Sport

Basketball

Term 3 was massive for SPC Basketball. We had over 150 boys playing BAS Basketball after school, 30 Elite boys competing in various Champions Cup games and our First and Second Senior Teams competing in a weekly ACC tournament. Overall, 200 boys involved in regular team sport competing for SPC.

BAS saw four Year 7 teams, three Year 8 teams, two Year 9 teams, three Year 10 teams and our two senior groups compete against local schools all term. We also had SPC qualified referees supporting the program each week as well as 15 volunteer coaches. (not to mention Shiho Sekine our super coach from Japan)

Each week our boys battled against Clarendon, Grammar, Ballarat High and Phoenix and from all reports we did very well. Our boys played hard, smart and fun basketball with compassion and respect for their own team mates and the teams they played against. Whether we won by a lot or a little the coaches were very impressed with the team play, humour and dedication by the boys.

Our senior First V have made it to a preliminary final against BCC on the 12 September to see who plays Ballarat Grammar in the grand final, week 1 of term 4. Our second senior team (our boarders) have been exciting to watch each week, as they play hard, fun and competitive basketball and after a thrilling grand final win in 2023 are aiming to go back to back this week. We wish both of the seniors well in their finals!

Champions Cup involved three teams of 10 players (juniors, intermediates and seniors) that played in a one day tournament against some of the best sporting schools in the state for the chance to make the Elite 8. On these days we travelled almost three hours to get to the State Basketball Centre in Wantirna, meaning we left at 6.15am and often didn’t get home until 5.30pm…big days! 

Each team that competed did us proud by making it to the cross over finals but unfortunately that’s where the journey ended. Schools like Rowville, Berwick, Flinders and Western Heights all have very professional sporting programs and made it very difficult for us to compete. The hard and fast style of basketball that Mr Hayes demands of our seniors, in particular, was matched by some very well drilled and efficient boys from the previously mentioned schools. Saying that, we did an amazing job to make it to the finals and have a lot to build on in coming years. 

ACC 

Our two senior teams represented SPC each Wednesday for the first five weeks against Parade, St Bede's, Simonds and St Joey's and with some very positive wins we ended up with the 2’s just missing out on a finals place and our First V playing in a semi final against Whitefriars. In the semi-final, played at MSAC, we jumped out to a very strong 18-6 lead within the first five minutes of the game. Ned Renfree, Harry Alsop and Seth Wall obviously ready to play! It was then Whitefriars decided to step up and slowly started to claw their way back and at half time we had a one point lead. During the second half our boys looked a bit flat, making it easier for Whitefriars to get open shots and they started to gain control. Once we were down by 10, Mr Hayes called a time out and rallied the troops. Our boys responded and took it to Whitefriars, leaving us a single digit margin to go after. Needless to say it was too much of a challenge and we ended up losing the semi. Parade eventually took out the ACC for yet another year! We’ll get em next time!

Overall with over 200 boys, 20 staff and a heap of bus travel we have had a very successful year, one we are aiming to improve on in 2025 with some ideas that Mr Fryar and Mr Hayes are hoping to implement. We have some amazing talent at SPC and we are working towards improving our results each year, whether that be individual athlete development, better team results or simply providing some outstanding opportunities…………like the USA Tour later this year. 

Really appreciate the work Eric Hayes and Jarrod Fryar have done through out the year and as always we have been very well supported by Jason Lappin, Simon Dwyer and Jack O’Brien. What a team we have at SPC!

Cross Country

It's been a massive week for the SPC Cross Country team, with two major events in just three days!

On Monday, the team participated in the BAS Lap of the Lake. This event was scheduled to take place two weeks ago but was postponed due to inclement weather. Due to injury and other factors our team was somewhat depleted, however we were able to secure a team victory in the Junior section, which augers well for the future of cross country running at SPC. Ollie Burt and Mitch Korosec continued their recent good form with both of them finishing second overall in their respective age levels. 

