SPORT NEWS

YEAR 8 BASEBALL STATE WINNERS

After last year's state win the boys had their work cut out for them. Tuesday the 14th of November was the day, the crew headed to Farm Road for the second time this year. The nerves were high but they were ready. First game was against Hazel Glen College, Ashley Hill 8P pitched a strong first 3 innings which led us to win 18-0.

We now had a 2-hour break in between the matches to fine tune our skills and watch the team we were playing next. Our next match was to get us into the State final, we were versing Blackburn, Harper Slattery 8B started us off with some strong pitching keeping it neck to neck, Harish Salwathura 8E was next to pitch scoring us three outs going into batting, we were able to get nine home taking out the win against Blackburn, 9-0.

State final has arrived. We are playing Balwyn High School, it was a close first innings neck to neck however we ran out with the lead defeating Balwyn 10-2 and becoming the 2023 State Baseball champions.

The boys were ecstatic to be back-to-back state finalists. Congratulations to Hayden Yong 8F, Alex Bridges 8O, Harish Salwathura 8E, Harper Slattery 8B, Connor Hughes 8S, Revin Nanayakkara 8B, Chris Han 8J, Dan Gizbar 8A, Ashley Hill 8P and Daniel Androsenko 8A.

Miss Ashleigh Bell 

Coach

STATE SOFTBALL

On Thursday 9 November the Year 8 Softball team headed to Jells Park to compete in the State Finals. It was a day of tough competition where we played some excellent Softball.

Our 1st game against Gladstone Park was played out in 3 innings, with the team unfortunately losing by 7 runs. In game 2 we came up against Northbay College, this was a closely contested game, but with some amazing double plays we were able to take the win by 4 runs. Our final game saw us come up against the mighty Vermont over 4 gruelling innings. Unfortunately, we were not able to secure a win here.

The girls’ spirit and camaraderie throughout the day was on display and they did McKinnon proud. Well done to Thanvi Gopisetty 8F, Riva Guliya 8B, Madi Harrison 8S, Evie Haywood 8Q, Isobel Huntley 8S, Ruby Johnston-Allen 8C, Emma Lindsay 8Q, Scarlet Lockwood 8O, Tessa Macfarlane 8O and Zoe Xinos 8D. 

Making it to State Finals is an amazing accomplishment.

Mrs Pemberton

Head of PE & Sport

SEMESTER 2 BEEP TEST CHALLENGE

On Tuesday 21 November the best of the Year 7 beep testers from each form descended on the gym to compete for the title of ‘The Best Beep Tester of 2023’.

It was an intense battle of the runners as the girls and boys competed against each other. A strong field was still running at level 9, but this was the turning point where only the fittest could survive.

As the beep test headed into level 10 there were only a handful of runners left, a very impressive effort for the Year 7s. 

Our eventual winners were Marley Silver 7Q, Ella Malhotra 7G and Lara Davis 7P.

This was a fantastic effort from all of the Year 7 runners, well done!

Ms Jen Pemberton

Head of PE & Sport

YEAR 7 GIRLS FUTSAL CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS - STATE

For the very first time Futsal Victoria and State Schools Victoria have come together and made a pathway for futsal. On Friday 10 November the Year 7 Girls made the state competition. The girls showed their dominating skills by winning two games and drawing one, sending them into the Grand Final. 

During the final the girls maintained endurance and hard work ethic and preserved until the last whistle, securing the state title with a score of 1-0. It was a nail biting last 2 minutes. I am extremely proud of the girls. Well done. 

Mrs Karro

Coach

YEAR 7 SMR BOYS TABLE TENNIS

The Year 7 Boys Table Tennis Team continued their dominance in the Southern Metropolitan Region Finals with another undefeated display on the day. The team consisting of Ren Nagayama 7H, Konstantinos Dimitrakopoulos 7B, Oliver Leung 7H and Nayuta Tsuchiya 7C were ruthless in their mentality; they did not drop a game all day. 

To complement their strong performance on court, they were also extremely courteous and respectful in their demeanour towards their opponents which is pleasing to see from our young athletes. McKinnon should be very proud to have them represent the school.

Moving forwards, the teams will play the State Finals on Friday 24 November at MSAC. The students have been practicing with Dr Law after school and will be primed to give their best performances on the day. We wish them the best of luck.

Boris Chan

Coach

YEAR 7 BOYS TENNIS STATE FINALS

After an undefeated day at the Southern Metropolitan Region Finals, the Year 7 Tennis Boys consisting of Frankie Hillier 7K, Emir Zmak 7I, Timeo Massenet 7K, Lucas Huang 7L and Ren Nagayama 7H ventured to Dingley Tennis Club to play the best government schools that the state had to offer. There were tight contests against Greensborough, Cathedral and Emmanuel College but our team managed to make it out of the pool to play Maribyrnong College Sports Academy in the semifinals. 

The semifinal was David and Goliath in nature; Maribyrnong College playing the role of the giant and McKinnon, the underdogs. Unfortunately, the outcome did not follow the script and McKinnon was knocked out in an enthralling contest. Frankie Hillier, in particular fought manfully in his singles against a state level player and fell just short, losing 4-2. All students should be proud of their performance against a sporting academy and are commended for their efforts all through the day. 

Boris Chan 

Coach

VOLLEYBALL NEWS

VICTORIAN VOLLEYBALL JUNIOR OPEN, NOV 27- DEC 1, DANDENONG STADIUM

McKinnon Secondary has entered 10 teams into the upcoming Junior Open weeklong volleyball tournament. Good luck to all our athletes competing and thanks to all our staff and coaches who have given up their time to be involved.

AUSTRALIAN VOLLEYBALL SCHOOLS CUP DEC 3-10, GOLD COAST

Wishing all our Years 8/9 Girls and Year 8 Boys the best of luck in the upcoming Nationals Competition in Gold Coast. Thanks to our recent sponsors of The UDL Group, Buxton Bentleigh, Hello Sam, Birthday Cake Shop and 28 by Sam Wood who contributed financially to our training tops, that we can wear commemorating our McKinnon Volley team playing at Nationals. 

Thanks so much to Swaad India's Zest in Bentleigh who have also financially contributed to the Gold Coast Trip.

Sandy Hope

Coach