Eastern Zone Year 7 Boys Football
On Tuesday, the Year 7 Eastern Zone football team made their way down to Michaels Park. Excitement was certainly brewing as the boys saw the St Kentigern and Sacred Heart teams arrive, bringing back memories of the previous year’s fierce competition.
Raring to go for their first game, Parnell School’s captain lost the toss to Toby B, allowing SHS to start with the ball. The boys had selected a defensive lineup, stacking the back line, which paid off quickly as the defenders stopped an attack and sent the ball up to Cooper. Cooper delivered a beautiful pass to Archie, who sent the ball into the back of the net. Responding in kind, Parnell fired a few shots at Zach, who saved them with ease. After a final goal from Cooper (assisted by Toby B), the team came away with a 2–0 win.
Second up was Sacred Heart. Once again donning four defenders, SHS stopped two early attempts. Zach played out of his skin, saving three tough shots. Danny and Yigun played outstanding defence, running themselves ragged in the process. Unfortunately, Sacred Heart managed to come away with the win. Onto the next one!
Local neighbours St Thomas’ were the next opponents. Mixing up the lineup, Toby W jumped into goal and Zach slotted into striker, where he scored an early goal. Fuelled by the excitement of more goals, Tyler and the midfielders started drifting into attack, putting pressure on the St Thomas’ defence and resulting in another goal from Cooper. This put SHS two goals up and sent them into their final game of the day against Ellerslie.
Wanting to finish on a high note, the team took the field with their minds set on success. Unfortunately, Ellerslie had the same intention, and a fierce battle ensued. With great saves from both keepers (Zach for us), the score remained nil-all a minute before half-time. Cooper once again stepped into “goal-scoring mode” and, just before the whistle blew, put St Heliers up 1–0.
The second half became more intense as both teams tired. Jackson and Charlie did everything they could to get the ball up the field, but Ellerslie was on their “A game”. A disappointing (but fair) offside call ruled out a fantastic goal from Archie and left the game tied.
Football can be a heated game, especially when teams do not get the result they hoped for. The St Heliers Year 7 boys displayed self-discipline and respect towards their opponents throughout the event. They played out of their skin and represented our community with pride. If you see them around, please congratulate them on their teamwork. A massive thank you to Dominic and Natalie (coaches) for transporting and supporting the boys on the day. We cannot do it without you!
