SPORT NEWS
STATE BASEBALL
Year 7 Baseball State finals was finally here! After being postponed for two weeks due to bad weather, the boys were ready to go!
We were evenly matched with Balwyn High but were narrowly down at the end of the 1st innings, 2-5. We started the 2nd innings strong and took the lead 7-5. An incredible double play starting with George Burgess Papasavvas saw us win the match after the 3rd innings, 9-7.
Going in confident to the 2nd match, we took an early strong lead against Oberon College, 10-0. Harish Salwathura, pitching for the first time, had a very impressive innings. A few fielding errors by us saw them make some runs but we had a dominating last innings, winning 15-4.
The boys were excited but nervous for the rematch against Cheltenham Secondary in the State Grand Final. We batted first and had a dominating start, making the maximum 5 runs. After an incredible pitching performance by our captain Harper Slattery and our catcher Ashley Hill, we kept them scoreless. Another impressive batting innings saw us make the max runs again, taking a 10-0 lead into the bottom of the 2nd innings.
The team all stepped up in fielding and again, kept them scoreless. We needed 1 run to win and you could feel the excitement from the boys as they went out to bat. With a runner on 3rd bases, we just needed a great hit from the next batter. Harper struck the winning ball and Alexander Stavropoulos ran home to make the winning run!
An incredible effort from all 11 boys involved, winning 11-0 to become Year 7 Baseball Champs! Best on for the day was Harper Slattery for his nearly flawless pitching, Ashley Hill in his role as catcher in the final, Harish Salwathura, the newly found pitcher and George Burgess Papasavvas for keeping a cool head as catcher and on first base.
Congratulations again boys!
Claire Weiss
Coach
AUSTRALIAN VOLLEYBALL SCHOOLS CUP EVENT 3-10 DECEMBER, 2022, GOLD COAST
The Year 7 Boys, Year 10 Girls and Open Honours Girls teams have started their week long competition where each day will provide a competitive, memorable and fun experience for each athlete to be a part of one of the biggest high school sporting events in Australia.
Since winning medals in the 4-day Victorian Schools Cup earlier this year (Gold for both Year 7 Boys and Year 10 Girls and Bronze in the Open Girls) these teams have been determined to participate in the National competition.
Athletes were involved in not only the training for this event but also the planning and fundraising needed to take their team away. From their involvement in the inter school tournament fundraiser, Trivia night and BBQ at the Voting last week, these athletes have been determined to keep their costs down, as they have funded their own trip to the Gold Coast. These activities have been lifelong skills that can continue to be developed and may facilitate students’ lifelong participation in Volleyball and school in a range of roles.
A big thank you goes to:
- our Director of McKinnon Volley, Rhiannon Parker, for organising this unforgettable trip;
- to Sarah Ridout, Liam Adlington, Pip Andrieux and Ellie Adler who took their time to coach, cook, drive buses and look after the wellbeing of 31 athletes.
Another big thank you goes to the coaches John Van Noorden, Zoe Fischer and Arwen Verdnik who have been vital in the preparation and will be present for their coaching and support. Thank you to the parents who have assisted on the trip and those who have supported the journey!
The preparation for and participation in this tournament enhances relationships between teachers and students, as well as the students developing lifelong friendships. It also develops a sense of community for the school through the involvement of parents and past students as coaches and team managers.
Students can experience life skills such as: travelling and living together as a team, coping with the pressure of competition, sharing with and considering others, becoming more self-sufficient through the experiences of cooking, cleaning, travelling and responding to timelines.
There is something very special about the McKinnon Volley Family and I am incredibly grateful to be a part of this as a coach and teacher. I am looking forward to watching these athletes grow, improve and experience something very special at the Nationals competition.
Sandy Hope
McKinnon Volley Coach
YEAR 7 TABLE TENNIS
On Friday 25 November the Year 7 boys took off to MSAC to compete in the State Finals in Table Tennis.
The team, composed of Steven Yang, Kynan Enwright, Angad Saini and Henry Li were never troubled through the Kingston division as well as the Southern Metropolitan Region Finals, however faced much stiffer competition at States. The boys fought hard all day and competed to an elite level, just falling short of the finals. A ripping effort.
Top 8 in the State!
Willem Voorham
Coach
LUNCHTIME SPORT - YEAR 7 SCORPION SOCCER TOURNAMENT
The time-honored Scorpion Soccer Tournament for Year 7s was held recently over a series of lunchtimes. The group phase of the tournament was hotly contested, with special mention to the Material Girlsss who served it up to the Boys teams with resolute defence and catching their opponents on the counter attack. The two dominant teams were Sir Ayan Mourinho and Top G who both went through to the final without registering a loss.
The Grand Final was played in front of a healthy crowd in the Gym which was a fantastic spectacle. The skill displayed from both sides was excellent, but it was Top G who went into halftime with a 2-0 lead on the back of their creative Captain Loukas Kollias. Sir Ayan Mourinho pressed very hard in the second half but were unable to penetrate the Top G defence and they ran out comfortable 2-0 winners.
A special thank you to George Prountzos, Ewan Daly, Freddy Rowe Hansen, Daniel Shpak and Torren Zohar (Year 11 students) for refereeing throughout the tournament.
Greg Hoskin
Coach