A try in the final seconds has sealed the NSW School Cup final for Kiama High School.
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The Year 7-8 boys led 2-1 when Hunter Sports High scored to level the game with one minute remaining.
But Kiama would not be denied, responding soon after the resumption to take out the title, the winning medals handed out by NSW touch State of Origin captain Nicholas Good.
Taj Ford was named the player of the final.
Ford has been named as part of the Wollongong Devils junior State Cup under 16 squad to play in the southern conference at Wagga in February. The Devils will send nine teams to the titles, including boys under 10s to under 18s and girls under 12s to under 18s. Kiama had qualified for the final by beating Central Coast’s Wadalba Community School 2-1 in another close contest.
They overpowered Kinross 3-1 in the quarters, having previously beaten Young 4-2, St Clare’s 6-3 and had a 4-all draw with Hunter Sports during the preliminary rounds.
The draw meant Hunter Sports High would finish on top of the pool on differential, having scored 28 tries and conceded eight, while Kiama scored 22 and conceded 10. But Kiama then held their nerve when it counted in the decider.
It came as Warilla finished without a win as the South Coast representatives in the Year 7-8 girls state finals.
In a very competitive division, Warilla took on The Hills Sports High School, St Clare’s, Inverell and Northern Beaches Secondary Colleges’ Mackellar Campus.
It was the Mackellar girls went on to take out the title, beating Orange High 3-2 in the final.
The Wollongong State Cup teams have the added incentive of playing at homer in the state finals if they can qualify at the Wagga southern conference tournament next year.
After trials were held in recent days to finalise the squads, the Wollongong teams can make it through to the Dalton Park finals series by finishing in the top eight in each division, where they will then take on the best of the NSW northern conference.
Kiama would not be denied, responding soon after the resumption to take out the title