THE Euroa Junior CFA Running Team competed against more than 50 teams from across Victoria over two full days in Mooroopna at the 2025 CFA State Firefighter Championships.

In the lead-up, the team participated in regional competitions in Echuca and Bendigo.

The under 14s and under 17s have been training twice weekly since October at Lions Park, Euroa.

The weekend featured 11 events on Saturday and seven on Sunday.

As part of the traditional opening parade, all teams marched up the track, with Euroa’s own Mia Rieusset leading the national anthem in front of a large crowd.

The first event on the main track was the under 14 hydrant race.

Macy Kubeil was ninth off the mark, while Mia Rieusset ran 42nd.

Both girls delivered outstanding performances, achieving their personal bests for the season.

Meanwhile, on the marshalling track the Mann brothers competed in the “Y” Coupling event.

Koby was responsible for connecting the coupling, while his younger brother Will managed the hydrant.

The brothers finished with an impressive time of 18.67 seconds, securing a top 10 placement.

Back on the main wet track, the under 14s competed in the Wet Hose event, striking the second disk.

Will Brittain (hydrant/branch), Benji Mann (coupling), and Olivia Thomson and Mia Rieusset (connecting water) executed a well-coordinated run, finishing in the top 10.

Events six and eight, the One-Person Marshall event, were held on the marshalling track.

Will Brittain (under 14) delivered a solid hydrant set and a smooth overall performance, finishing with a time of 48.39 seconds.

After lunch, Charlee Rieusset (under 17) followed with an excellent hydrant set, textbook hose connections, and perfect branch work.

She recorded a personal best of 37.08 seconds, finishing sixth overall and the fastest girl of the day.

Next up was the under 17s' first wet event on the main track—the under 17 Wet Hose (two competitors).

Euroa faced arch-rivals Melton, with Molly Vanderschoor setting the hydrant before sprinting to connect the branch, while Charlee managed the water.

The girls performed well but were narrowly beaten by Melton.

Despite the loss, Euroa advanced to the final as one of the fastest runners-up.

In the final, they improved on their heat time, clocking 13.69 seconds.

The last event of the day was the under 14 Wet Hose (two competitors), featuring Will Mann and Macy Kubeil.

Euroa comfortably won their heat against Swan Hill.

In the final, they recorded an impressive time of 12.45 seconds, which initially placed them second.

However, Kyneton matched their time, leading to a runoff.

In a nail-biting finish, Kyneton edged out Euroa by just 0.05 seconds, leaving Euroa in third place—an incredible achievement as the third-fastest team in the state.

On Sunday morning, the team departed the Euroa Fire Station at 6.30am.

First up was the under 17 Hydrant Race, where Molly and Charlee built on their Saturday form to achieve personal bests.

Mid-morning saw Koby Mann lead the sprint down the Wet Track, connecting the length of hose to Charlee, while Macy and Molly worked the water to the branch and disk.

Euroa recorded a season-best time of 20.02 seconds.

The final run for the under 14 was the Wet Hose, striking one disk twice.

Olivia Thomson and Mia Rieusset took on the challenge, spraying the disk one after the other to finish in 19.99 seconds—a fantastic effort.

It was a great weekend for all involved, with strong performances from Euroa’s young firefighters.

A special thank you to all the local spectators who travelled to support the team.

Coach Tegan Kubeil was extremely pleased with the results, noting that nearly everyone achieved their best times—a fantastic outcome for the squad.