SPORT NEWS - STATE FINALS

INTERMEDIATE GIRLS CRICKET - STATE RUNNERS UP

The Intermediate Girls played their Cricket State Final on Friday 15 November in Northcote. 

We came out strong in our first game against Catherine McAuley College, with Riva Guliya (Year 9), Anushka Mehta (Year 7) and Falak Syeda (Year 7) making close to 50 runs each. Some excellent fielding from Matilda Kelleher (Year 9), Vicky Bui (Year 9) and, Maya Shapiro (Year 9) helped us over the line to play in the final in the afternoon with superb bowling from Ilisha Rajiv (Year 7), Miranda Sacks (Year 7) and Grace George (Year 8), and catches from our entire team, especially captain Subira Seymour (Year 10). 

The teamwork and leadership skills were apparent throughout the whole game and we kept the vibes high going into the final against Glen Waverley Secondary College. We batted first, making 140 runs, with more solid batting from Riva Guliya and Falak Syeda. Unfortunately, the Glen Waverley girls stepped it up in their fielding and batting, chasing down our 140 total in the 19th over, resulting in McKinnon being the Runner-up State Champions.

I am so proud of all the girls for their efforts throughout the whole SMR season. Their incredible attitudes, teamwork, and outstanding skills were evident throughout every game and I believe these are a testament to every girl who played these games. We couldn’t have gotten through the season or the day without the coaching and encouragement from Ishi Tiwari (Year 9), who was unfortunately injured for this event, but still came along to support the girls. I cannot wait to watch these girls in cricket and sporting events in the future.  

Hannah Sclarr

Coach

YEAR 7 GIRLS HOCKEY - STATE RUNNERS UP

A stellar performance in the State Hockey pool games led to the Year 7 Girls Hockey team playing off for the State Title on Monday 18 November at Footscray Hockey Centre. 

The girls were optimistic they could take out the title after having no goals scored against them in their 3 games in Pool A from Northcote (5-0), East Doncaster (3-0) and Princes Hill (3-0).

Unfortunately, Balwyn High had fresher legs in the State Final as they only had to play two games in Pool B. 

McKinnon had scoring opportunities in the final but luck was not on their side and the game finished nil all. This led to penalties to decide which school would take out the title.

Unfortunately, the McKinnon Hockeyroos lost on penalties.

HUGE congratulations to all the squad for a tremendous effort in being crowned the 2nd best team in the State!!  They should wear their well-deserved Silver medal with pride. 

Well done girls!! You were a credit to yourselves and to the college with your team spirit, sportsmanship and bringing your A game to the competition.

Thank you to all the parents who supported so positively from the sidelines.

Tenacious Forwards: Ella Graham (co-captain) Khloe Huang, Anjali Parthasarathy and Tali Sumer;

Determined Midfielders: Luna Dunlop (co-captain), Sofia Norman, Miranda Sacks, Daphne Sandhu Sanabria, Jazmine Tang and Kirsten Wong;

Super Brick Wall Defenders: Victoria Damasoliotis, Marija Glavinic and Isabelle Hogarth-Scott (Goalie). 

I encourage all of you to continue with your love of hockey and join a local community club

(see Ella and Luna for information).

Go Well, you were awesome!!

Carole Hooper 

(Proud Coach)  

YEAR 8 BASEBALL - STATE FINALISTS

The McKinnon Secondary School baseball team gave it their all in the state championships, showing resilience and determination despite a tough run of results. Across three games, the team displayed commendable effort and sportsmanship, battling until the final pitch in each contest.

In Game 1, McKinnon faced a strong Mt Waverley side. The team fought hard but fell just short, losing 8-6 in a competitive matchup. Game 2 saw McKinnon take on Strathmore in another tight game. Despite a valiant effort, McKinnon narrowly lost 6-5. The final game of the day was against Mt Morency, where McKinnon struggled against an impressive opposition, finishing with a 12-3 defeat.

Tom Hill, the team’s standout pitcher, was a highlight of the day. Not only did he perform brilliantly on the mound, but he also delivered two spectacular home runs, showcasing his versatility and skill. Catcher James Quiney was another key player, providing steady leadership and exceptional play behind the plate.

The rest of the team also contributed greatly, with Vincent Chen, Jasper Edwards, Iain Hung, Thomas Maginnity, James McIntyre, Eduardo Queiroz, Gabriel Rosencveig, Will Sam, and Marley Silver all working tirelessly to support their team.

