipati ’05 played four sports his senior year: football, basketball, volleyball and track. He was named Harker’s most valuable player in the first three sports and earned all-league placement in each, sealing his entry into Harker’s Athletic Hall of Fame with four years of dedicated athleticism.

Ravipati made his mark on Harker athletics early on, receiving the JV Eagle Award his freshman year for both football and basketball. From then on, his accolades appeared regularly in Harker News.

In April 2003, at the end of his sophomore year, Harker News reported Ravipati’s hitting helped win the baseball season opener, adding a fifth sport to his list. That year he lettered in football, basketball and baseball.

In his junior year, Ravipati was noted early in the season when Harker News wrote, “… the Eagles flew to the ball and played like a team to be reckoned with. Seniors Matt Vucurevich and A.J. Reid led the Eagles, with strong performances turned in by junior quarterback Ben Shapiro and junior receiver Adhir Ravipati.” That year, Ravipati earned letters in football, basketball and volleyball, along with second team honors for the first two and first team-all league honors for volleyball.

Charging ahead to basketball in winter 2004, Harker News notes, “The team then proceeded to dismantle an overmatched Pinewood squad 48-24, with a 21-5 first quarter barrage, punctuated by a steal and crowd-pleasing dunk by junior Adhir Ravipati.” That team also earned a 2004 Scholastic Championship from the Central Coast Section (CCS) with an average 3.74 GPA.

For volleyball in spring 2004, the team finished in second place, and Harker News noted, “The team had an outstanding season, finishing 16-6 and 9-3 in league. The team was led by PSAL league MVP A.J. Reid and first team all-league player Adhir Ravipati.”

On to senior year! In the very first football game of the year, Ravipati caught a touchdown pass that set up a win in the last 18 seconds, and to that was added a paen to the true value of athletics. Again, from Harker News, in October 2004, author unknown, but very likely Jack Bither, athletic director at the time:

“On the fields and courts, friendships and memories will be forged that will last a lifetime. Hopefully, many as exciting as the dramatic finish of the first football game of this season. Behind 13-6 with only 18.8 seconds remaining in the game, the team was about to learn a lesson they will carry on with them their entire lives. ‘Never quit,’ ‘It’s not over till it’s over,’ however you want to say it, these phrases now have meaning that will last a lifetime. As the Eagles’ opponent lined up to punt the ball away, in all likelihood securing their victory, the ball suddenly popped over the punter’s head. As several Eagle defenders converged upon the hapless punter, it became Harker’s football, with only 13 seconds remaining. With time for one play, sophomore Jason Martin [Harker Athletic Hall of Fame, 2018] hurled a perfect spiral 35 yards on a halfback option pass to sprinting receiver, senior Adhir Ravipati, touchdown Eagles! Yet the team was still behind by one point, 13-12. With determination and courage, [senior] Najm Haque barreled over the goal line with only inches to spare to secure the dramatic 14-13 victory for Harker! Teenage boys and grown men aren’t known to hug all that often, but a world record for hugs and high fives may well have been set! Athletics does matter. It creates experiences and emotions unique to sports, a feeling everyone should experience at some point.”

Continuing his career, in February Ravipati was back on the hardwood: “The never-say-die team roared down the floor with only seconds remaining and took home the victory,” noted Harker News. “The team is led by senior post-player Adhir Ravipati.”

In spring, Ravipati hit the volleyball court with his usual vigor, and though they finished third that year, the team went out with a bang, defeating league champion The King’s Academy in their final match.

To sum up his senior year in athletics, Ravipati lettered in football, basketball, volleyball and track. In football, he caught 42 balls for 750 yards and eight touchdowns. He was named first team all-league and team offensive MVP and selected to the Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Game. In basketball, he was first team all-league and team MVP; in volleyball, he was named first team all-league and team MVP. In track, he was second in the league for the long jump.

Ravipati became the second Harker football player to play football in college, and his passion for sports led him to a career in coaching football in the Bay Area, where his successes have grown over the years as he has matured in that role. He has a coaching record of 38-15 for Menlo Atherton, including winning the state championship in 2018, and a long list of accomplishments and titles, including many coach-of-the-year awards – five of them in 2016. Check out these awards and stats!

Ravipati has a 38-15 record (17-3 in PAL-Bay Division) in his four years as head football coach at Menlo-Atherton High School. He was an assistant coach for five years prior to becoming head coach. His teams won PAL-Bay Division titles in 2015, 2016 and 2018. They won CCS and NorCal titles in 2016 and 2018. He coached the team to the state title in 2018.

Ravipati has earned numerous awards for his football coaching:

2012 Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Game Coach

2015/2016/2018 PAL Coach of the Year

2016 San Francisco 49ers Coach of the Week

2016 and 2018 GetSportsFocus Coach of the Year

2016 Mercury News Bay Area Coach of the Year

2016 California Coaches Association NorCal Coach of the Year

2016 Regional and National Positive Coaching Alliance Double Goal Coach Award Winner

2017 Marines Semper Fi Coach of the Year

2018 NorCalPreps Coach of the Year

In addition, Ravipati has been assistant varsity basketball coach at Menlo-Atherton for six years. In 2016, his team was a NorCal finalist; in 2013 the team was a CCS finalist, and the basketball team won PAL-South titles in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019.

Ravipati looks back on his time at Harker with fondness. “My favorite memories are the time with my teammates and best friends at practice, on the bus rides, team bonding and on the field competing,” he said. “Specific on-the-field memories are either my game-winning TD catch against Hillsdale as a senior, or my game-winning shot against King City as a junior to win our first CCS playoff basketball game.”

He also, of course, remembers those who accompanied him on his journey. “I’d like to thank my athletic director Jack Bither,” Ravipati said, “and coaches Karriem Stinson in football, Jeremiah Brewer in basketball, Jason Reid in volleyball, CJ Cali in baseball and Vonda Reid in track. I’d also like to thank [coach] Richard Amarillas. All of them taught me so much as a person and athlete.”

The takeaways, aside from a very successful career as a coach, are numerous. “Sports taught me a lot that a textbook can’t,” Ravipati said, “It put me in mental, physical and emotional situations that I learned a lot from in how to deal with situations in life. It made me a better person and taught me teamwork, but most importantly leadership and mental toughness/discipline. Playing sports at Harker was special. It was unique being a part of the formative years of the high school and seeing the sacrifices we made to establish a sports program that kids could be a part of in the future and take pride in.”

Founded in 2018, The Harker School Athletic Hall of Fame honors those who have made outstanding contributions to its athletic program. Candidates for selection exemplified desirable character traits during their years at Harker and beyond, and have distinguished themselves in competition representing Harker, their college or at the professional level. Candidates may also be non-graduates who, through long service to Harker, have distinguished themselves in the field of athletics.

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