On Wednesday, the team headed to Bundoora Park for the ACC Cross Country event. 

Despite a depleted team once again due to injury, illness and football grand finals, the 23 boys in attendance did the College proud with their efforts. 

Our team finished third overall in the Division 2 aggregate as well as the Junior and Intermediate aggregates. 

There were some notable individual performances on the day. Ollie Ryan followed up from his excellent performance in the Lap of the Lake on Monday, winning the U13 3km event in a time of 10:33.4. Mitch Korosec won the U15 3km event in a blistering 9:58.3 following on from a very strong performance in the BAS Lap of the Lake. Cody Torney was our sole starter in the U17 5km taking out a podium finish with an impressive third place in a very strong field. Other noteworthy performances included: 

Tom Goodson 6th U14 3km 10:56.3 

Hudson Brennan 6th U16 5km 19:04.9 

Thanks is extended to our team captains Archie Caldow, Nedd Bennett and Paddy O’Brien. These three young men have been keen participants in athletics and cross country at St Pat’s since their days in Year 7. All in all a very enjoyable day. 

- John Richards

John James Medal Presentation

The annual John James Medal presentation was held in the OCA Pavilion on Monday, 2 September, recognising the dedication and talent of our footballers. Congratulations to all students who represented SPC with pride in 2024, including the following award winners:

Year 7                   

SPC Ryan: Joseph Knobel

SPC Keniry: Luak Choul

SPC Galvin: Patterson Taylor

SPC Nunan: Jake Cheesman

Year 8

SPC Blue: Johnny Reus

SPC Gold: Jed Gurnett

SPC White: Griffin Edwards

SPC Green: Max Clohesy

Intermediate

SPC Green: Juraiya Calma Long

SPC Blue: Brendan Lee

SPC Gold: Miller Vaughan

Jim Toohey Perpetual Trophy: Riley Hiscock

Seniors

2nd XVIII White (Year 10): Riley Hiscock

2nd XVIII Blue: Jack Cleary

Greg Dowd Trophy: Jack Cleary

1st XVIII

BAS: Baxter Horsburgh

Year 10 Most Promising Player: Ethan Drever

ACC Team of the Year: Mitchell Lloyd, Ned Renfree, Strahan Robinson, Archie Caldow

2024 John James Medal (Best on Ground in ACC Grand Final): Archie Caldow

2024 Respect Cup Best on Ground: Ollie Hannaford

2024 W.T. O’Malley SPC 1st XVIII Best and Fairest: Ned Renfree

Fishing Club

Some of St Pat's finest young anglers have braved the wintry conditions over the past term to fish the nearby dams and lake for the ever elusive big trout. 

About a dozen boys from Years 7-9 have participated in our first Fishing Club, developing their fishing skills and friendships along the way.

During the past three weeks, the group has visited the Ballarat Fly Fishing Club, where they have learnt all about fly fishing. 

Well done to all boys who have taken part and happy fishing in the holidays!

Racquetball

The racquetball competition showcased the exceptional participation and outstanding sportsmanship of our boys. Throughout the competition, our boys not only honed their skills in racquetball but also learned valuable lessons in teamwork and perseverance. 

The event was highly organised, as we faced off against teams from other schools with great spirit, displaying determination and enthusiasm in every match. 

A highlight of the season was the great leadership displayed by our senior students. They took the time to care for and support the younger members of the team, particularly those new to the sport. This helped foster a sense of belonging and confidence among the newcomers. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated volunteers of the Ballarat Squash and Racquetball Centre who supported the boys throughout the tournament.

Soccer

BAS Cup Final

The St Pat's First XI have had a massive 2024, reaching the ACC final, the Premier’s Cup semi-final, and competing in the BAS final yesterday afternoon. Despite the great performances, prior to the BAS final the boys had not managed to take home any silverware. I’m pleased to share that following a hotly contested game against noisy-neighbours Clarendon College, the boys have a well-deserved title to their name.

