Catholic High’s B Boys’ floorball team were labelled “rejects” by the school’s other athletes when the team was formed in 2008. The team was even eliminated in the first round last year. But they came back and silenced their critics by upsetting favourites Victoria School 6-3 this year to become national champions.

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Catholic High School meets Coral Secondary School in the 3rd and 4th placing match today. Coral Secondary School had lost their semi-final game against Northland Secondary School a day ago but they were still gunning to win this match to clinch the bronze medal. Catholic High School, who lost their quarter-final match against Coral Secondary School, will look to make amends by beating them today as well. Both teams were highly motivated to do well for this match but unfortunately, there can only be one winner.

It did not take long for the scoring to start. Hao Yuan broke the deadlock in just 4 minutes with a well taken goal but Coral Secondary School replied almost immediately with the equaliser. Selwin restored the lead with a penalty in the 10th minute and Catholic High School goes into the break with the advantage.

National Inter-School Floorball Championships 2011 (‘C’ Division)
Coral Secondary School vs Catholic High School
Republic Polytechnic
5-3 (1-2, 2-0, 2-1)

It all fell apart for Catholic High School in the second period as two defensive lapses saw the opponents put in two goals in the space of 2 minutes. The players tried to fight back to no avail and the period ended with the score of 3-2.

Both teams head into the final period determined to secure their advantage, and it was the opponents who did so once again with another two quick goals after 5 minutes. Jeremiah could only score a late consolation goal as the match ended with Coral Secondary School victorious.

The season has ended for the team. Although much was expected of the players, it was a great achievement to have qualified for the semi-final. Many players have improved over the course of the season and they must continue to do so to sustain their level of play in the years to come.

Catholic High School meets Victoria School in the semi-final today, of which the winner will proceed to face Northland Secondary School on Friday after their 4-1 win over Coral Secondary School in the earlier match. The boys needed no further reminding of the magnitude of today’s game and having prepared well, they were all confident and raring to go. Victoria School had qualified by virtue of their superior goal difference from the quarter-finals and they will definitely be a tough and worthy opponent.

The match started off well with both teams having their chances at goal. However, it was Catholic High School who scored first through Hao Yuan, with a long shot that the goalkeeper saw late and could not save.

National Inter-School Floorball Championships 2011 (‘C’ Division)
Victoria School vs Catholic High School
Republic Polytechnic
3-1 (0-1, 1-0, 2-0)

The second period was largely an even affair. Both teams were really up for it and went close on various occasions. With the time ticking down, Victoria School gained a free hit 10 metres from the goal and took advantage of the momentary lapse to take the direct shot. Jing Zhou was at full stretch but the ball nestled into the top corner of the goal for the equalizer.

The game was far from over and both teams will definitely go all out in the final period. Victoria School had the greater of possession and they hit the post twice. Catholic High School played very well and had chances of their own, almost nicking that elusive goal despite the heroics of the goalkeeper on the other end. It was most unfortunate however, that a wild shot by the opponent was deflected off the body of Hao Yuan for the breakthrough that they needed.

As the team tried to chase the game, Victoria School broke through the defence once again with a well taken shot by their forward for a two goal lead. With only a minute left, a comeback looked unlikely. Victoria School consolidated their defence and saw out the game to emerge winners.

It was an extremely high tempo game which could have gone either way and credit must be given to players from both teams for the brilliant display of skill and technique on the court, as well as the sportsmanship to each other. Catholic High School will instead play Coral Secondary School for the 3rd/4th placing match. The players must pick themselves up and continue to play hard for their final game of the season tomorrow.

National Inter-School Floorball Championships 2011 (‘C’ Division)
Catholic High School vs Coral Secondary School
Republic Polytechnic
4-7 (0-3, 1-2, 3-2)

Coral Secondary School took the lead within 2 minutes when their forward took a speculative shot from half court. Jing Zhou was slow to react and the ball bounced into the net. A free hit given 4 minutes later saw the players in dreamland while the forward took a direct shot into the top corner of the goal. Now trailing by 2 goals, the situation was further compounded when a sudden long shot landed in front of the goalkeeper and bounced awkwardly over and into the goal. Despite the unlucky nature of the goals, the players had to take the blame for allowing the opponents time and space to shoot. It was a poor performance by the team by anybody’s standard.

