SCORING MACHINE. FORMER NAT’L YOUTH PLAYER JOSH GO BOOTS IN FIVE GOALS AGAINST CAVRAA.
COACH Marc Racines asked his NMRAA Secondary Boys football team to score at least eight goals against Cagayan Valley Regional Athletic Association (CAVAA) to secure the top spot in Group B in the Palarong Pambansa in Davao City.
NMRAA TEAM WITH COACH MARC RACINES
The secondary Star booters responded with all their might and did not disappoint their coach as they scored 10 goals to knockout the hapless CAVAA team, 10-0 at the UP Mindanao stadium in Mental, Davao City.
Last Friday, CLRAA also bowed to SSoccsksargen’s ((South Cotabato, Cotabato Province, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos) Region Athletic Association (SRAA), 6-0.
The NMRAA booters needed to score at least eight or more goals to secure the top spot and meet the second placer in Group C which is either Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) or host Davao RAA.
JOSH GO
First to answer coach Marc Racines challenge was former national youth team player Josh Go of Corpus Christi School who scored opened the scoring for the NorthMin boys.
The youngest son of Regner and Mercy Go then added four more goals to complete his heads up performance in the weeklong competition organised by the Department of Education.
MJ HOJAS GEO TACANDONG
MJ Hojas, Gio Tacandong and Rafi Rubio all from Corpus Christi then completed the rout to secure their second win in the tournament. Hojas scored two goals while Tacandong and Rubio added one goal each.
RAFI RUBIO GRAIG WILSON ROXAS
Coach Marc Racines gambled on Go up front after his strikers flopped in their nil-nil clash against SRAA in their previous match.
Go was an excellent goal scorer during his elementary days playing for Rosevale School. He however was moved to defence when he played for the Philippine National U16 team that competed in Malaysia last year.
Racines gamble paid off as Go settled quickly in his natural position in front of the goal and went to work scoring his five goals.
The NMRAA booters blanked MIMAROPA (Mindoro Masbate Romblon Palawan (MIMAROPA) team from Rio Tuba, Bataraza, Palawan of coach Martin Sadongdong, 2-0 in their first match.
They leaned on the heroics of substitutes Graig Wilson Roxas of Opol, Misamis Oriental and Rafi Rubio in the second half to secure their win.
CVIRAA TEAM COMPOSED OF PLAYERS FROM UNIVERSITY OF SAN JOSE-RECOLETOS
CVIRAA and Davao RAA are still battling for the last quarterfinal slot in Group C. CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) which is made up of players from San Beda University of Rizal Province and Malayan Colleges in Laguna, are already on top of their group with two wins against CVIRAA and Central Luzon.
CVIRAA AND USJ-R COACH JOSELITO BONO
CVIRAA has to win by at least five goals against Central Luzon and pray that Davao loses to CALABARZON. A victory or a draw by Davao over CALABARZON will eliminate CVIRAA of coach Joselito Bono, Rommel Ramirez and Peter Onde of University of San Jose Recoletos Cebu City.
“I prefer to play against Davao in the quarterfinals. I hope they draw or win against CALABARSON,’’ said coach Racines.
Davao RAA team is made up mostly of players from Ateneo de Davao University and Racines sees that they are easier to beat in the quarterfinals compared to the Cebu team.
Other members of the NMRAA team are Thomas Marfori, Blake Carrera , Jesse Bajarla, Aeron Subesa and goalkeeper James Mocorro from Corpus Christi School, Joshua Montesino and John Gementiza of Rosevale School, Gems Averia and Eugene Ariolla of St. Mary’s School, Chester Tidor of Misamis Orient Comprehensive High School (MOGCHS), Gelo Loyloy of Bukidnon, and Marvin Tamiat of Oroquieta City. (l.biantan@gmail.com)
