BUCO Interhigh 2024

After having convincingly won the Highveld Interhigh in Secunda recently, expectations that Lydenburg would dethrone Hoërskool Nelspruit as Lowveld champions ran high. NHS’s athletes bit down hard, however, and walked off victorious in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions.

Saturday February 24 will surely be remembered as the day that Barberton High School hosted a well-organised, thrilling and exciting BUCO Interhigh. It was truly a festival of excellent performances, and a handful of long-standing records were smashed.

@lowvelder

The annual BUCO Interhigh Athletics Meeting was off to an early start today, Saturday February 24, with the seven schools’ athletes marching onto Hoërskool Barberton’s field. #Bucointerhigh2024 #totalsigns #interhigh #procession #schoolathletes #teams #barbertonhighschool #penryncollege #lowveldhighschool #hoërskoolnelspruit #hoërskoollydenburg #robferreirahighschool #hoërskoolbergvlam

♬ original sound - Lowveld Media

Nelspruit se seuns (752 punte) was deurgaans onder druk, maar kon uiteindelik daarin slaag om Lydenburg (707) en Rob Ferreira te klop om die seunstrofee omhoog te lig.

Die dogters het dit egter makliker gehad, en was met 807 punte net té sterk vir Lydenburg (700) en Rob Ferreira (591). Die groottotaaltrofee pryk dus steeds in NHS se trofeekas, met die eindtotale soos volg: NHS 1 559, Lydenburg 1 407 en Rob Ferreira 1 246. Hulle is gevolg deur Bergvlam (963), Barberton (868), Penryn College (587) en Lowveld High (441).

Die volgende Nellies het individuele trofeë ontvang:

Zoë Cilliers (d. 16): Algehele beste prestasie vir dogters; senior victrix ludorum; en beste prestasie in naellope, senior dogters

Marieke Wasserman (d. 14): Junior victrix ludorum

Jordan Pretorius (s. 17): Senior victor ludorum

Chenade Botma (d. 14): Beste junior dogter, spronge en naellope

Rojandi Coetzee (d. 16): Beste senior dogter, spronge

Robroy MacGregor (s. 15): Beste junior seun, worpe

Diané van der Walt (d. 15): Beste junior dogter, worpe

Dawid Botha (s. 19): Beste senior seun, worpe

Leney Maree (d. 14): Beste junior dogter, langafstande

Sheba Sithole (d. 17): Beste senior dogter, langafstande

Zoë Cilliers het skitterende prestasies behaal. Sy verbeter beide interhoërnaellooprekords: 100 m – 12;00 en 200 m – 25;33. In die 100 m het Zoë haar mede-Nellie, die bekende Rhodé Nel, se vorige interrekord van 12;20 in die slag laat bly, maar dit op sigself was nie die grootste prestasie nie. Zoë word hiermee die vinnigste dogter in NHS se 71 bestaansjare. Genoemde Rhodé se beste tyd was 12;01, wat sy as o. 19-atleet vermag het. Meer nog: Zoë verbeter een van die oudste Nellie-rekords, wat in 1978 deur Marlise Weich opgestel is – ’n volle 46 jaar gelede. Werklik uitsonderlike prestasies deur ’n baie besonderse atleet.

Lydenburg het die meeste van die trofeë vir dit wat op die paviljoen gebeur het (sang, dirigente, ens.) gewen, maar die opgewondenheid het nie perke geken nie toe NHS aangewys is as die skool met die beste gees op die paviljoen. Dit nadat die Nellies se onderwysers en dirigente in die laaste aflositems ook met die ander ses skole se spanlede afgereken het.

@lowvelder

The BUCO interhigh 2024 has lit up Barberton. Here are the war cries and performances from each school; Hoërskool Nelspruit #bucointerhigh2024 #totalsigns #HoërskoolNelspruit

♬ original sound – Lowveld Media

Wat beslis ook spesiale vermelding verdien is die feit dat NHS in al vyf dogtersaflosse (al die ouderdomsgroepe) eerste verby die wenpaal geblits het.