This continued in the second period, even when Donovan scored his debut goal of the season. Lapses in the defence in the final 5 minutes allowed the opponents to scored 2 goals. With a 4 goal deficit, it was increasingly difficult for the team to comeback.

However, all was not over as the players picked themselves up in the third period. Han Keong and Donovan combined to score two quick goals, but individual errors from the defenders let the team down again as Coral Secondary School returned with two goals of their own. Selwin managed to score with 2 minutes remaining, but it was too late for any fight back as the team suffered their first loss of the season.

In a tight game, errors as such will prove to be decisive. The players must learn from this harsh but timely lesson, and recover quickly for Wednesday, as they will meet Victoria School in the semi-final match. This game will be a true test of the team’s character and mental strength.

National Inter-School Floorball Championships 2011 (‘C’ Division)
Catholic High School vs Raffles Institution
Republic Polytechnic
4-2 (3-1, 1-1, 0-0)

Raffles Institute took the lead seconds from the face-off with Amirul taking a shot that surprised Jing Zhou. Being no stranger to such a scenario, the players buckled down and equalised through Warren 3 minutes later. Hao Yuan doubled the advantage less than a minute after and as Raffles Institution struggled to find their footing in the game, Warren put the team ahead with a 2-goal margin a minute from the end.

The opponents were not going to let their neighbouring rivals have an easy time and it showed in the second period. It was a fiercely contested period and both teams began to tackle much harder in a bid to win possession of the ball. The opponents pulled a goal back with 4 minutes remaining, but Yuan Rong took advantage of a lapse near the end of the period to restore the 2-goal margin.

Raffles Institution had 15 minutes remaining to salvage the game and with Amirul, a Singapore Schools player, pulling the strings in his team, the players from Catholic High School were finding it tough to break through. Nevertheless, with the thoughts of all the hard training sessions held in the holidays, they were not going to surrender so easily. Every player chipped in to defend and keep possession of the ball and eventually saw out the period, goalless, but victorious.

With the victory, the team is on track to emulate their seniors by qualifying for the semi-finals with a game to spare. Well done!

National Inter-School Floorball Championships 2011 (‘C’ Division)
Catholic High School vs Northbrooks Secondary School
Republic Polytechnic
22-5 (7-2, 12-2, 3-1)

The team took 3 minutes to score the first goal through Han Keong, but it was only in the halfway into the period when the team began to run riot. Selwin and Hao Yuan scored two each with Selwin and Yuan Rong adding a goal to the tally while Northbrooks, although managing 2 goals in quick succession, never looked like turning the game around.

The second period saw the players turn on the style with Warren scoring 5 goals, accompanied by Han Keong, Yuan Rong and Selwin with 2 goals each. Hao Yuan scored another goal in a very one-sided period. Northbrooks, to their credit, broke the defence twice to sneak in 2 goals.

The final period was a tighter affair, but Jeremiah scored his first goal of the season in between Warren’s and Selwin’s strike. The defence was caught sleeping again as Northbrooks scored a goal in this period.

While it was a remarkable win, the players must remember that tougher opponents await and the games will get a lot harder as they come.

National Inter-School Floorball Championships 2011 (‘C’ Division)
Catholic High School vs Teck Whye Secondary School
Republic Polytechnic
7-5 (1-2, 4-2, 2-1)

Selwin put the team in the lead in 5 minutes but Teck Whye managed to equalise shortly after. With 2 minutes left of the period, the team conceded another goal and went into the break trailing their opponents. However, after a fierce team talk by the coach, the players began to play much harder, and scored two goals through Han Keong and Warren. Teck Whye briefly threatened to come back with 2 goals in reply but Selwin put the team in the lead once again with 2 well taken goals.

With just a 1 goal lead, the team know they have to play better to ensure maximum points from the game. Selwin was the constant thorn in the opponents’ side as he struck again with a goal. Teck Whye was never going to give up and they replied with a goal to keep up the pressure. Warren finally settled matters when he scored with 5 minutes on the clock.

With a 2 goal lead in hand, the team held on to possession of the ball to see out the remaining minutes for their first win. It was a hard game coming back after a long break but the players had character to grit their teeth and grind out a victory. Hopefully, everyone can pick up their game from here and lead the team to more glory.