While the results didn’t go their way, the McKinnon Secondary School baseball team can be proud of their effort and teamwork on the state’s biggest stage. They’ll undoubtedly use this experience as a foundation for future success.

Michael Woolhouse

Coach

YEAR 7 SOFTBALL - STATE FINALISTS

On Thursday 14 November, the Year 7 Softball Squad headed out to Jells Park for the SSV Softball State Finals. After being undefeated during the Kingston and SMR Competitions the team embarked on the final stage of their SSV journey.

They were off to a good start with a close first 2 innings against Mount Waverley. As they headed into the 3rd innings the team were down by 1 run. But an awesome batting effort saw the team get 7 home in the 3rd innings then quickly got 3 outs to secure the game by 1 run.

Their 2nd game against St Albans was a strong start with the team scoring 7 runs in all 3 innings, securing their 2nd win of the day.

The final group game was against Viewbank Secondary College. The team had a strong start heading into the 2nd innings with a 5-2 lead. However, some strong pitching and catching by Viewbank saw them take the win in this game.

Although disappointed not to make the final, the team played some outstanding Softball this year and are already pumped for the 2025 season.

Congratulations to all members of the Year 7 Softball team: Tilly Butterworth, Sienna Cabrita, Wynter Chau, Tegan Du Toit, Yasia Kuzmenko, Renee Landini, Mia Lyubic, Abby Muyemba, Apgril Thomas, Amelia Virgona and Lexi Watts.

Jennifer Pemberton

Coach

YEAR 8 TENNIS - BOYS STATE CHAMPIONS & GIRLS STATE FINALISTS

Year 8 Boys and Girls Tennis Teams played their state final in scorching conditions at Glen Waverley Tennis Centre. Despite the inclement weather, all the students were keen for the chance to win a state final for the school.

The girls team consisting of An Higuchi, Stella Thakrar, Olivia Takada and Ivy Medina played some high quality tennis throughout the group stage, managing to progress into the semi-final to play Rowville Tennis Academy. Whilst their opponents proved to be too strong, they should be commended for their efforts regardless. Olivia Takada's performance in the final should be noted; despite playing an extremely strong opponent, she fought hard and just fell short of a victory.

Frankie Hillier, Emir Zmak, Timeo Massenet and Nayuta Tsuchiya represented the school as the Boys team and were excited for the opportunity to go one further than their semi-final finish of 2023. After some extremely competitive results, the boys entered the final against Emmanuel College, the team which had beaten them in the group stage. This time, the result was flipped with McKinnon winning all four singles to secure the state title!

This was an incredible outcome considering they had dropped the singles 1-3 the previous encounter. The most impressive effort came from Timeo Massenet who came back from 0-3 to win his set in a tie breaker. 

Overall, all students should be proud of their performances and their attitudes towards their opponents. Results aside, we are lucky to have these students representing our school. 

Special mention to Alistair McCooke for coaching the boys all throughout the Kingston Division matches.

Thanks,

Mr Chan and Mr McCooke

Coaches

YEAR 7 TENNIS - GIRLS STATE FINALISTS AND BOYS STATE RUNNERS UP

Over the course of the year the Year 7 Tennis squad showed solid commitment, skill and endeavor as they made their way through the qualifying and regional competition rounds. 

McKinnon was fortunate enough to have strong and skilful teams in both the Girls and Boys competitions.

Making our way into the State competition meant that the level of competition was going to increase. Schools from around the state including Colac, Cobram and Echuca had joined us at Waverly Sporting Hub to battle it out in extremely hot and difficult conditions.  

For both the Boys and Girls Squads the day started out very positive with both teams competing very well in the three Round Robin competitions that saw both teams make it through to the Semi-finals. Here the 1st and 2nd teams of pool A played the 1st and 2nd teams of Pool B.

Competition really stepped up with a larger number of these opponents having UTR rankings, this meant the skill level was very high. The conditions became very intense due to heat and player fatigue.

Unfortunately for the girls, the singles saw us finish with two losses and one win which meant that it would come down to the doubles. We battled hard but could only secure one win in a hard-fought battle.

The boys went into the finals from pool A as favorites only losing two games in the Round Robin competition. Unfortunately, in the Grand Final the competition was just too strong with the McKinnon Boys going down by three games in the end to finish the competition as runners-up in the state.

We would like to thank Mr Howe, Mrs Hooper and Mr Bridges for the organization, driving us to the competitions and support.

Year 7 Tennis Squad