The 5-time Cebu School Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) collegiate football champions University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors is gearing up to defend the Central Visayas regional football title of the Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) Sports Foundation Inc. which will have this year’s regional meet on February 17 and 18, in Cebu City.
Coach Allan Medalle said that they are beefing up the team with three players — Keen Agot, whom he said is once again suiting up for the team following a long hiatus, John Daniel Caballero and Jose Francisco Alicaya.
The three have not played in the 17th season of the Cesafi but are still allowed to be part of the team as long as they make the cut for the age limitations, as explained by PRISAA board member Bernard Ricablanca. According to Ricablanca, these players are still studying in the Cesafi – member schools and are only added as reinforcement.
But, the core members of the team are still those who make up the Cesafi champion team.
Eligibility of athletes to see action will be based on their age. Those born 2000 and above will only be able to compete in the secondary division while those born 1999 and below will see action in the collegiate division.
Thus, even if an athlete is already in college but still 18 years old, he or she will have to compete in the secondary division. Or, if an athlete is still in high school but already 19 years old, he or she will have to play in the collegiate division. The basis will be the year the athlete was born.
This, however, is not the case in the individual sporting events as according to Ricablanca, as only those who finished in the top 3 of their events in the Cesafi will earn the right to represent Cebu. If the gold medalist is not available, then the silver medalist will become the representative and so on.
“We need as much tune-up matches as we can and joining the Aboitiz Football Cup is the perfect venue for us,” said Medalle. “We are looking forward to another positive run in the PRISAA regionals and hopefully in the nationals.”
Other members of the team are Paul David Carizon, Marcus Congmon, Terrence Colmenares, John Reevo Jumawan, Joshua Miguel Kwan, Karol Joshua Meneses, Bertram Musni, Aldrich Pelenio, Andrew Pelicano, JS Paolo Saguin, Steven Patalinghug, Karol Nicklaus Taok, Isherson Caseres, Vinson Nery and Pomeroy Mark Veloso.
The football matches will be held in Cebu City Sports Center.
The Region 7 PRISAA meet will only have two entries — Cebu and Bohol.
The two-day event will have 16 sports to be contested in the collegiate division. These are athletics, badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, chess, dancesports, football, karatedo, sepak takraw, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, weightlifting and volleyball. The secondary division will only have four sporting events — athletics, basketball, swimming and weightlifting.
The winners in this regional meet will go on to represent Central Visayas in the National PRISAA Meet on April in Bohol.
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