Captain Jack van Houts reflects on a competitive week in Rotorua.

The OHS Boys 1st XI enjoyed a strong week at the Trident Tournament in Rotorua during Winter Tournament Week. Captain Jack van Houts was proud of the way the team performed and, just as importantly, how the players came together over the week. “We got to have a week away and bonded as a team, as well as coming away with some good results against quality teams.”

OHS made an excellent start to the tournament, winning two of its three pool games and drawing the other to finish top of the pool. A highlight was a hard fought 1–0 victory over Pukekohe High School, last year’s tournament winners. Jack was particularly pleased with the resilience shown by the team, with several players managing injuries during the early stages of the tournament while the group continued to maintain its standards.

Finishing top of the pool set up a playoff against KingsWay School, a familiar opponent from the regular A3 season. In a closely fought match, OHS came up just short in a 4–3 loss, with the team continuing to compete until the final whistle and scoring a late goal. The boys responded positively and continued to compete strongly in their remaining matches, eventually finishing 8th overall after their final placing was decided in a penalty shootout.

Ryan Cooper also had an excellent tournament and remained in contention for the tournament’s Golden Boot heading into the final game. He added another goal in that match but narrowly missed out on the top goalscorer award.

For Jack, the week was a reflection of the character the team has developed across the season. “I was really proud of how we stayed resilient during the whole week. We never looked to drop our standards.” Congratulations to Jack and the Boys 1st XI on a strong tournament and a great week representing OHS.