A player from the Central Visayas delegation maneuvers against his opponent from the National Capital Region in the championship game of the elementary football event of the 6th Milo Little Olympics National Finals in Marikina City.
(CDN PHOTO/DALE G. ROSAL)
Marikina City –– They came here with high spirits. They left with broken hearts.
Team Visayas again failed to stop the rampaging National Capital Region (NCR) from claiming the overall title of the 6th National Milo Little Olympics after two days of bruising athletic battles at the Marikina Sports Complex.
But more than the sting of losing the overall crown, the Bisdaks’ biggest heartbreak was losing the coveted Perpetual Trophy which goes to the team that wins three consecutive overall titles.
Visayas delegation head Ricky Ballesteros summed the team’s disappointment in a more subtle way.
“We did our best, but it wasn’t good enough. Still I congratulate all Visayan athletes for doing their best,” Ballesteros said.
He also commended the supportive parents who stood by their children and lent moral support in this their biggest war.
Visayas won the Perpetual Trophy in 2011 in Lingayen, Pangasinan when it emerged overall champion for the third consecutive year.
Now, the shining silverware belongs to NCR who beat the Bisdaks with 647.5 points compared to the latter’s 563.
Last year, Visayas lost the overall crown by a mere six points. This time though, NCR made sure a victory party would be the result of an emphatic victory over their most bitter of rivals by erecting a winning margin of 84.5 points.
“Our sacrifices paid off in terms of training and coaching. I thank God for this win,” declared NCR delegation chief Dr. Robert Milton Calo. “Our athletes’ performances leveled up this year.”
Mindanao is third overall with 436 points while Luzon placed last with 393.5.
ELEMENTARY BISDAKS RULE
If it was any consolation, the Bisdaks took NCR by the horn in the race for elementary supremacy, holding off the hosts, 315-298.5 points. The secondary division, however, was a big letdown, losing to NCR by more than a hundred points, 349-248.
As it was, some secondary teams considered surefire bets for gold turned out to be goats like the secondary volleyball teams which did not only lose their titles, but finished dead last among the four competing teams.
NCR as expected swept elementary and secondary swimming worth 60 points while Visayas came second gaining 40 points.
Visayas’ secondary football team manned by PAREF Springdale also failed to defend its title, losing to San Beda College of NCR by goal difference after battling to a 1-1 draw in their match yesterday.
Don Bosco Technology Center (DBTC) successfully defended its elementary crown by beating NCR, 2-1.
Meanwhile, the Bisdaks showed resiliency in yesterday’s final day of competition with Ilo-ilo National High School’s Elrica Anne Guro and Ninolito Justiniane of Beatriz Durano Memorial High School of Danao City topping the 400m races. Justiniane ended his campaign with three golds while Guro collected two as both were named Most Outstanding Athletes (MOA) for athletics.
Visayas’ other gold medalists in athletics were Joneza Sustituedo (secondary 3,000-meter run) and April Joy Batoto (elementary triple jump).
In swimming, Psalm Deniel Aquino won his sixth gold medal by ruling the elementary 100m butterfly and the 4x100m freestyle relay yesterday and was named MOA for boys. Michael Ichiro Kong earned his third gold of the games by topping yesterday’s 100m butterfly while Reagan Joseph Garbanzoz got four gold medals after winning three yesterday — the 400m freestyle,100m freestyle and 4x100m freestyle relay along with Aquino, Charles Jeremia Lipura and Gabriel Manique.
All in all, team Visayas topped girls elem. badminton, secondary basketball, elementary football, elem. girls and secondary girls chess, elem. rhythmic gymnastics, women’s artistic gymnastics, secondary scrabble, secondary girls table tennis, elem. girls taekwondo, secondary girls lawn tennis and elem. boys volleyball.
NCR, on the other hand, ruled athletics, swimming and secondary football, elem. and secondary MAG in gymnastics and WAG in elem., secondary rhythmic gymnastics, elem. sepak takraw, elem. scrabble, elem. boys table tennis, secondary boys table tennis, secondary girls taekwondo, elem. girls lawn tennis, secondary boys lawn tennis and secondary boys volleyball.
USC CAGERS DELIVER
The University of San Carlos (USC) secondary basketball squad rallied from 12 points down in the first half to beat Luzon, 55-53 in their cardiac gold medal match.
A putback by point guard and eventual MVP Kent Moral with five seconds left, lifted USC over Luzon’s formidable Holy Angel University for the much needed 25 points for Team Visayas.
Moral, 17, a graduating student of USC, said he will treasure that winning shot all his life. “I did not expect that it will go in. All I had at that time was faith in God and guts to win,” said Moral.
USC center Alje Mendez and Ken Gato scored 11 and 1 8 points, respectively while Moral added 14 markers.
USC head coach Brett Reroma said 90 percent of their game was played with their heart. “All of our wins came from behind so we were really worried about this. We just remained focus and strong because we want to contribute for Team Visayas and make them proud,” Reroma told CDN.
Meanwhile, Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental will host the 7th National Finals next year.