GRANT High School continued its impressive record at the School Sport SA hockey championships with victory in the mixed year 8/9 tournament held in Adelaide recently.
The combined 14-player team of seven boys and girls overcame some of the most talented schools within the sport to take home state honours.
Led by captain Niamh Leishman, Grant went undefeated throughout the entire competition and only conceded a single goal.
Coach Meg Beck was most impressed by the side’s ability to work as a team and combine as a formidable unit.
Beck said the squad’s team work was what set them apart.
“The way the kids worked together was amazing,” she said.
“They did all the right things on the field.
“The way they encouraged and spoke with each other is what made us strong against the opposition teams.”
Grant’s campaign sped off to a lightning start with a convincing win over Trinity College.
But the South East side was forced to dig deep in its second fixture against Saint Mark’s College.
The Port Pirie team offered the toughest challenge of the day in a hard-fought contest, but Grant held on for a gritty one-nil victory.
The Mount Gambier squad returned to its best after a break, with a comfortable win over Henley High School.
Grant finished the minor-rounds on a high note with a big win against Scotch College to head into the grand final with confidence.
Beck and her South East players faced Saint Mark’s again for a rematch in the decider.
In contrast to the previous match earlier in the day, Grant raised the bar and eased to the trophy with a four-nil win.
Beck said the lessons learnt from the tough minor-round match helped in the final.
“We learnt how to play against them (Saint Mark’s) and how to best structure our team,” she said.
“It helped how we went through the whole day undefeated because we went in there with confidence.”
What made the achievement even more impressive was how the group had not played or trained before the competition.
Beck said she still had confidence in the group despite no previous experience as a combination after a healthy number of nominations.
“We went up there raw as raw,” she said.
“But Adam Dunn and myself selected the team and we had seen them play before.
“We were not quite sure how they would actually combine on the field with seven boys and seven girls who had never played together.
“We had 20 nominate for 14 spots, so it is good our school has such depth in the sport to choose from.”
It is the latest chapter in Grant’s proud record at the knock-out tournament and is fresh off the back of the school’s double-triumph at last year’s event.
Grant has won numerous titles in the boy’s and girl’s competitions in the past and now it can add a victory in the mixed format to the list.
Beck said the past achievements are down to the strength of the sport in the South East region and at the school in particular.
“Hockey has always been strong in the lower South East area,” she said.
“It is just a group in year eight at the moment who are good hockey players.
“We are renowned for our success in this competition”
