GRANT High School’s Open girls knockout hockey team is now state champion, after it won the state finals series in Adelaide for the second time in the competition’s 38-year history.
To make the achievement all the more rewarding, the squad had not played together before the finals series, which saw it up against teams from Seymour College, Trinity College, St Marks College and Henley High School.
In past years a local competition would be held to determine which Mount Gambier school would represent the area, but Mount Gambier High School, Tenison Woods College and St Martins Lutheran College did not submit a side in 2018.
That saw Grant High with a ticket straight into the finals series, leaving the team with no game time to become accustomed to the new team.
“The opposition all had to play multiple round matches before they could get to the finals series,” Open girl hockey coach Ruth Stephenson said.
“This year we went straight through, which is great, but by the same token the girls had not played together.
“We got on the field at 9.15am in the morning and that was the first time they had ever lined up together.”
Sephenson could not have been prouder of her team’s effort to defy the odds and come home with gold.
With grant not filling a junior girl’s team this year, the Open team consisted of many players who were younger than their rivals, but they held their own in the tough competition.
“These girls have been developing together as a team for a number of years,” she said.
“But having said that it is a different group of people.
“Every year the Year 12’s leave that group.
“This year for example the Open hockey goalie was Rachel Curtis, who is in Year 9.”
Games consisted of two 15-minute halves, with a no-break changeover.
Grant’s first opponent was Seymour and in the team’s first game together it won 3-1.
Vice captain Claudia Edmonds led the way in front of goals with two, while experienced captain Cody Lewis slotted one.
With spirits high, the side went on to defeat Trinity 3-0 and St Marks 2-0, before a tough match with Henley resulted in a 0-1 loss.
Lewis hit the scoreboard again in the second game, while Cody Hood scored two goals.
The final game saw both Charlotte Foote and Isabelle Ladner convert.
After losing to Henley nerves were high going into the final, but Grant had the bye in the last round robin round, which provided a well-deserved rest after two hours of hockey.
“It was a little bit tense with goals for and against, whether we would actually get into finals,” Stephenson said.
“I was pretty sure we’d be either top or second top in the round robin.
“In the final we played against Henley again.
“They were the ones who won last year.”
Henley defeated Grant last year in the final and went into the competition as reigning champions.
The contest was close, with all players exhausted and some nursing injuries after a long day of hockey.
Lewis converted early and it was not until the final minutes of the game Henley answered, with the full-time score at one-all.
“In that final game the number of shots on goal we had, we were just going for it,” Stephenson said.
“We just could not find the back of the net.
“I think it was nerves more than anything.”
The game then went to one-on-ones to decide the winner.
That was when Curtis came alive in Grant’s goals, holding firm to concede just one goal.
“Rachel was outstanding, she was on fire,” Stephenson said.
“She did not stay on her line.
“She is so experienced that she just came charging out.
“She threw herself on the ground and did all the things you would see state goalies do.”
Grant on the other hand excelled in front of goals, with Zara Blackwell, Lewis and Edmonds scoring consecutively to seal the win.
This is the sixth state championship victory Stephenson has coached and the second for the Open girls in the history of the event.
The team will hope to back up its title next year, but will adjust to another new lineup as the year 12’s part ways with school hockey.