’n Spesiale woord van gelukwense aan die afrigters wat gesorg het dat die atlete op die regte tyd topvorm bereik het.

Die jaarlikse Interhoër het weer gewys waarom LHS as een van die top Laeveldse skole beskou word, wat uitsonderlike talent en sportmangees betref.

LHS se atlete het tydens die byeenkoms grense oorskry om oorwinnings in verskeie baan- en velditems te behaal.

Die skool het nie net vyf ander skole geklop om die algehele tweede plek te behaal nie, maar het ook die geesbeker gewen vir hul onverbeterlike sang.

LHS was aan die einde van die dag net ’n paar punte agter die algehele wenner van die interhoër, Hoërskool Nelspruit. Dié skool het daarin geslaag om Hoërskool Barberton, Hoërskool Bergvlam, Hoërskool Laeveld, Penryn College en Hoërskool Rob Ferreira te klop.

@lowvelder

The BUCO interhigh 2024 has lit up Barberton. Here are the war cries and performances from each school; Hoërskool Lydenburg #bucointerhigh2024 #totalsigns #interhigh

♬ original sound – Lowveld Media

Nietemin het elke skool formidabele atlete na vore gebring, almal gretig om hul stempel op die verskeie baan- en velditems af te druk.

By tye was dit kop aan kop vir die atlete van Hoërskool Nelspruit en LHS, met gesonde wedywering tussen die twee deelnemers om die titel van 2024 Interhoër-wenners te behaal.

Om 13:00 daardie middag was LHS  reeds in die tweede plek met 643 punte. Hierdie telling het meer as verdubbel toe die geleentheid tot ’n einde gekom het en Hoërskool Nelspruit uiteindelik as wenners aangekondig is.

 

The speedsters of Rob Ferreira High School, fuelled by determination and adrenaline, once again sparked excitement on Saturday.

Their coach, Stefan van der Merwe, instilled in them a hunger for victory, and they certainly delivered. With a total of 1 246 points, the school matched their performance of last year by securing third place.

Two of the standout performers were Lesego Mashego (boys U14) and Tumiso Letsoalo (boys U17).

Who would have thought that the 100m record set by former Rob athlete Ashaan Sebastian Greaver would be broken just seven years later, by a mere 2/100th of a second, on the very same track of Hoërskool Barberton?

In 2017, Ashaan made history with a blistering 11;58 seconds. History repeated itself when Lesego clocked 11;56 seconds on Saturday.

In 2020, when the starter’s gun fired, former Robbie Junior Mondlane had exploded off the blocks in the 110m hurdles, leaving his competitors in his wake. Hoërskool Bergvlam then hosted the event. On Saturday, four years later, awe was inspired when Tumiso not only broke but shattered Junior’s record. Junior set the bar at a blistering 14;30. Little did he know that Tumiso would improve the record by 0;25 seconds to 14;05.

It came as no surprise that Lesego, who also won gold in the 200m sprints (23;70) and 300m hurdles (42;39), was awarded with the trophy for best sprinter of the day (junior boys) and Tumiso the best hurdles athlete (senior boys).

The best junior girls hurdles athlete went to Nonthando Mahlalela, who won the 90m hurdles in 14;50.

Mthokozisi Ndlovu (boys 17) and Kgotso Machete (boys 19) were among the athletes who won the most gold medals for their school, three each; Mthokozisi in the 200m (22;67), 400m (50;44) and 400m hurdles (55;23), and Kgotso in the 400m (50;82), 800m (1:57;97) and 1 500m (04:26;64).

Lungelo Mokoena (boys 19) took home two medals for his performance in the 110m hurdles (15;31) and 400m hurdles (57;94).

@lowvelder

The BUCO interhigh 2024 has lit up Barberton. Here are the war cries and performances from each school; Hoërskool Rob Ferreira #bucointerhigh2024 #totalsigns #interhigh #hoërskoolrobferreira

♬ original sound - Lowveld Media

Hoërskool Bergvlam’s boys U19 4x100m relay team surprised everyone, except themselves, their spirit team and their staff, by winning the final race of the 2024 BUCO Interhigh at Barberton High School on Saturday.

