{"id":76337,"date":"2025-06-30T11:29:25","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T09:29:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=76337"},"modified":"2025-06-30T11:29:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T09:29:25","slug":"pinetown-boys-high-lifts-kloof-high-football-tournament-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=76337","title":{"rendered":"Pinetown Boys&#8217; High lifts Kloof High Football Tournament title"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_76353\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76353\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-76353 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Kloof-Tournament-champions-2025-Pinetown-Boys-High-400x267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-76353\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pinetown Boys&#8217; High crowned champions of the Kloof High School National Football Tournament on Sunday, 29 June. Photo. LB Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The <strong>Kloof High School Football National Tournament<\/strong> features many high-profile teams and dark horse outfits keen to upset the status quo. It&#8217;s a mix that makes the event unpredictable and exciting.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cup\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After three days of enthralling football and fluctuating fortunes, <strong>Pinetown Boys&#8217; High <\/strong>was crowned the champion of the 2025 Kloof High School National Football Tournament on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>In a cracking final, they defeated the <a href=\"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/virginia-highs-absa-wildeklawer-win-is-a-hot-topic-in-virginia\/\"><strong>Absa Wilderklawer Soccer Champions, Virginia High School<\/strong><\/a> 4-3 in a penalty shootout, following a dramatic 3-3 draw in regulation time.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Football Final - Pinetown Boys&amp;apos; vs Virginia High - Kloof National Football Tournament - 29 June 2025\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FbVjL2cD5h4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Khulekani Nxumalo<\/strong> from Pinetown, who played a pivotal role in securing the championship title for his team, was honoured with the prestigious title of <strong>Player of the Tournament<\/strong>. He was joined in the <strong>Team of the Tournament<\/strong> by his teammates <strong>Sibusiso Mdlalose, Wandile Ndimande, Ntuthuko Mdlolo<\/strong>, and <strong>Alwande Xaba<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Pinetown impressed and revealed themselves to be a formidable force despite starting the season in a somewhat disorganised manner. They missed several fixtures and concluded the <strong>Mancosa KwaZulu-Natal High Schools Football Association (KZNHSFA) Second Term &#8211; Coastal A-League<\/strong> in seventh place, accumulating only five points from one win, two draws, and four losses.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_76355\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76355\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-76355\" src=\"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Team-of-the-Tournament-Kloof-High-Tournament--400x267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-76355\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Team of the Tournament. Photo. LB Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Additionally, Pinetown failed to honour their fixture against <strong>Glenwood High<\/strong> at the beginning of May in the <a href=\"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/hillcrest-meridian-cosmo-city-advance-in-curro-halala-cup\/\"><strong>Curro Halala Cup<\/strong><\/a>, which resulted in their elimination from the competition.<\/p>\n<p>Under such circumstances, one might assume that they stood little chance of performing well, let alone winning the Kloof title. They were ready to challenge for the honours, however, and Cup football differs from league football.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps Pinetown drew inspiration from their u16 team, which recently won in the inaugural <a href=\"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/pinetown-boys-high-wins-inaugural-clive-barker-festival\/\"><strong>u16 Clive Barker Soccer Festival<\/strong><\/a> on 21 June, at Glenwood, beating <strong>Maritzburg College 2-0 <\/strong>in the final.<\/p>\n<p>Virginia High had to settle for second place, suffering a tough defeat after they led 3-2 late in the title game. They felt that they could have won had some calls gone for the Free State side.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nqabakazulu<\/strong>, beaten 1-0 by Virginia in the semi-finals, claimed the bronze medal after a 2-1 victory over <strong>TuksSport High School<\/strong>. The goal that Nqabakazulu conceded against Virginia was their first in the past two editions of the tournament.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Plate<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Maritzburg College, who were eliminated from the Cup by <strong>Carter High<\/strong>\u00a0in the round of 16, came firing back with a vengeance and with the Plate on the line they overwhelmed New Forest 6-0.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_76356\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76356\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-76356 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Plate-Cup-Champions-Maritbzburg-College--400x267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-76356\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Plate champions, Maritzburg College. Photo. LB Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>College&#8217;s vice-captain <strong>Malachi Momple<\/strong>, renowned for his goal-scoring prowess and calm demeanour, was selected for the Team of the Tournament.