The final game of the preliminary round of the competition pits Catholic High School against School of Science and Technology. The opponents are a newly formed team who are taking part in their first competition since the inception of the school. Catholic High School will need a victory today to secure top position in the group table. The team arrived at Bedok South Secondary School and promptly proceeded with their warm up as the players seek to maintain their winning streak today.

The players piled on the pressure right from the start, dominating for long periods and were rewarded with a goal from Hao Yuan, and two from Han Keong. The opponents replied with a long shot which bounced past Jing Zhou before ending the period 3-1.

National Inter-School Floorball Championships 2011 (‘C’ Division)
Catholic High School vs School of Science and Technology
Bedok South Secondary School
8-2 (3-1, 2-1, 3-0)

The opposing team came back into the next period determined not to make things easy for the team. Although Yuan Rong notched a double within 5 minutes, the team was unable to scored for the remainder of the period. The opponents took advantage of a fast break to slot one past Ze Ming and the score was 5-2 at the break.

The coach reprimanded the players for dropping their standard of play in the second period and demanded better performance from them. The team did step up their play in the final period and Selwin scored his first goal of the game in the 4th minute. Hao Yuan added to his tally in the 11th minute and Nigel finished the game with a well taken shot towards the end.

Although it was a comfortable victory, the players will need to learn to be focused on the game and take their chances better in order to improve in the next stage of the tournament. As of now, the teams will take a well deserved break and resume the tournament in July.

National Inter-School Floorball Championships 2011 (‘C’ Division)
Bukit Merah secondary School vs Catholic High School
Bukit Merah Secondary School
3-4 (0-2, 2-0, 1-2)

Both teams began the match well, with attempts on goal at both ends. It was even until with 2 minutes left, Warren took a shot and it beat the goal keeper at the bottom corner. Without letting up, he scored again right from the face off to give the team a precious 2 goal lead.

The second period however, was a different affair. Merahans stepped up the tempo and dominated the play for most of the period. The team still managed to threatened with some fast breaks but finally succumbed to the pressure when a opposing forward took a snap shot at goal which eluded Jing Zhou. A minute later, poor marking from a free hit saw the opponents score with a drag shot into the top corner of the goal. The score was now even at 2-2.

In the final period, it was Warren who came to the rescue again with another goal to restore the lead. The opponents were not giving up and following a free hit, the ball was deflected amidst the scramble into the net for the equalizer. This set up the final few minutes of play where both teams pushed forward for the win. It was not to be for the opponents as with 18 seconds left on the clock, Hao Yuan found time and space to take a low grounded shot from just inside their half which the goal keeper saw late. The resulting shot slipped right under him for that all important winning goal.

The opponents pushed on and almost had a chance only for the forward to shoot high and wide. The team saw out the remaining seconds to clinch this important victory over an equally strong opposing team.

It was an exciting match and the players rose to the occasion, never giving up until the final whistle. With the final game in 4 days’ time, everyone must remain grounded and continue to put in as much effort to secure top position in the group!

National Inter-School Floorball Championships 2011 (‘C’ Division)
Catholic High School vs Hillgrove Secondary School
Bukit Merah Secondary School
16-3 (4-1, 8-1, 4-1)

The boys took some time to settle into the game and Selwin scored the first goal of the game in the 4th minute before Warren added a brace shortly after. Han Keong was in a good position to fire his shot into the top corner but the defence was caught out on a counter and they scored with an accurate shot that slipped under Jing Zhou.

The team continued to press on in the second period and Warren, who had an outstanding game, put 4 goals into the net, while Yuan Rong contributed a double. Hao Yuan and Selwin added to the scoreline as well. However, a mistake by Yee Chen saw an opponent intercept the ball and dribble past Ze Ming at full stretch to score their second goal.

In the third period, Hillgrove began to play more aggressively. Although Hao Yuan scored again, a sudden counter caught everyone unaware, causing Jing Zhou to let the shot in between his legs. It was a wake up call to the team, but it was only in the final minutes that Selwin, Warren and Han Keong scored the goals to make up for the errors.

The game showed that full concentration is needed if any team wants to do well in the competition. There have been many instances where mistakes like these have cost the team their match, so the players must be aware not to commit such errors again. The next game is 2 weeks later, so the players must focus and work hard in this crucial period!