Palaro veterans boost USC’s college team

FORMER Palaro Pambansa players will boost the University of San Carlos football team as they defend their title in the upcoming Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) football competition.

After making their school proud after their runner-up finish in the Palarong Pambansa last summer, Junjay Arizabal, Christian Agot, Carlo Abella and Chino dela Calzada from Don Bosco Technological Center and Rogelio Castillon Jr. and Keith Ryan Arranguez of Abellana National School will now try their luck in the collegiate game.

“Mga first year lang yan pero these are already experienced players and all they need to do is to adapt to our system,” said head coach Gary Panagsagan.

USC also got De La Salle University’s Julis Villahermosa Don Bosco United’s Jontah Caballero and Bright Academy’s Renko Gaudiel.

The team will still have Karl Arcenas, Folk Hanes Anthony and Bernard Rotich, who will still be seeing action with the team as well as other Bosconian players Leonard Tan and John Patrick Caballero, but will be missing Patrick Uno, who has graduated, Prince Anthony, Ethan Decena and Mark Plando.

More than 30 players are in the USC lineup now composed mostly of first year students, Panagsagan will only present a 20-man lineup before the Cesafi screening committee.