The first half started as a nervous affair, with Luis Maldonado saving a Clarendon rocket onto the post in the first 10 minutes. Ollie Behrens had his hands full with Clarendon’s strongest player on the wing, but came out on top — foiling his runs over and over. Liam McEldrew and Lachie Logan held firm at the back, and Luke Severino’s driving runs out of left-back allowed our boys to take foothold in an otherwise Clarendon-dominated first ten minutes.

It was Manny Hontzogloy who tore the game open though, scoring a free-kick and a long-range shot, along with the irrepressible Josh Remington to give the boys a healthy 3-0 half-time lead. Josh scored again at the start of the second half and the game seemed to be a foregone conclusion.

Clarendon were not to be waylaid so easily, however, and scored 3 goals in quick succession, stunning the St Pats boys into a contest they largely thought was already over. At 4-3 the skies opened, and a deluge of rain decorated Morshead Park, requiring the boys to settle and dig deep for a big 20 minutes to close off the season.

They needed a response, and a response they provided. Harry Sutherland and Ryan Walker fought hard in the midfield, while Leonard Goodison pushed on with piercing runs from the left-wing to try and break the Clarendon backline open once more. Substitutes Charlton Hand and Jack Swan made their impact, with Charlton earning several handy free-kicks in the attacking half.

St Pat's experience in finals shone through in the end, and the dominant performance they had started was only amplified by the pressure of the final stint of the game. Josh Remington added a further two goals to his tally, and captain Rex Van Berkel was on target shortly after. Super-sub Jacob Perna (known colloquially as the BDSA bandit) earned a penalty which he smashed past the Clarendon keeper to remove any lingering questions among the bumper crowd of who the better team was.

The final score of 9-3 was a pleasing reminder that the St Pat's First XI are the dominant outfit here in Ballarat, and will give a boost to the boys to believe they can go all the way against the Melbourne sides next year.

2025 Premier’s Cup

The St Pats First XI travelled down to the FFV football complex in Bundoora this week to compete in the Premier Schools Football Cup — a competition for the winners of respective local competitions across Victoria.

After a disappointing showing at last year’s edition of the tournament (losing every game and finishing bottom of the group), many schools discounted our chances of progressing past the group stage. Underestimate St Pats at your own peril, however, as the boys hadn’t travelled two hours to play in blistering winds and lose every game this time round.

On the contrary, thanks to goals from Josh Remington and Leonard Goodison, as well as three consecutive clean sheets from Luis Maldonado, St Pats won the first three games of the group stage in dominant fashion (despite significant adversity in both the refereeing and game-scheduling departments).

Due to a tighter match turnaround than any other team in the competition, St Pats reached the final game in the group stage exhausted, and lost soundly to a strong Xavier team, meaning we finished 2nd and would progress to a semi-final against the winner of the other group in the Cup.

The semi-final turned out to be some spectacle, with end to end action against St Monica’s, and both teams fighting tooth-and-nail to avoid being knocked out. Minutes before the end of the second half, a close range St Pats volley appeared to rocket against the hand of an opponent inside the penalty box, however several eye-witness accounts from both players and spectators were unable to convince the referee to make a match-defining call.

In the end, the game went to extra-time, where St Monica’s managed to take the win with a well-finished counter-attack, ending the grand final hopes of the St Pats boys. In all, a much better account of our abilities than last year, and a successful penultimate outing for the St Pats First XI, who will play their BAS final next week. 

- Pietro Angeli

Junior Soccer

SPC Green 3 def by SPC White 4 

Goals: Jake Remington 2, Nick Bingham 1

Our fifth game of the season was played against the SPC White team on the Shed Oval. The team went into the game undermanned due to some illness and unavailability. This appeared to unsettle the team as we had to play with only 10 on the field. However, the boys started well and scored two of their goals in the first half. The White team was also able to score resulting in a 2–1 scoreline at half time. The Green team was then able to score again early in the first half and all appeared to be going to plan, however, the remainder of the half became chaotic. The White team was able to penetrate our defence and scored the last three goals. Even though we attempted to close the deficit we just could not score in the remaining minutes. Unfortunately this was out first loss and it was disappointing that with our regular team the result may have been different.