Cian Maritz, MJ Mabuza, Kagisano Malinda and Kurhula Mashele executed the near-perfect 4x100m relay race, with Kurhula turning on the afterburners on the home straight to take gold for the team in 43.35 seconds. Rob Ferreira’s team were second in 44.53.

The Bergvlam U19 relay team had started preparing for the race in October, training through the October and December school holidays. Their dedication was rewarded with a gold medal, and the news of their achievement spread like wildfire on social media late on Saturday and Sunday.

The best senior boy sprint athlete of the meet was MJ, who earned 820 ASA
points by winning the boys’ U19 100m in 10.58 seconds, an outstanding time on a grass track.

Sbusiso Nkangala won the trophy for the best junior long-distance boy athlete. He clocked a gold-medal winning time of 04:43:85 in the 1 500m, 665 ASA points.

The Vlammies’ A team finished on 531 points, placing them fourth. The B team also took fourth place on 432.5 points, while their combined total was 963.5 points, also fourth place. They won eight gold, 11 silver and 14 bronze medals.

@lowvelder

The BUCO interhigh 2024 has lit up Barberton. Here are the war cries and performances from each school; Hoërskool Bergvlam #bucointerhigh2024 #totalsigns #interhigh

♬ original sound - Lowveld Media

The host school, Barberton High (BHS), claimed fifth place at the annual BUCO Interhigh on Saturday.

BHS scored 372.5 points in the A meet.

In the B meet, BHS took sixth place with 296 points and scored a combined total of 668.5 in total. BHS hosted a superb meet. There would be few school athletics venues in South Africa that can match that of the host school when it comes to beautiful settings.

The Makhonjwa Mountains watched over the proceedings of the day.

@lowvelder

The BUCO interhigh 2024 has lit up Barberton. Here are the war cries and performances from each school; Hoërskool Barberton #bucointerhigh2024 #totalsigns #interhigh

♬ original sound – Lowveld Media

Afeziwe Kakude won the trophy for the best BHS cheerleader.

Penryn College finished the 2024 BUCO Interhigh in sixth position in the A meet at Barberton High School on Saturday.

In the B section, Penryn claimed fifth place, and in the combined A and B meets, they were placed sixth.

Penryn proved that despite being the smallest school at the meet, they are definitely dynamite, taking first place in the percentage section (points per athlete when compared to pupil total) on 1.55.

The school’s athletics team won one gold, three silver and four bronze medals.

@lowvelder

The BUCO interhigh 2024 has lit up Barberton. Here are the war cries and performances from each school; Penryn College #bucointerhigh2024 #totalsigns #PenrynCollege #interhigh

♬ original sound - Lowveld Media

Athletes of Lowveld High went all out during the Interhigh this past weekend, but it was their spirit and theme song that stole the spotlight from the other participating schools.

Lowveld High did not back down on any of the other six participating schools during this year’s BUCO Interhigh.

The school made sure from get go that they were noticed and heard, which ensured they won the trophy for best cheerleaders’ entrance.

The Pipe Dream Cup was given without hesitation to Lowveld High for their unique theme song and spirit. The school was also second in the Gears of Medley prepared songs. The school’s best cheerleader of the day was Salome Mapea.

Even though the school did not finish in the top three, there was no shortage of perseverance and determination among its athletes.

They constantly gave their best to ensure that the school’s name was held high.

@lowvelder

The BUCO interhigh 2024 has lit up Barberton. Here are the war cries and performances from each school; Lowveld High School #bucointerhigh2024 #totalsigns #interhigh

♬ original sound – Lowveld Media

The athletes were thanked on the school’s official Facebook page for their dedication and determination before and during the Interhigh.

@lowvelder

The spirits are still high at the BUCO Interhigh 2024 in Barberton. #BUCO #Highschool #interhigh #Barberton #totalsign

♬ original sound - Lowveld Media

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