Western Heights High School 1st XV showed "great character" to come from behind to defend the Te Kani Shield
The number one ranked team in Bay of Plenty's 1st XV Division One competition beat Bethlehem College 30-17 on Saturday in the first game of the second round of the challenge trophy competition.
But the home side had to come from 10-0 behind at half-time to keep their hands on the prestigious shield.
Western Heights sealed the win with four tries - one a piece from TJ Scheepers, Te Riini Hapi, John Tai and Liam Preston who also kicked two conversions and two penalties.
"The first half was a real struggle for us. We gave away a lot of penalties and too many errors crept into our game," said coach Steve Smith .