This article originally appeared in the winter 2014 Harker Quarterly.

Harker’s 2014 Homecoming was a fun-filled event for the entire community. On an unseasonably hot fall afternoon, students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni arrived at the upper school campus in droves to socialize, enjoy fresh food pre- pared by the Harker kitchen staff, watch performances by talented Harker students and root for the Eagles football team.

The bounce houses set up on Rosenthal Field were again a popular attraction for the younger attendees, while alumni gathered to catch up and reminisce at a special area set up by the Harker Alumni Association. John and Christine Davis (Cole Davis ’10) stationed their RV a few steps over, where onlookers stopped to watch various ongoing sporting events on the RV’s side- mounted television screen.

Mrs. Carley’s Café was busy for the duration of the event, providing hot food to a steady line of attendees. A nearby gelato truck offered a highly sought-after cold treat. In addition, representatives from various classes sold pizza to help raise money for class events.

Prior to the game, the crowd began to gather to see the first of the pregame performances, a dance routine by the junior cheer squad, who received enthusiastic applause. Varsity Dance Troupe amped up the crowd with its spirited choreography, and the strains of Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like an Eagle” rang through the air as the Eaglets soared on to the field for their ever-popular Eaglet Fly-By.

The Harker Pep Band, directed by Chris Florio, took its usual position in the bleachers, where it remained for the entire event, playing enthusiastically in response to the on-field action and keeping the crowd pumped.

Halftime opened with a performance by the Harker cheer squad, after which the seniors met the juniors for the finals of this year’s tug-of-war contest. The juniors made the struggle contentious at the start, but in the end were no match for the might of the seniors, who were crowned this year’s champions. Later on, grades 9 and 10 faced off for third place in the competition, with the sophomores coming away victorious.

Soon after, the crowd greeted this year’s stunningly dressed Homecoming Court, who circled the field waving to the adoring audience. The crowd applauded vigorously as senior siblings Shiki and Shreya Dixit were named Homecoming King and Queen.

Meanwhile, on Davis Field, Harker cruised to victory over Los Angeles’ Ribet Academy, with a final score of 51-6. Harker pulled ahead early, scoring no less than seven touchdowns in the first half. Ribet answered with a touchdown in the third quarter, but the Eagles held them off until the end of the game.