EXCEL Sports Program 

Year 7 EXCEL Sport Futsal Titles

On Wednesday 3rd May the Year 7 EXCEL Sport class entered two girls’ teams and two boys’ teams in the School Futsal Titles held at Monash University Clayton. This is always a tough competition against schools that have been training for this event since the start of the year and are comprised of elite soccer players. It was a steep learning curve for the Patterson River Secondary College students in resilience, perseverance, and rapid skill development. Mrs. Brand and I were extremely proud of the effort shown by all the students to continue to compete throughout the day and watch them grow as soccer players. The two girls’ teams competed against Year 8 students throughout the day and narrowly missed the play off for the Year 8 U14 Grand Final. The Year 7 U13 Grand Final was played between the two Patterson River teams with Patterson River Girls Blue being crowned the 13 Girls School Futsal Titles champions. Congratulations to the following students who were selected to represent Victoria at the 2023 National School Futsal Championships in Brisbane in September by the State selectors watching the event: Tait White, Zachary Tucker, Zayden Kelly, Cuan Roberts, Mia Johnston, Luella Baldwin, Lily Dougherty, Brianna Gunn, and Lucy Malcolmson. Thank you to Mrs. Brand and Mr. Lewis for your assistance. A fantastic day.

2023 Victorian Beach Volleyball Schools Cup Championships

The Year 8 and 10 EXCEL Sport students competed at the 2023 Victorian Beach Volleyball Schools Cup Championships at South Melbourne Beach. 26 Schools from all over Victoria competed in this event including many volleyball academies and private schools in either the Pairs competition or the Fours competition. Patterson River Secondary College entered 11 Fours teams across the 2 days and finished 12th in the State with some extremely impressive results throughout the competition. 

Year 8 PRSC Boys 1 (Nathan Poole, Caspar Simmons, Alexander Jones, Jimmy Robinson) played off in the State Round of 16 qualifying finals. 

Year 8 PRSC Boys 2 (Xavier Ese, Jireh Upkett, Tyler Dudley – Maude, Harper Goldsmith) played off in the State Quarter Finals and finished equal 5th in the State. 

Year 8 PRSC 1 Girls (Allyanna Matthews, Phoebe Prescott, Amber Suprapta, Ava Williams, Saraya Lang) also played off in the State Round of 16 qualifying finals. 

Year 10 PRSC Boys 2 (Jai Firth, Tommy Foot, Roshen Lama, Oscar McGennisken) played off in the State Quarter Finals and the Year 10 PRSC Boys 3 (Aden Smith, Jaspar Rowley, Archie Wyley, Zac Earle) played off in the State Semi Finals and finished equal 3rd in the State.  

The Year 10 PRSC Girls 1 (Claudia McHugh, Alanah Skinner, Xanthe Davis, Briana Harraway) also played off in the State Quarter Finals and finished equal 5th in the State. A fantastic achievement from the EXCEL Sport Program and the competitiveness of our students was on full display over the 2 days.

A special thank you to Ms. Brand and Mr. Jack for your support and assisting with coaching during the tournament. 

Year 7 -12 EXCEL Sport Q & A with Ryan Broekhoff 

Patterson River Secondary College welcomed former student Ryan Broekhoff (2003-2006), who came back to the College to share his journey from the very place the students were sitting to the pinnacle of basketball. Ryan is currently a professional basketball player here in Melbourne with the South East Melbourne Phoenix (NBL). He has represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2014 World Championships and spent 2 seasons in the USA playing for the Dallas Mavericks (NBA) and Philadelphia 76ers (NBA). Ryan’s story was inspirational and touched all those in attendance with his raw account of the hardships he endured and the determination and resilience he displayed to fulfil his dreams. Ryan is now giving back to the community with opportunities for young basketballers to train at a purpose-built facility in Carrum Downs. It was an absolute pleasure having Ryan talk to the students in the EXCEL Sport Program and a conduct a brief clinic at the end of the session

Year 7 EXCEL Sport Southern State Touch Football School Championships

The Year 7 EXCEL Sport students competed in the Year 7 Southern State Touch Football School Championships at Frog Hollow Reserve, Endeavour Hills. Patterson River Secondary College entered one female and one male team. The format of the championships was a round robin (4 games) with the highest placed teams playing for finals at the end of the tournament. The girls finished second after the preliminary rounds with 3 wins and a tie. The boys were undefeated and finished top of the ladder. Both teams won their semifinal games to play off in the Southern State Grand Final. The girls had an extremely close match but unfortunately conceded a try in the last minute of the grand final to lose 1-2 and finish runners up. The boys dominated throughout the day and were convincing winners 5- 1 against Hallam to be crowned the overall State Southern Champions. Both teams worked hard throughout the day and improved their game sense and skills with each match. A fantastic effort in their first EXCEL Sport competition. Thank you to Mr. Leith for coaching and assisting throughout the day. 

