Football

BOYS’ FOOTBALL

It has been a strange year for Boys’ Football at Whakatāne High School this year. At times it felt like a repeat of 2020 with the global pandemic taking centre stage. This felt like a new year for our First XI Boys, inviting back only two Year 13s in the form of Ben Davey-Emms and Michael Everett. Michael was named captain, an honour which he took seriously and led by example in, which is aligned with his character. Covid hit us hard, as we lost a number of games to the pandemic. We were fortunate to be able to play around ten games, finishing with an impressive record and only losing one game with notable victories against Aquinas, Otūmoetai and Tauranga City. Several of our Year Elevens have made the step up and helped carry the team to good results - including Charlie Waters, Ryan Calder, Rhys Robertson and Tye Davey-Emms. Unfortunately, we were unable to attend our Winter Tournament scheduled in Term Three; this was particularly hard for our Year 13s who only had one last chance to attend. The player of the season was Josh Dale; he showed his immense quality, running the pitch from the middle of the park. Special mentions go out to Charlie Waters, Luke Berquist and Ryan Calder whose performances this season were spectacular. Finally, farewell to our two Year 13 boys, Ben Davey-Emms and Michael Everett; both have been valued members of the team for a number of years and have given their all. I know the other boys will miss them and I wish them all the best for the future. We were fortunate to have two teams at junior level this year with an A and B team being formed. This was a remarkable achievement and has shown the growth of football in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. It is the first time during my time at WHS that we have had the numbers to do this! Our B team did remarkably well, causing a number of upsets and featuring a number of exceptional players. Jordan Cook and Spencer Hughes led from the front and had a workhorse in Nathan Garner who helped the team to an impressive record. Well done, boys; we look forward to seeing you all in action next year! We must also acknowledge the work put in by our principal, Martyn Knapton, and the now-departed Kyle MacFarlane, in ensuring that this team could run. As for the As, the boys had a season of two halves. The boys were in Division 2 for the start of the season and played some very good football. A highlight was the top of the table clash against the Pāpāmoa Volcanoes which we won 4-3. After finishing top of the group, the boys were promoted to the top division for the second half of the season. The boys found this pretty tough going but played extremely well against good opposition. A massive thank you to the boys and parents for a very long, but rewarding, season.