NMRAA X Boys on fire

VIGAN. The Northern Mindanao Secondary Football team before their match against Davao in the ongoing Palarong Pambansa. (Contributed photo)
VIGAN. The Northern Mindanao Secondary Football team before their match against Davao in the ongoing Palarong Pambansa. (Contributed photo)

THE Region X Secondary Boys team were too good for the Davao Regional Athletic Association (DRAA) as they drew first blood Sunday in their Palarong Pambansa campaign at the Pagsanaan pitch in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, scoring four goals, including the quickest goal in history of the football event of the annual sportsfest.

Bukidnon boys from Bukidnon Faith Academy, Andrew Ramos and Tarshis Garciano led the onslaught of the X Boys scoring two goals each for a 4-2 win of the Davao lads.

Garciano scored the fastest goal in Palaro football history when he scored from a volley shot 40 seconds after kickoff. Garciano received a pass from his striking partner Andrew Ramos and then volleyed it to the top corner of the Davao goal that caught the goalkeeper flatfooted.

Davao, however, refused to give up and scored an equalizer from the penalty spot after defender Joshua Ebarat handed the ball inside the penalty box.

The X Boys of coach Webbie Ranices then pushed forward as Ramos put them put them ahead with a goal off a pass from Geo Tacandong for a 2-1 advantage.

Ramos and Tacandong then teamed up near the end of first half as Ramos, son of well known coach from Mindanao Greg Ramos, scored to put them ahead by two goals at halftime.

Garciano then sealed their first win with another goal at the start of the second half even as Davao still managed to squeak in another goal after an error of a NMRAA defender.

"It was perfect execution of our team play," said X Boys coach Webbie Racines right after the match. Racines, the head coach of Corpus Christi School, is assisted by his son Mawi.

The X Boys were off Monday, April 16, and will play Central Luzon today, April 17, and then National Capital Region tomorrow, April 18.

Meanwhile, the NMRAA Elementary Boys football team, the X Kids, were not as lucky as their elder brothers as they were swallowed by the very strong Central Visayas 4-0 of coach Glen Ramos.

The Civies scored two goals each in both half and never got any threat from the X Kids. The Civie booters got their goals from Ethan Roxas, Joseph Garces, Alezandro Ledesma and Andrew Zamora.

The X Kids were playing Mimaropa as of presstime. Mimaropa is composed of players from the island provinces of Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan.

The X Kids need to win this match to stay in contention for the quarterfinals. A loss will send them home in spite of their 3-1 win over Calabarzon last Saturday.

"We attacked them from the wings, controlled the midfield and pressed their attackers," said winning coach Glen Ramos after the match.

"The Northern Mindanao team are technically good, they but lack experience. Just like us they have very few players who have played in the Palaro last year but we compensated on motivating the players and then improving on tactics," said Ramos, a former national coach and now an assistant coach with Global-Cebu FC in the Philippine Football League.

The Civies also continued on their winning form blanking Calabarzon 7-0 to become the first team to barge into the quarterfinals. They also whipped Mimaropa, 5-0, in their first game last Saturday.

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