Year 10 EXCEL Sport Primary School Athletics Carnival 

During the term, the Year 10 EXCEL Sport class was invited to attend and assist at the Carrum Primary School and Seaford North Primary School Athletics Carnivals. The students were divided into small groups, and then given an event to either marshal, record, or measure. It was a fantastic opportunity for our students to showcase our program in the community and demonstrate the students’ ability to coordinate and supervise a sporting event. I was extremely proud of the maturity and responsibility displayed by the students throughout the day. The Carrum and Seaford North Primary School communities were highly complementary to our EXCEL Sport Program and grateful for the assistance. Well done Year 10s. 

Year 7 - 9 EXCEL Sport Train Like a Vixen Positive Netball Program 

On Tuesday 23rd May the Year 7 - 9 EXCEL Sport Program went to the State Netball Centre in Parkville as part of the Positive Start Netball Program. Train Like a Vixen is a full-day netball clinic, run by Netball Victoria qualified coaches. The students learnt specific technical skills and were introduced to intense game sense activities to improve their tactical and strategic thinking. It was a fantastic opportunity for the EXCEL Sport students to train in a high-performance facility, adjacent to the Vixens, while they also trained. Thank you to Mrs. Adams and Ms. Riddle for your assistance throughout the day. 

Year 8 and 10 EXCEL Sport South-East Regional Rugby 7s Gala Day 

On Thursday 25th May the Year 8 and 10 EXCEL Sport classes went to Frog Hollow Reserve in Endeavour Hills, to participate in the U14 and U16 South-East Regional Rugby 7s Gala Day. Patterson River Secondary entered one boys and one girls team in the Under 14 and Under 16 divisions. This event is always a tough lesson in resilience, tenacity, and courage. The students are taken well and truly out of their comfort zone and asked to compete in a sport that is mostly foreign to them. I have never been prouder of the two classes over the course of the day. The improvement and determination were phenomenal. All four PRSC teams made the grand final in their age groups and while they were beaten by a Rugby Academy School, they all had moments to win the game. All four teams have progressed through to the Rugby 7s State finals on Friday 16th June. A fantastic effort by everyone involved.  

Thank you to Mr. Hayes and Mr. Walton for assisting and coaching on the day. 

Year 8 EXCEL Sport 3 x 3 Basketball State Qualifying Finals 

The Year 8 EXCEL Sport Class attended the Junior 3 x 3 Basketball Carnival at Nunawading Basketball Centre on Friday 19th May. Patterson River Secondary College entered 3 male and 3 female teams in the Division 2 Competition. Each team played between four to six 12-minute games in the preliminary rounds. This carnival is always a challenging day for the EXCEL Sport Program as the competition at this level is extremely strong from many basketball academies throughout Melbourne. I was extremely proud of the PRSC students who played competitively and improved collectively with each game. The PRSC Boys 3 team (Hendrix Flood, Tyson Rowley, Thomas Chalmers, Charlie Jackson and Cooper Fox) were undefeated after the preliminary rounds and won their quarter-final match to progress through to the semi-final. Although this was a tougher assignment and the result did not go our way, the PRSC Boys 3 team has qualified for the State Finals in July. The PRSC Boys 1 team (Alexander Jones, Nathan Poole, Jireh Upkett and Tyson Bowe) were undefeated all day and progressed through to the Division 2 grand final against SMBG. It was a tightly contested game with exceptional basketball played by both teams. The boys went down by 1 point but will have another opportunity after also qualifying for the State 3 x 3 Basketball finals. Well done to the whole class. Thank you to Mr Cashmore, Mr Lewis and Cathy Poole for your assistance on the day. 

Ms Ando Allan 

EXCEL Sport Coordinator