High School aims for national title

By Frank Neill

Wainuiomata High School’s champion K O Rahi team will be looking to add another title when they play in the New Zealand Secondary Schools national tournament in Rotorua from 11 to 13 April.

The Wainuiomata High School mixed team are the Wellington champions.

They took out the title after defeating Mana College 20-17 on 1 March.

In doing so Wainuiomata defeated a school that has reigned for eight years as the College Sport Wellington regional champions.

“It was awesome,” the team’s coach M tauranga Te Rauna told the “Wainuiomata News”. After being behind for pretty much the whole game, Wainuiomata High School managed to edge ahead as the clock wound down.

The Wainuiomata team has had a good lead-up in its preparation for the national tournament. It travelled to Hastings on 17 March and played a mixed team with players from Hastings Boys and Hastings Girls Colleges.

Wainuiomata’s senior mixed team won all its three games – played against teams that finished fourth and fifth at the last national tournament.

Wainuiomata won one game by more than 20 points.

Tyrese Matenga throwing the b all , watched by Reihana Te Rauna. Photo: Supplied.

The team then travelled to Turangi and Taupo where they played three matches on 19 and 20 March.

Their closest encounter was against Whakarewa in Taupo. The scores were tied 16-16 all at full time, and Wainuiomata managed to pull ahead in extra time to win 19-16. They then went on to defeat Tongariro School 22-16 and Hirangi Kura a Iwi 27-19.