THE tightly scheduled 2017 football season opened with a bang as more than 150 teams trooped to the Rosevale School football field in the Xavier Estates subdivision over the week end to compete in the two-football festival.
Thousands players from all over Mindanao as far as Davao City down South, Pagadian City from the West and Cabadbaran from the East, showed off their football skills in the 7-Aside 11-age group categories plus men’s and women’s open divisions.
There was even a team from the paradise island of Camiguin which competed in the Men’s Open category.
The sunshine burned the skins of the players but it was a blessing to the organizers after a weeklong deluge which flooded the streets of down town Cagayan de Oro City last week.
Organizing an event in this magnitude was a big task for a small school like Rosevale School.
Hats off to the sports department led by coach Dennis Bongocan, to the entire school under Emma Rose Quimbo, to the high school principal Paula Estacio, and elementary principal Brylle Dadang.
But real heroes of this event are the parents.They have all been the reason behind the success of the tournament the past 12 years.
The parents contributed for the uniforms, trophies, medals, food and even helped in finding sponsors for the operational expense.
Money raised from sponsorships, and the entry fees will fund the projects of the sports department of the school according to football head coach Dennis Bongocan.
This early, Rosevale is already preparing for the 2017-2018 Department of Education Palaro season.
The school is joining the 1st Crusader’s Football Festival this coming Saturday and Sunday at the Sports Park in Carmen, the Del Monte Fiesta Festival in Camp Philips on February 4 and 5 and the prestigious Thirsty Cup in Cebu City on February 24 to 26.
Next school year, the school will offer scholarships to varsity players in the elementary and high school levels.
(l.biantan@gmail.com)