High School battles
While a lot of attention is given to collegiate sports, high school sports isn’t too far behind. To a certain degree, it’s more competitive, more exciting and has a more stable support base of fans. We’ll get to see that and more when two big championship series take place today and later in the week in the CESAFI.
To be played at 10:00am today is the championship game of the CESAFI football tournament in the high school division. Football powerhouse Don Bosco faces Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu at the Cebu City Sports Center in what has become an annual CESAFI tradition between both teams. They have been at it for practically all CESAFI football championship games and it doesn’t look like this is going to be disrupted soon. Don Bosco is football and vice-versa in the Cebu scene. They have the deepest and most progressive school-based program that is unmatched, with strong football teams from the elementary to high school levels. Football is so strong in Don Bosco that all other sports take a back seat. It’s like a second religion to which all Bosconians adhere. You’ll see that today in the grandstand of the Cebu City Sports Center where a huge crowd is expected to support the Greywolves. It’s a phenomenon that you won’t see for any other Don Bosco team/sport. On the other hand, SHS-Ateneo de Cebu has managed to win the CESAFI football championships that slipped past Don Bosco, including that of last year and the year 2012. Football in SHSAteneo de Cebu is just one of the many sports in which the school is involved. It also has a full program of age groups from elementary to high school, and also boasts of one of the top girls football programs in region. We can also expect the supporters and members of Magis Eagles football to fill up the stands and cheer for their team. This kind of support for the two school-based teams is one of the more stable and loyal types as classmates, friends, relatives and parents will be there to support both sides. And since both schools don’t have college football teams, this is the major team to support on both sides. Don Bosco is favored to win the championship, but the Magis Eagles will be out to spoil the party. It should be another fun day for football.
Kicking off on Tuesday is Game One of the CESAFI championship series for high school basketball, featuring the University of the Visayas and SHS-Ateneo de Cebu. The top seeded UV is a slight favorite, owing to their undefeated run in the elimination round, a feat which gave them a direct ticket to the finals, and their vaunted basketball tradition. If football is Don Bosco, then basketball is UV in the Cebu sports scene. No other program has won as many championships at the different levels/age groups, and the Lancer tradition and pride runs deep. With UV also playing for the championship of the collegiate division, nothing could be sweeter than a double championship this season. If the SBP and Passerelle division championships didn’t go to UV, you can bet they’ll go all out for a CESAFI double.
In the way is SHS-Ateneo which has won four straight CESAFI titles. They are now in their seventh straight appearance in the CESAFI Finals. The story of the CESAFI basketball season has been UV’s undefeated run and SHSAteneo’s losing key player Andrew Velasco due to a fractured leg. SHS-Ateneo was looking at another dominant run and a possible undefeated record, but Velasco broke his leg and the over-all complexion changed, making the high school basketball tournament more exciting. The big question was if the Magis Eagles can win games without Velasco and a less than 100% Jed Colonia who just returned to action after undergoing surgery for his torn ACL last February. The other teams believed they could beat the Magis Eagles sans Velasco but in reverse, SHS-Ateneo decided to step up, adjust and resume its winning ways. After bowing to UV, the Magis Eagles swept the rest of their games to grab second place in the team standings and a twice to beat edge in the semifinals. SHS-Ateneo de Cebu’s basketball program is also deep. They won the SBP (Under 12) division championship recently while placing second in the Passerelle division (Under 15).
These Don Bosco-SHS-Ateneo and UV-SHS-Ateneo championship series are turning out to be rivalries that can match those UV-SWU rivalries of the past. Two established programs on both sides; schools with great tradition and pride; schools with a big base of following; schools with deep programs. What more can you ask for? Step aside college sports, these high school rivalries are taking over.