SACS “Dream Team” ends the season as the best in the land
The term “golden generation” is often used in sports when a team performs well or achieves a rare feat.
The actual meaning of the term, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is a “group of skilful players of similar age who achieve success” or “players who are expected to succeed”.
No matter how you interpret it, there is no doubt that the South African College High School (SACS) first-team hockey side of 2025 was exactly that, a golden generation.
After years of dominating schoolboy hockey in South Africa, SACS entered the 2025 season intent on making a strong statement, focused on separating themselves from the chasing pack.
Under the tutelage of coaches Sam Holmes and Jody Erasmus, and Director of Hockey James Peverley, they kicked off their campaign with an international tour to The Netherlands in March and made light work of their Dutch opponents, winning four and drawing one against some of the best age group club teams in the world.
When they returned home, many hockey enthusiasts were eager to see what they had in store, and the boys in blue and white delivered a season-long highly entertaining show.
Led by their talisman Jo le Roux, SACS went on an insane winning spree, which included claiming the coveted Hibbert Shield title in Gqeberha with a 6-2 win over Paarl Gimnasium in the final.
They also beat Paul Roos Gimnasium three times in a calendar year. After edging out PRG in the semifinals of the Hibbert Shield in a penalty shootout, they registered 3-1 and 5-2 victories in May and July, respectively.
The only bump along the way came in the form of a 2-2 draw against Paarl Gim in June, but other than that, they were unstoppable, and they scored goals by the bucketload.
For the third season running, they also did the double against their southern suburbs’ rivals, Bishops, Rondebosch Boys’ High and Wynberg Boys’ High.
They dominated, scoring a whopping 43 goals while conceding only five times in those derby encounters.
Their stayers’ team also ruled the roost at the Cape Town International Hockey Tournament and walked away with gold.
Complacency could’ve crept in at any point, but they stayed calm and focused, delivering top performances week in and week out as they overwhelmed their opposition.
There is no denying that Litha Kraai was the side’s star yet again, but SACS, this year, relied more on a combined team effort, with many players making their presence felt.
Kraai, along with Le Roux, Reece Theunis and Mohlodi Maseko, grabbed the headlines, but there was more to the SACS side than those four players.
Aidan Hughes had one of his best seasons, going about his business humbly and effectively every week. Zach “Iniesta“ Redfern was also heavily involved, helping to pull the strings, and Matthew Lassen was more than just a defender, which he demonstrated when scoring a hat-trick against Wynberg.
Other unsung heroes during the season included Adam Thompson and Reagan Wille, who often went under the radar due to the big names surrounding them.
As for head coach Sam Holmes, he enjoyed every moment watching his side entertain on the turf.
““I’m super impressed,” he told SuperSport Schools Plus. “It’s been a long season, a lot of pressure, and the guys have executed again and again and again. They’ve done it with absolute joy, a love for hockey, and a love for entertaining.
“We are such a bizarre team. We can be very average for 25 minutes and then score three to four goals in three minutes. But overall, I’m very happy.”
In their final match of the season, SACS thumped Wynberg 8-1 at the Astro of Dreams.
Lassen, as mentioned above, netted three goals, while Le Roux, Maseko, Kraai, Wille, and Cameron Groves also struck.
“Guys, like Litha, have obviously run the season and ran out in South African schoolboy hockey, provincial hockey, and even indoor men’s hockey,” Holmes said.
“But it’s special to see that even after having superstars like him in a game where we scored eight goals, he scored only one. That means it was a positive team contribution from a ton of guys.”
SACS will lose seven players heading into 2026, with Le Roux, Theunis, Redfern, Hughes, Thompson, Wille, and goalkeeper Lorenzo Virissimo set to leave the school.
“You don’t always get to have the storybook ending, but I’m glad this group has got it,” Holmes said.
“I have coached Jo le Roux, Aidan Hughes, Zach Redfern and Reece Theunis since 2021. They have set the standard for what training looks like.
“They are always first at training and always doing extras. They have inspired a lot of people, and I’m glad that they and the other matrics have got the ending they deserve.
“We haven’t spoken a lot about it, but a guy like Lorenzo came up from the seconds, and he did his job unbelievably well and was a great part of this team.”
Holmes described his side’s campaign as an “unbelievable season” and labelled his team as the best to ever do it.
“Without a shadow of a doubt, this is the greatest schoolboy team ever,” he added.
“They have conquered Europe, and now they’ve conquered South Africa, and no one will ever take that away from them. So well done to them.”
SACS stats in 2025: (Note*: These include the international tour to The Netherlands.)
Matches played – 35
Won – 33
Drew – 2
Lost – 0
Goals for – 154
Goals against – 29
Goal difference – 125
Win percentage – 96%
