Our Senior SAASTA Academy celebrated an outstanding week in Adelaide, finishing runners-up in the SAASTA Shield, recognising our graduating Year 12 students and celebrating Blake Karpany’s Sports Achiever of the Year award.
Our Senior SAASTA Academy travelled to Adelaide for the annual SAASTA Shield Camp, joining academies from across the state for an action-packed week of sporting competition and celebration.
The camp also provided a fantastic opportunity for students to strengthen the connections they made earlier in the year at Power Cup.
Celebrating our Year 12s
Monday night saw our four Year 12 students attend the Year 12 Gala Dinner, celebrating their years of participation in the SAASTA program.
Congratulations to Kirene Newchurch, Joey Karpany, Blake Karpany and Aaron Power, who represented our academy at the event, supported by Tshara Rigney.
We thank each of them for their leadership, effort and commitment over many years. We are incredibly proud of the young people they have become and the example they have set for those following in their footsteps.
Tuesday – Lacrosse
Tuesday took us to North Adelaide Lacrosse Club for a fun-filled day of competition.
Our students’ hard work and preparation certainly showed, with both our boys’ and girls’ teams going through the minor round undefeated!
The standard increased during the finals, but our students were ready for the challenge. Our girls finished the day with just two losses, while our boys remained undefeated. An outstanding effort from both teams!
Wednesday – Awards and Soccer
Wednesday morning began with the annual SAASTA awards ceremony, where Blake Karpany was named Sports Achiever of the Year!
Presented to one student across all School Based Academies, this award recognises outstanding achievement in individual or team sport.
Blake has had an exceptional year, playing for the Woodville-West Torrens Football Club Under 18s and travelling from Kadina to Adelaide three times a week for training and matches. He was also selected for the SA Under 18s football squad, and his club team was preparing to play in the Grand Final at Adelaide Oval.
We are incredibly proud of Blake and his well-deserved recognition!
The afternoon saw our students compete in soccer at FM Stadium in Gepps Cross. Our girls recorded three wins, two draws and two losses, while our boys remained undefeated until their final game, experiencing their only loss of the week.
SAASTA Shield Runners-Up!
For their incredible efforts, our academy finished runners-up in the SAASTA Shield!
Having both our boys’ and girls’ teams earn the right to play at Adelaide Oval during Power Cup, followed by this outstanding result at SAASTA Shield, has made 2026 a remarkable year for our academy.
Our students have shown tremendous commitment to both their sport and their studies, setting high standards and creating a wonderful legacy for those who will join our academy next year.
A massive congratulations to all our students, and a huge thank you to everyone who has supported them along the way.
We couldn’t be prouder!