<\/p>\n<p>The Plate bronze medal went the way of <strong>Mondeor High<\/strong>, who downed Nilgiri Secondary School 3-1 in the third place playoff.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shield<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dayyan Fudu<\/strong>, who featured prominently in the KZNSHFA Coastal A-League, excelled for Westville. He was their top goal scorer in <a href=\"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/westville-boys-lifts-kznhsfa-coastal-a-league-title\/\"><strong>Westville&#8217;s KZN Coastal A-League title winning campaign<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday, Fudu was included in the Team of the Tournament after laying claim to the <strong>Golden Boot<\/strong> with 11 goals to his name.<\/p>\n<p>Following a disappointing exit from the Cup, Westville found themselves in the <strong>Shield<\/strong>, where they handled the early setback with aplomb, going on to capture the title with a one-sided 6-0 thrashing of <strong>Northwood School<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The bronze playoff featured <strong>Kearsney College<\/strong> against <strong>Hilton College<\/strong>. In regulation time, they played to a 1-1 draw. That sent the contest to the penalty spot and Kearsney emerged the winners, outscoring Hilton 3-1 in the shootout.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Spoon\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the final of the Spoon, <strong>Sarel Cilliers<\/strong> won emphatically, handing <strong>Howick High<\/strong> a 4-0 loss. Their victory in the title decider followed a 1-0 win over <strong>Linpark<\/strong> in the semifinals, while <strong>Howick High<\/strong> had upset <strong>Hillcrest High<\/strong> 1-0 to book their place in the final.<\/p>\n<p>In the third-place playoff, Linpark had Hillcrest&#8217;s measure and rolled to a 5-2 victory.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_76362\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76362\" style=\"width: 333px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-76362\" src=\"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Player-of-the-Tournament-Kloof-High-Tournament-1-1-333x500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"333\" height=\"500\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-76362\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Player of the Tournament Khulekani Nxumalo and Blair Thompson, the Director of Sports at Kloof High School. Photo. LB Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Blair Thompson, the Director of Sports at Kloof High School, told <a href=\"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/football\"><strong>SuperSport Schools Plus<\/strong> <\/a>that the Kloof High Tournament is the largest top tier schoolboy tournament in the country, featuring 32 teams along with a qualifying tournament that includes up to 12 teams. The event draws elite teams from across the nation, he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As the hosts, we have a guaranteed place in the tournament which gives our boys exposure playing against the best teams in the country. The tournament attracts sponsors and partners, which also benefits the soccer programme leading up to and after the tournament,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Thompson observed that schools capable of conducting full-year soccer programmes were among the top performers. He explained: &#8220;We have certainly noticed that the teams exhibiting the most structured and fluid style of football are winning matches and progressing through the various rounds.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The inclusion of the main field games on <strong>SuperSport Schools Channel 216<\/strong> has significantly enhanced this year&#8217;s tournament, along with the streaming of the other three fields on the <strong>SuperSport Schools App<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead, Thompson said one of the goals of the event is to arrange a tour of England for the Team of the Tournament.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This would give the top players a chance to have trial games against some of the England top academy teams and create a pathway for them into the professional game,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RESULTS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Cup<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quarterfinals\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Nqabakazulu 1-0 HTS Louis Botha<br \/>\nVirginia High 2-0 Carter High<br \/>\nTuks 2-1 Vuyiswa Mtolo<br \/>\nPinetown 1-0 Edendale<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cup <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Semifinals<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Virginia High 1-0 Nqabakazulu<br \/>\nPinetown (4) 1-1 (3) Tuks<\/p>\n<p>Bronze Playoff<\/p>\n<p>Nqabakazulu 2-1 Tuks<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cup Final\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pinetown (4) 3-3 (3) Virginia High<\/p>\n<p><strong>Plate <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Semifinals\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>New Forest 2-0 Mondeor High<br \/>\nMaritzburg College (3) 2-2 (1) Nilgiri<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bronze Playoff\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mondeor High 3-1 