South Otago High School moved into third place in the premier school standings with a convincing 43-17 win against Mt Aspiring College in Balclutha on Saturday.
The win has put the side in a good position to make the semifinals. It led 24-3 at the break and set up the victory with a solid effort up front.
''The forwards laid the platform really,'' coach Tim Hutton said.
''We just kept hitting it up through Zac McKenzie, Kace Shaw and Jesse Hutton.''
Openside flanker Liam Turnbull was another player who carried the ball strongly into contact, while second five-eighth Delaney McKenzie also barged his way up field and centre Dylan Lee was solid as well.
''Our midfield just smashed it up.''
No8 Shaw scored two second-half tries ''but it is quite hard to say who had a good game because they all did'', Hutton said.
''We had the luxury of having a lot of the ball in the first half and racked up some pretty good points. And we scored a couple of quick tries in the second half.''
Hutton made wholesale changes at that point and the game lost some shape. But Mt Aspiring kept labouring and got some reward, scoring 14 second-half points.
''They certainly came back well at us.''
South Otago will play Otago Boys' 2nd XV next week in what shapes as a key game.
Otago Boys' Second XV lost 29-12 to defending champion John McGlashan College, and slipped to fourth place.
McGlashan remains in second place behind King's High School, which dispatched Waitaki Boys' High School 43-3 at King's.
In the bottom four, Taieri followed up its win against Kavanagh College last weekend with a 12-8 win against St Kevin's College in Mosgiel, while Dunstan High School was too strong for the struggling Kavanagh, winning 62-17.