2013 SA Secondary School Championships Report
The School Sport Australia Football Championships, featuring elite footballers attending secondary throughout Australia, hosted by ACT School Sport, was held from Saturday August 3 to Friday August 9 2013 at the Australian Institute of Sport, Bruce, ACT.
Teams competing during the week consisted of ACT, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.
Matches were held on 3 top quality fields with excellent playing surfaces. Conditions throughout the week were good though the weather was always either extremely warm or very cold.
Formal trials for both girls and boys teams commenced early in the year and continued every week until the final squads were finally selected in early June. Trial games against competitive teams were then added to the equation. Selection was generally based on individuals that excelled as great team players, having considerable skill and possessing positive character and commitment.
The SA squad members were provided with ample opportunities to compete and express themselves against the very best secondary school players throughout Australia. As is our normal practice, the squad members were rotated during the week to be provided with almost equal playing time, thus sharing the workload and getting adequate chances to impress National selectors.
The Girls team was much younger this year than in the past and this was unfortunately reflected in the final results. They were unlucky on a number of occasions that results did not fall their way, despite dominating a number of games, for extended periods of time. However, things could turn for the better next year as a large number of these girls will again be eligible for selection. Zoe Sgargetta had an excellent tournament and was rewarded for her efforts by being selected in the Shadow Australian squad.
In regards to Boys results, it must be said that the first three days of competition were our best encountered for many years. The words ‘divine intervention’ come to mind as we produced excellent results from almost impossible situations, and on three separate occasions.
After 3 days of competition the SA Boys were well placed for a good run home. In the end they needed just a win in either of the last two games but unfortunately could only muster a draw, and a resultant bronze medal.
One of the SA players, Jemal Mussa, had an outstanding week and was selected in the Australian Schoolboys Squad.
The following five players also had a great week and were selected in the Australian Shadow Squad – Liam Bebbington, Christian Fleetwood, Peter Mercurio, Addison Rodgers and Oliver Zafiridis. After the Competition, four of the SA lads were invited to join the Australian Squad to tour the UK. These included Peter Mercurio, Oliver Zafiridis, Jacob Atkinson and Christian Fleetwood.
During the mid-week break, players were taken on a most interesting tour of the Australian Institute of Sports complex to have an in-depth look at facilities available to various sports and to get a better understanding of commitments required of sporting personnel in order to become elite athletes and compete on the world stage. It was a real eye-opener for some, as it gave an accurate picture of the sacrifices and hard work necessary to compete at the highest level, in any chosen sport.
Individually, and as a group, the SA players (boys & girls) were excellent ambassadors for their state, schools, clubs and families. Hopefully their development proceeds in a positive way so we get to see them making further contributions in Club and representative sides in the not-too-distant future.
Results:
Sunday 4th August 2013
Boys Girls
NSW 7 v WA 0; ACT 0 v QLD 0; SA 3 v VIC 2. ACT 2 v QLD 2; VIC 2 v SA 2; NSW 7 v WA 1
Monday 5th August 2013
Boys Girls
VIC 1 v QLD 0; SA 2 v NSW 2; ACT 1 v WA 1 WA 3 v ACT 2; VIC 2 v QLD 0; NSW 5 v SA 0
Tuesday 6th August 2013
Boys Girls
NSW 0 v ACT 0; VIC 1 v WA 0; SA 3 v QLD 2 WA 4 v VIC 0; QLD 2 v SA 0; NSW 1 v ACT 0
Wednesday 7th August 2013
No games played
Thursday 8th August 2013
Boys Girls
NSW 2 v QLD 1; ACT 3 v VIC 2; SA 1 v WA 1 WA 3 v SA 2; ACT 2 v VIC 3; NSW 7 v QLD 0
Friday 9th August 2013 - Finals
Boys Girls
ACT 3 v SA 1; VIC 1 v NSW 0; QLD 5 v WA 1 ACT 7 v SA 0; NSW 4 v VIC 0; QLD 4 v WA 0
Boys Final Places: Girls Final Places:
1st. ACT - 9 Points 1st. NSW - 13 Points
2nd. NSW - 8 Points 2nd. WA - 9 Points
3rd. SA - 8 Points 3rd. QLD - 8 Points
4th. VIC - 7 Points 4th. ACT - 5 Points
5th. QLD - 5 Points 5th. VIC - 5 Points
6th. WA - 2 Points 6th. SA - 1 Point
South Australia Girls
Name School
Alison Atkins Roma Mitchell Secondary College
Brianna Bartlett Aberfoyle Park High School
Victoria Battersby Immanuel College
Sarah Chappel Underdale High School
Stephanie Christensen Pembroke School
Madeline Ford Sacred Heart College
Cheyenne Hammond Willunga High School
Zoe Haralampopoulos Scotch College
KendallJenner Renmark High School
Bethany Koutsouridis St Ignatius College
Alyce Macauley Sacred Heart College
Renae Pantelis Loreto College
Venetia Rigoni Loreto College
Zoe Sgargetta Marden Senior College
Rosie Smith Woodcroft College
Zoe Spyridonidis St Aloysius College
Coach: Sharon Black
Team Manager: Alice Gorman
Tour Manager: Sally Treharne
South Australia Boys
No. Name School
1 Addison Rogers Wirreanda High School
2 Stavros Bakopanos St George College
6 Alexander Dimas Henley High School
7 Christopher Zuppa Gleeson College
8 Jacob Atkinson Hallett Cove School
9 Peter Mercurio Rostrevor College
10 Daniel Pauli Heathfield High School
11 Oliver Zafiridis Marryatville Inter. High School
12 Marcello Paolo Emmaus Christian College
13 Paul Wilson Underdale High School
17 Stephen Oborn Mercedes College
18 Christian Fleetwood Underdale High School
20 Jemal Mussa Marden Senior College
25 Liam Bebbington Xavier College
30 Lewis Whiley-Smith Adelaide High School
41 Sam Tortorella Cabra Dominican College
Coach: Lyndon Parry, Cabra Dominican College
Team Manager: Trevor Warren, Adelaide High School
Tour Manager: Joe Larecki
My sincere thanks goes to everyone associated with the Championships, including:
Secondary School Sport SA, Teams officials, Lyndon Parry (boys Coach), Trevor Warren (boys Team Manager), Sharon Black (girls Coach), Alice Gorman and Sally Treharne (girls Team Officials), all the players, including those who participated in trials, FFSA, all Clubs, parents, fundraisers, sponsors, supporters etc, all our hosts, including ACT School Sport, and the Championships Committee,Football Federation of Australia, John Evans for his input, and anyone I may have forgotten.
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