BALLARAT High School's march towards the MCG in the Victorian secondary school football competition ended at the semi-final phase on Tuesday.High School's senior XVIII won its first match of the three-game shortened quarter format, beating Viewbank Secondary College 5.10 (40) to 3.1 (19).However, two losses followed: a three-point loss to Keran Secondary College - BHS 4.9 (33) to KSC 6.0 (36), and a 62-point defeat at the hands of eventual section A winner Essendon Keilor - BHS 1.0 (6) to 10.8 (68).Ballarat High coach Michael Sordello said the three-game format took its toll on his team."It was a tiring day. It was three games in total, with four 11-minute quarters, and there was only a half-hour break between each game," he explained."We started very well in the first match against Viewbank. Our tackling pressure was very evident. After quarter-time, the opposition didn't have more than three forward entries."The second match against Kerang Secondary College was a hard tussle, and there was only a goal in it the whole match. We missed our opportunity in the last quarter, missing four shots on goal when we had the majority of play, and lost by three points."The last was against Essendon Keilor, who went through undefeated. They were just bigger physically and, in the first quarter, kicked four goals to our nothing. After that it pelted down rain and it was a slog, which they won by five or six goals."It was a good effort to get to the semi-final stage. The last two years we went through to the finals, this year we couldn't do it. You have to remember only eight schools make it this far and we finished in the top five, which is a good effort."Lincoln Barnes was named Ballarat High's best player over the course of the semi-finals, with Darcy Watchorn, Jarryd Hill, Nick Netherway and Keenan George also among the better players for High School.