Football
Harker varsity football cleaned up California School for the Deaf 23-0 Oct. 1 and set a school record by going 5-0 to start the season. Linebacker Greg Cox, grade 12, intercepted a tipped pass in the first half, and classmate cornerback Alex Kablanian returned another interception 26 yards for a touchdown. Safety Gautam Krishnamurthi, grade 12, had three interceptions and took one back 55 yards for a score. The Tri-City Voice published more details.
The week before, in pre-league play, the team topped Lynbrook 19-6 with quarterback Rishi Bhatia, grade 12, running for one touchdown and throwing for another to Cox. Krishnamurthi sealed the victory with a 53-yard interception return for a touchdown in the final minute of the game. The boys have their last home game before homecoming this Friday, Oct. 8, against Capuchino High. Senior Appreciation Night for football will take place prior to the contest.
Volleyball
Varsity volleyball continued their impressive season with victories over San Lorenzo Valley and Silver Creek, along with strong play at the Cupertino Classic Tournament. At the tournament the girls won their pool and advanced to the Gold Division. They posted victories over Mills, Sobrato and Fremont, with their only losses coming to eventual tournament champion Burlingame and Valley Christian. Their record is now 13-2.
Cross Country
The team competed last weekend at the Stanford Invitational, one of the largest cross country races in the country. The boys placed 30th and the girls 23rd. Tyler Yeats, grade 10, ran the team’s fastest time at 18:36 and Claudia Tischler, grade 9, was the fastest girl, finishing at 20:52. In their first league meet last week at San Bruno Mountain Park, the girls team placed third, with Ragini Bhattacharya, grade 10, running 18:59 and placing fourth in the league. The boys team took fourth at the meet and Yeats ran 16:59. Their next event is this Saturday at the Crystal Springs Invitational.
Golf
The girls have had five matches in the last two weeks, starting and finishing with losses, but with three straight wins in between. Starting with a tough loss to Castilleja School and a big win over Notre Dame San Jose 247-271, they were led by Katie Liang, grade 12, who shot an impressive 46. The squad went on to beat Menlo and Mercy before dropping to Sacred Heart Prep. The next games are rematches against Castilleja on Wed., Oct. 6, and Notre Dame next Tuesday. The girls have important matches this week against Menlo and Mercy Burlingame.
Water Polo
Girls water polo last week earned their first victory of the season, defeating Cupertino in a league match 12-5. Keri Clifford, grade 10 and Cindy Shwe, grade 12, looked impressive with four goals apiece. The team was blanked 0-3 in some close games last weekend at the Carmel Invitational, though Clifford had seven goals and Sierra Lincoln had 22 goal saves. The girls JV team traveled to Monte Vista for a tournament last weekend and went 3-0. They won big games over Valley Christian, Castilleja and Homestead.
The boys water polo team improved to 7-5 after two huge victories over Cupertino and Santa Clara and a loss to Lynbrook. In the Cupertino match, Chris Ng, grade 12, led the team with four goals. Against Santa Clara, Ng again led the team with six goals, supported by Rex Chen, grade 12, with three and Gilad Nilo, grade 10, with one.
Tennis
The girls tennis team has had a busy schedule, winning four and losing two in the last 10 days. The victories came over Presentation and Priory, both 7-0, and Pinewood and Sacred Heart Prep, both 5-2, with tough losses to Archbishop Mitty High School 2-5 and Monta Vista High School 0-7. Now 6-2 as of this week, the team is at home against Castilleja and visiting at Notre Dame. Go Eagles!