THE Barossa Valley Hockey Association’s under 15 side returned home with some silverware after winning the Zones Junior State Championship over the long weekend.
The BVHA, which combined with the Riverland to form the ‘Crushers’ side, sealed the title with a 3-1 victory over City West on Monday, with Loxton Hockey Club’s Caleb Schaefer
named player of the final.
BVHA’s under 18 men just fell short, going down in the semi-finals, while the under 18 girls also went out at the semi-final stage, losing to City East.
The under 15 and under 13 girls sides both failed to make it to the finals, but performed admirably and developed over the week.
In the under 13 boys division, BVHA fell heartbreakingly short of the title, losing 3-8 to Adelaide Uni in the final.
The Uni side was in terrific form, and hadn’t conceded three goals all tournament.
After giving up a couple of goals early, the Crushers hit back hard and scored three goals against their fast-paced opposition.
However, Uni sliced through the Crushers’ defenders and scored a flurry of late goals to pinch victory.
Under 13 coach Adam Sloane was delighted with his side’s performances despite the loss.
“A loss in a final always hurts, but the boys can all be proud of everything they achieved as individuals and as a team,” he said.
“From coming together as a team three weeks ago to getting through our pool undefeated was a huge feat only made possible by the commitment, discipline and enthusiasm of all the boys in the team.
“The boys showed huge amounts of potential and proved they’re all able to play as a team and learn as individuals.”