Informer Edition 2 April 2013 - St Paul's Collegiate School

low, scoring in the closing moments of the game to edge out a 3-2 win. Although the loss
hurt, it was Mr Groom’s passion and belief that we could do something special that sparked a
fire within the team. A burning desire to reach the peak, to reach the summit.
It was clear from the outset of the second game that St Paul’s infinity were on the hunt for
glory and no one was going to get in our way. Playing against Horowhenua College, we took
it upon ourselves to prove to all that St Paul’s were here to win. 16 nil. A statement which
caught the attention of the Big Guns. Now we had our first win, it was time to ride the high.
Scots College were up next; a big name school with big expectations and big athletes to
back it up. It would be a game which would be won and lost not by size or strength, or skill
or speed, but the desire of the players. “How bad do you want it?” was all that needed to be
said to ignite St Paul’s before walking on to battle. The intensity of the game was something
else, with Scots College coming out strong and scoring first. It was through the stunning play
of Jacob Robb, Dan Goodwin and John Penyas that St Paul’s were able to once again come
back to tie the game. The second half was a struggle with the size and strength of Scots
showing its impact on the game, with Scots again going up 2-1. But it was the desire, the
thought of the dream that spurred the team into frenzy with Ollie Tomic making some
outstanding saves in gaol and the impact of Sean Rooney in defence kept Scots from
scoring. As the game drew nearer to a close, we were able to tie it up again. And when it
seemed that a draw would result; a moment of brilliance from Dan Goodwin gave us the lead
and inevitably the win.
As Day One of the tournament drew to a close, our final pool game was against Cashmere
High School, the defending National Champions. It was undoubtedly the inspirational
speech given by Mr Groom before we went out that made all the difference in the
outstanding game to come. Cashmere were stunned and were outplayed by a St Paul’s
team hungry for a title, a 7-2 win over the defending champions was a clear sign that yes, we
were good enough and that from here on in, anything was possible.
With a spot in the top eight schools in the country secured, the boys were happy, but we
weren’t satisfied with ‘Top 8’. We wanted more. We wanted the top. And our quarter final
was just another hurdle we had to overcome on our way to success.
Who else but Hamilton Boys’ High School - our friends, our rivals. The challenge was not
going to be who could physically display the best skill, but whether we would be able to put
all emotions and friendships aside for 36 minutes in order to win. The game was one to
remember, Futsal at its finest. We took the lead and never once looked back with a
convincing 3 nil win to send us through to the semi-finals.
Wellington High School – the only team to beat the brothers from St Paul’s. That wasn’t to
be again. No, this time we were going to decide our own destiny. We were going to win.
But it was no easy task. This game was going to be something special. Those moments you
dream about as a kid, it was time to make the dream a reality. Regulation time wasn’t
enough to decide who would continue to the final. Locked at 3 all, we went into a penalty
shootout. The crowd began to grow as spectators throughout the stadium gathered to watch.
It took six penalties from each team to finally break the deadlock, with Wellington High
missing. The chance of a lifetime was upon him and Sam Masterson stepped up to the spot
to take what would be one of the greatest kicks of his life. Within moments, the entire St
Paul’s team was on the court laughing and cheering in pure excitement. We were through to
the national final. We were now living the dream.
Six weeks after we came together as a group with the idea of participating in a national
tournament, we were here. We had made the final. And we had done so through sheer
passion and hard work. Havelock North High School stood between us and a national title
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The Informer
St Paul’s Collegiate School