SPC Green 5 def SPC Blue 2 

Goals: Aiden O’Keeffe 2, Jake Remington 1, Samson Shonuga 1, Zaiden Wandel 1

Our sixth and final game was played against the SPC Blue team on the Shed oval. After the disappointment of the previous week, the boys rose to the occasion of this game. With a full squad to choose from, the team looked far more structured and organised. We scored very early in the first half and were able to score regularly throughout the game. The Blue team was able to score twice in the second half, but the defence remained solid, especially Jacob Knight in goal. The boys should be congratulated on an excellent finish to the season. All the best for the coming years.

BAS Junior:

BAS Junior soccer this term has become our most popular program and we are extremely proud of the commitment, enthusiasm and quality our young boys at the college possess. Our young men have done the college and themselves proud, producing 3x very competitive teams who’ve displayed great sportsmanship, teamwork and performances. With 48 students involved in this term’s competition, we are onlooking with great excitement towards next year's involvement. I would love to express my sincere thanks to Mr Liam Davie, Mr Barry Schuurs and Charlie Horne for their significant involvement in coaching SPC Green, SPC White and SPC Blue this term. Thank you to the following students for representing the college in the BAS Junior Soccer:

BAS Intermediate

Our BAS Intermediate team in Term 2 competed with the support of Mr James Russell. With a massive squad to rotate from, our boys were able to produce some positive displays against our other competing Ballarat Schools. The boys and I are extremely grateful of James for dedicating his time and energy in supporting them over the course of Term 2. Thank you to the following students for their participation in the BAS Intermediate soccer program in Term 2:

Senior Soccer:

Our Seniors have the privilege of representing the school in multiple competitions. We are lucky to be apart of the Melbourne Schools’ competition in the form of the ACC in Term 2, our local competition of BAS in Term 3 and finally, qualifying for the Victorian Premiers Schools’ Cup. Our senior cohort have again made us extremely proud in terms of their conduct, quality and togetherness. Our senior years boys have been constantly guided by Mr Pietro Angeli who has spearheaded the senior 1sts into another year of success across all competitions. 

Our 1sts achieved a 1st ACC final, unfortunately being defeated by a powerful Emmanuel College, progressing to the semi final of the Premiers Cup where on a different day would’ve qualified for the final and finally finishing the year with the BAS shield, defeating a very strong Clarendon outfit 9-3.

With the addition of a 2nds team who were built on high spirits and teamwork, we have been blessed to have Will Cousens donate his time and ability generating a fantastic group of boys and creating a highly positive and constructive environment. With the 2nds challenging for an all SPC final, they fell marginally short, fingers crossed they compete again next year and create a BAS final to remember.

With 1 tournament next term being our last for the year, our senior boys in both teams will hope to finish the year with another positive display of quality and teamwork.

I’d like to say a massive thank you to both Pietro Angeli and Will Cousens for their support and efforts this year in supporting the senior soccer program. Thank you to all of the students who have competed in the senior program: 

- Ryan Williams

Hockey

First XI Hockey

Term 3 saw the running of the 2024 BAS First XI Hockey season. The SPC squad was represented by many enthusiastic players - some experienced, many new to the sport. Despite the limited experience of many in the squad, the team demonstrated remarkable spirit, confidence, and determination throughout the season. Capably led by Nick Belleville, who not only dominated on the field but was a guiding light to those learning the game, the team’s performance was impressive. They showed significant improvement over the course of the season, developing a solid defense formed on hard-running and a ‘never-give-up’ attitude. Over time the SPC attack became a threat to their opponents with Flynn Thomas scoring the goal of the tournament. Overall, the squad had a great season filled with learning, teamwork, and joy.