Tuesday, October 02, 2007 West Negros nails 5th NOPSSCEA crown By Henry C. Villalva
REIGNING collegiate football champion West Negros College relied on a deep bench and solid teamwork and went to otherwise unheralded striker Siegfred Apurado to score the lone goal in the 39th minute that would extend the Wesnecans’ reign for yet another year as the premier varsity side in this part of the football region that is Visayas.
Apurado, who once intimated to this writer that he had not yet won his coach’s (Norman Fegidero’s) approval as a mainstream striker, made out the best of his second-to-the-last NOPSSCEA season by converting the marginal goal when it mattered--striking from in front of the goal mouth on a follow-up of a teammate’s miss by simply using his striker’s instinct of being at the right place at the right time.
Losing finalist University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, mentored by Carlo Torbela, matched WNC’s agility but somehow failed to come up with the needed offensive plays to counter the Wesnecans’ own aggressive attacking schemes mostly anchored on the heads-up performance of midfielders Mark Ferrer, Carlo Tacusalme, and Raffy Llorente who teamed up well with strikers Joven Bedic and Apurado and topped by the experience and savvy of keeper Kenneth Dollosa.
The Wesnecans defeated arch rival University of St. La Salle, 3-0, Sunday with two goals from the vastly improved Ferrer and another from Jalor Soriano while UNOR eliminated the La Salle side, 2-1, Saturday to arrange Monday’s title clash with WNC at the Panaad Sports and Recreational Park pitch in Barangay Mansilingan.
The champion WNC side, managed by WNC committee on sports management and development chairman Anthony Carlo Agustin with the former RP team mainstay Fegidero as head coach and Noah Sajo as assistant, is composed of: Kenneth Dolloso, Rhante Bayquin, Jude Tornilla, Carlo Tacusalme, Lemuel Unabia, Raffy Llorente, Mark Ferrer, Jalor Soriano, Vince Braga, Joven Bedic, Siegfred Apurado, Jayme Poderoso, Alvyn Espinosa, Jomel Tan, Keith Miravalles, Ryan Lirio, Francisco Doniesa and Gino Palomo.
Meanwhile, the WNC Mustangs try to annex its ninth straight NOPSSCEA title when they take on surprise finalist CEDAR Comuputer College of Cadiz City on Saturday, October 6, Saturday, at the WNC gym.
CEDAR holds the distinction of being the first non-Bacolod based squad to figure in the men’s basketball finals of the annual Negros Occidental Private Schools Sports Cultural and Educational Association (NOPSSCEA) annual sports competitions.
CEDAR dumped the USLS Stingers, 83-32, during Saturday’s semi-finals after similarly defeating Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod, 70-57, and last year’s losing finalist University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, 77-73, in the elimination round.
