The U19 Boys and Girls kick off the State Championships in Penrith

The U19 boys started the day early with some close games which proved that the day was not going to be easy for anyone. The boys showed their experience on the court with some great skills and some talented individual players on show. Teams like Northern Beaches, St Paul?s Grammar, Blakehurst High, Endeavour Sports and Robert Townson High were clear leaders in each of their groups. Most of these teams had only dropped one point during their round games so the Quarter finals were going to be tough for everyone involved.
In Quarter final 1, Northern Beaches played Robert Townson in one of the closest games of the day. Each team had their opportunities but found it hard to find the back of the net. The final score finished 1-1 which meant extra time was needed to decide the winner. After a scoreless extra time it was all down to the dreaded penalty shoot out to decide the winner. Each player of each team stepped up to have their shot and it only took one miss by Robert Townson for Northern Beaches to grab a spot in the Semi finals. Quarter final 2 found Blakehurst vs Bossley Park. Blakehurst were a wild card entry so they were definitely the under dogs in this game but that was shortly lived when Blakehurst took their chances early and ended up being in the lead. Bossley Park fought hard but Blakehurst were able to hold onto a 4-2 win over Bossley Park and earn their spot in the Semi finals. St Paul?s Grammar and Liverpool Boys were up against each other in Quarter final 3. St Paul?s Grammar found the net early with a few quick goals. Liverpool Boys worked hard to try and break St Paul?s Grammar?s defense but they found themselves doing most of the defending. St Paul?s Grammar finished the game smiling with a convincing 5-0 win over Liverpool Boys. The last Quarter final was Endeavour Sports and Northlakes High. These two teams started the game strong with both teams having some great attacking play and equally as good defense. At the end of full time the score was equal so extra time was needed. After another scoreless 5 minutes it was another penalty shoot out, the second of the day. Player after player stepped up to take their penalty and it was Northlakes who were to steal the spot in the semis after a surprising miss by Endeavour Sports.
The Semi final spots were finalized and it was Northern Beaches to play Blakehurst and St Paul?s Grammar to play Northlakes. Blakehurst came out firing against Northern Beaches. Northern Beaches defense was lacking strength that they previously had in other games which made it easier for Blakehurst to get a few early goals. Towards the end of the game both teams were getting tired but Blakehurst fought hard enough and held on to their lead to get a spot in the final with a 5-1 win over Northern Beaches. Semi Final 2 was not as close as expected as both teams, St Paul?s Grammar and Northlakes, were very strong in previous games. The long day seemed to be taking its toll on Northlakes as they weren?t as attacking as in previous games and their defense was lacking the composure they previously had. St Paul?s Grammar, however, took advantage of all their chances and finished with a convincing 8-1 win and a spot in the final.
The final was against Blakehurst High and St Paul?s Grammar. Both these teams were wildcard entries on the day which proves any team has a chance to take out the State Championships. Tiredness started to take a toll on both these teams but seemed to affect St Paul?s Grammar a little more. Blakehurst High seemed to have most of the possession and they were putting all the pressure on the St Paul?s Grammar?s defense. Blakehurst were firing shot after shot at the St Paul?s Grammar?s keeper and were making the most out of their chances as they found the back of the net 6 times in the Final. Blakehurst were crowned State Champions after a 6-0 win in the final.
Quarter Final Results:
QF1: Northern Beaches 1 (8) ? Robert Townson 1 (7)
QF2: Blakehurst HS 4 ? Bossley Park HS 2
QF3: St Paul?s Grammar 5 ? Liverpool Boys HS 0
QF4: Endeavour Sports 1 (5) ? Northlakes HS 1 (6)
Semi Final Results:
SF1: Northern Beaches 1 ? Blakehurst HS 5
SF2: St Paul?s Grammar 8 ? Northlakes HS 1
Final Results:
Blakehurst HS 6 ? St Paul?s Grammar 0
The U19 Girls arrived ready to show off their skills and prove that their school is the best in the state. The girls groups were a lot closer then the boys. In Group A there were 3 teams on the same amount of points but it was Elderslie and Stella Maris who made it through to the Quarter Finals. Endeavour Sports, Bossley Park, Lake Ginninderra, St Mary?s Senior, Domremy College and McKellar Girls were the other teams who proved strong enough to make the Quarter Finals.
Elderslie HS and Lake Ginninderra were against each other in the first Quarter final. The start of the game was very even with both teams having equal opportunities but it was Lake Ginninderra who took advantage of those chance scoring 2 quick goals. Elderslie kept fighting back but Lake Ginninderra were able to hold on long enough with their 2-0 win to secure a spot in the Semi Finals. In Quarter Final 2 Domremy and Stella Maris College played each other in what was our closest Quarter Final. The game was end-to-end and each team?s defense was strong. Domremy worked hard but it was Stella Maris who was able to hold onto a close 3-2 win to earn a spot in the Semi Final. In Quarter Final 3 St Mary?s Senior played Bossley Park. In this game it was Bossley Park who created most of the opportunities and was able to turn a few of them into goals. St Mary?s tried to fight back but it was too late, Bossley Park scored another quick goal to get them into the Semis with a 4-1 win. It was Endeavour Sport and McKellar Girls who were in the last Quarter Final. McKellar Girls started strong and put away a few early goals. Endeavour Sports fixed up their attack and were able to find the back of the net twice but that wasn?t enough as McKellar Girls scored another few goals to make it 6-2 and a secured spot in the Semi finals.
The Semi finals consisted of Lake Ginninderra playing Stella Maris College and in Semi Final 2 showed Bossley Park playing McKellar Girls. In the first Semi final Lake Ginninderra?s defense was strong but they couldn?t put together their attack which cost them in the end as Stella Maris found the chance to score 2 late goals and make them one of the finalists in this year?s State Championships. In Semi final 2 Bossley Park played McKellar Girls in what was a final full of skill and talent by both teams. Both teams have some very talented individual girls who were trying hard to put their school into the lead. Bossley Park came out firing but couldn?t put away their chances as the McKellar Girls defense was too strong. McKellar Girls put some nice passes together to give them the lead. Bossley Park tried hard to come back but it was McKellar Girls who were the ones to finish their chances and secure themselves a spot in the final with a 3-1 win over Bossley Park.
The Final saw Stella Maris play McKellar Girls. Both these teams in previous matches had no problem finding the back of the net so this final was sure to be one full of opportunities. Both teams started the game strong and both teams were creating many opportunities but the game stayed level. The long day started to take more of a toll on Stella Maris as they started to get tired and seemed to be doing a lot more defending. McKellar Girls were taking full advantage of this and started to hit the back of the net with some creative goals. Stella Maris got one back but that wasn?t enough. McKellar Girls were crowned State Champions with a 3-1 win over Stella Maris.
Quarter Final Results:
QF1: Elderslie HS 0 ? Lake Ginninderra 2
QF2: Domremy College 2 ? Stella Maris College 3
QF3: St Mary?s Senior 1 ? Bossley Park HS 4
QF4: Endeavour Sports 2 ? McKellar Girls 6
Semi Final Results:
SF1: Lake Ginninderra 0 ? Stella Maris College 2
SF2: Bossley Park HS 1 ? McKellar Girls 3
Final Results:
Stella Maris College 1 ? McKellar Girls 3
Congratulations to all teams who played at the 2010 State Championships and especially well done to both Blakehurst High School and McKellar Girls on walking away with the U19?s age group State Championship Title.
– Claire Walsh