Sport Update

Term 3 Sport at St John's Regional College has seen our students thrive in their sporting pursuits across several sports disciplines. St John's Regional College is proud of its sporting traditions and supports College Sport within its fee structure. This is quite substantial in terms of transport, venue hire, and professional officiating.

The Southern Independent Schools Competition (SIS) consistently provides our students with numerous opportunities to participate in a competitive environment. Meanwhile, our SJRC Sports Academy, now in its fourth year, continues to evolve, offering a high-performance pathway in our pillar sports, soccer, and basketball.

In Term 3, our students participated in the following carnivals and sports:

SIS Athletics
Sports Group Melbourne Schools Invitational Football Championship
Intermediate Girls and Boys SIS Soccer
Intermediate SIS Mixed Badminton
Intermediate SIS Mixed Touch Football
Senior Boys SIS Basketball
Senior Girls SIS Netball
Senior Mixed SIS Badminton
SIS Chess

As always, many of our students excelled, which I am proud to share.

St John's Intermediate Boys Win Sports Group Melbourne Championship

After four years of toil, St John's Regional College Soccer Academy has won its first Sports Group Melbourne Southern Championship in a tense but enthralling penalty shoot-out in the Sports Group Melbourne Intermediate Schools Invitational- Southern Section. The win means that we now go through to the State Final against Girton Grammar Bendigo in Term 4.

The Intermediate Boys, led by High Performance Coaches Mr Justin Chungue and Mr Tom Paton, and the inspirational on-field leadership of captain Nash S, have had some tough SIS matches this term. These lead-up games have steeled the boys for an outstanding, unbeaten performance in the Sports Group Melbourne Tournament. Early wins against Rowville Soccer Academy 1-0 and Bentleigh Soccer Academy 5-0 set the boys up for an epic final against a tough combined Hillcrest and Rivercrest team (Crest A). Interestingly, both teams will fight out the SIS Intermediate Boys Final in Term 4.

At Extra Time, the scores were 0-0; however, it could have easily been won late by Crest if not for the courageous efforts of Cody F, whose defensive effort on the line saved the match and took it to a penalty shoot-out. St John's levelled the shoot-out with amazing nerve at 3-3. Enter the brilliance of Goalkeeper Nevin Q. He saved with desperation to give SJRC Sports Academy the advantage, which they took to go 4-3 and then our gritty goalkeeper saved again. Game Over and a trophy awarded to SJRC Sports Academy, and one to be proud of, given the quality of the opposition.

This team has so much to look forward to. Made up of many Year 9s, such as Nadeem Q (5 Goals), the team has talent, but what they are showing is mental toughness on the pitch and a willingness to play a role, whether it be offensive or defensive.

The win is well-deserved, a culmination of the Intermediate Boys’ hard work and their ability to stay focused in the present.

We can only look forward to Term 4 as a school sporting community!

SGM Schools Invitational Champions

MARTIN BREAKS SIS HIGH JUMP RECORD AT SIS ATHLETICS 2025

On Monday, September 1, 2025, SJRC students embarked on a quest for athletic respect at the SIS Athletics Carnival. This year, students had a great build-up with several of them committing to Monday and Wednesday training sessions. It definitely paid off! The SJRC Boys won the Aggregate for the day.

There were several Personal Bests and impressive Top 3 results; however, one performance will be remembered over others in 2025. Martin M of Year 9 had the SIS Crowd encapsulated with his freakish athletic talents. He would take out the Under 15 Boys High Jump with a jump of 1.85 metres, breaking the previous record of 1.80 metres that had stood for forty years. His record-breaking jump would light up on social media across the day. Martin is a raw talent who is currently on a basketball pathway with the SJRC Basketball Academy.

In 2025, the SJRC SIS Athletics Team were led by long-serving student Marcus V as our Athletics Captain. This is Marcus' sixth Athletic Carnival. Marcus was outstanding at the SIS Carnival, winning the Under 21 Individual 100 Metres and being part of the successful Under 21 Boys 4 x 100 m Relay Team. The boys ran an impressive 49.01 seconds —a full second ahead of their closest rival. Such was the dominance of the Year 12 Boys that they would go on to be announced as the Aggregate Winners of their section. There were several podium finishes, including Nathan B in the Long Jump ( 2nd ) and Nirbhay L in discus and javelin ( 2nd). Of course, our prestigious SJRC School Captain Kelemen Dwas right up there, coming 2nd in the 1500 Metres in a time of 4 min 35.

The Intermediate Boys demonstrated to all those in attendance that they, too, were a gifted cohort. There were several Top 3 finishes. Johnny L finished a gallant 2nd in the 400 Metres, whilst Beka E demonstrated his capabilities, winning the Under 15 800 Metres. He was joined by teammate Blake L, who finished 2nd. Leonn G demonstrated his throwing talent with a nice 3rd place position in Discus. Krishenth M jumped 5 Metres to take out 1st place in the High Jump. The Under 16 Boys 4 x 100 Metres Team would cap off a great day for SJRC, winning their esteemed race.

The Intermediate and Senior SJRC Girls were holding their own too. Maria C ran an impressive 1:11 min to claim the 400 Metres first place title- a brave run. Lena F would also claim the Under 17 Shot Put Title, throwing 60 cm further than her next rival. Sandra L also achieved podium status, finishing 2nd in the Under 15 Girls High Jump.

At the other end of the age group, our SJRC Juniors were also doing their best. Deborah R threw an impressive 7.19 metres to finish third in Shot Put, whilst Abill A reached for the sky to win the High Jump. In the Boys Junior Section, both Peter S and Abel C performed admirably in their 100 Metre Sprints, running second and third respectively. Abel also placed third in the Shot Put. However, for the Year 7 cohort, the highlight would come later in the day with them winning their 4 x 100 Metre Relay. This team was made up of Peter S, Abel C, Noah L and Zac R. A huge congratulations, Boys.

SJRC has always had a healthy athletic culture. With more training we could actually potentially win this carnival in 2026, but this will need students to buy in. I hope this can happen.

Intermediate Junior Girls Win SIS Division 1 Final

Although this news occurred at the beginning of Term 3, we would like to acknowledge the great efforts of the Junior Girls SIS Soccer team, made by committed Year 7 & 8 students. The girls committed to training hard and fast and were superbly led and coached by Ms Candela Bas. With stand-out on-field performances by team leaders Belma C, Alana B, and Hania A, the girls dominated the competition and eventually played off against Nazareth. In a highly skilled and cutthroat match, they seized their moment to win 1-0, thanks to Celine G's wonderful goal sense.

As is the tradition when a team wins the SIS our girls celebrated their win with a Pizza Lunch with Mr Hogan. This team has huge upside with a number of girls still being eligible for SIS Juniors in 2026.

Sports Academy 2026 Enrollments & Try-Outs

Thank you to all parents and students who have indicated their intentions to be a part of the SJRC Sports Academy in 2026. Coaches have met with staff and I to discuss intakes for SJRC Basketball Academy and SJRC Soccer. We look forward to announcing Year Level Sports Academy students early in Term 4.

SIS Sports for Term 4.

As we look forward to Term 4 please be aware that the following sports will be fixtured:

Junior Boys and Girls Basketball
Intermediate Boys and Girls Basketball
Junior Boys Indoor Cricket
Junior Girls Volleyball

Parents & students are reminded to keep up to date with Operoo and SEQTA notices so that they can stay informed.

Final squads for SIS Term 4 will be announced in Week 1, Term 4.

Thank you for a wonderful term, and please keep safe during the holidays.

Mr Ben McGee Mr Justin Chungue

Sports Academy Leader Sports Officer