Nilgiri<\/p>\n<p><strong>Final\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Maritzburg College 6-1 New Forest<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shield Cup <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quarterfinals\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Northwood 1-0 Alexandra High<br \/>\nKearsney 3-2 Amanzimtoti<br \/>\nWestville 5-0 Reddam House Umhlanga<br \/>\nHilton College 4-1 Birdswood<\/p>\n<p><strong>Semifinals\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Northwood 1-0 Kearsney<br \/>\nWestville 2-1 Hilton College<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bronze Playoff<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kearsney (3) 1-1 (1) Hilton College<\/p>\n<p><strong>Final\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Westville 6-0 Northwood<\/p>\n<p><strong>Spoon Cup\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Semifinals\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sarel Cilliers 1-0 Linpark<br \/>\nHowick High 1-0 Hillcrest High<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bronze Playoff\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Linpark 5-2 Hillcrest High<\/p>\n<p><strong>Final\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sarel Cilliers 4-0 Howick High<\/p>\n<div class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<p><strong>Team of the Tournament<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">Masiphile Matanda (Nqabakazulu), Manelisi Shezi (Edendale), Boitshepo Ramphala (Tuks), Sibusiso Mdalose (Pinetown),\u00a0Wandile Ndimande (Pinetown0, Curt Rogers (Westville), Ntuthuko Mdlolo (Pinetown), Kabelo Mokhuoane (Virginia), Khulekani Nxumalo (Pinetown), Diego Silva (Tuks), Malachi Momple (Maritzburg College),\u00a0Lebohang Mobe (Virginia), Dayyan Fudu (Westville), Mosa Marabe (Louis Botha), Awande Xaba (Pinetown), Sello Mokhobo (Virginia), Mhleli Msomi (Nqabakazulu), \u00a0Mozwakhe Flatela Virginia).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><strong>Accolades\/Awards<\/strong><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">Player of the Tournament \u2013 Khulekani Nxumalo (Pinetown)<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Golden Boot \u2013 Dayyan Fudu (Westville)<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Golden Glove \u2013 Mhleli Msomi (Nqabakazulu)<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\"><strong>2025 Final Rankings<\/strong><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">1. Pinetown Boys<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">2. Virginia High<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">3. Nqabakazulu<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">4. <span class=\"html-span xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl x1hl2dhg x16tdsg8 x1vvkbs\"><span class=\"xt0psk2\"><span class=\"xjp7ctv\">TuksSport<\/span><\/span><\/span> High School<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">5. Edendale<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">6. Louis Botha<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">7. Vuyiswa Mtolo<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">8. Carter<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">9. Maritzburg College<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">10. New Forest<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">11. Mondeor<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">12. Nilgiri<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">13. DHS<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">14. Umvuso<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">15. Ashton<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">16. Kloof<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">17. Westville Boys<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">18. Northwood<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">19. Kearsney<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">20. Hilton<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">21. Toti<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">22. Birdswood<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">23. Alexandra<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">24. Reddam Umhlanga<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">25. Sarel Cilliers<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">26. Howick<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">27. Linpark<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">28. Hillcrest<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">29. St Henrys<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">30. George Campbell<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">31. Durban North College<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">32. Kloof 2nd<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Kloof High School Football National Tournament features many high-profile teams and dark horse outfits keen to upset the status quo. It&#8217;s a mix that makes the event unpredictable and exciting. Cup\u00a0 After three days of enthralling football and fluctuating fortunes, Pinetown Boys&#8217; High was crowned the champion of the 2025 Kloof High School National [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":76353,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=76337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76337\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/76353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=76337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=76337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=76337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}