WHEN the Cebu Provincial Sports Commission brought the athletics program to the Sisters of Mary School, athletics coach Priscilliano Capampangan identified Jessie Abelgas as a strong contender for athletics.
Abelgas pulled off the biggest surprise as the virtually unknown athlete wiped out the competition in the secondary boys’ 5K run and scored the first gold medal in the Milo Little Olympics.
“He is a fresh talent. He has only competed in small tournaments and Milo is the first organized, school-based tournament that he has joined,” said Capampangan, who started coaching at the Sisters of Mary as a volunteer.
“When we came to the Sisters of Mary as volunteer coaches, we were faced with a huge talent base. There were almost 100 athletes who wanted to get into the program. We can’t let them race right away, without knowing their fitness level. So we did the physical fitness test first,” said Capampangan.
The coach said that he required everyone to undergo a physical fitness test in hopes of determining the strength of each kid based on performance. Only then would they identify which event they need to be in.
“When it was his turn to do the physical fitness test, I knew which event he should be in and we were not mistaken,” added Capampangan, who was beaming with pride. The coach and his staff Francis Berizo are the regular fixtures at the Sisters of Mary. The school also got assistance from SEA Games marathon gold medal winner Mary Joy Tabal and her longtime coach John Philip Dueñas, who also have a grassroots program going in Tabal’s barangay in Guba.
Abelgas topped the boys’ 5K in 17 minutes, 50:12 seconds. He defeated University of San Carlos Basic Education’s Rafael Lugay in 17:59:37. Martin Cris Ablanque came in third at 18:19:54.
Meanwhile, in football, defending elementary division football champions Don Bosco Technology Center (DBTC) continued where they left off from last year and had a field day against Lawaan Elementary School, 18-0, while Paref-Springdale, Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) and University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) also went unbeaten.
Paref-Springdale beat Talisay Central Elementary School, 6-3, and University of San Carlos (USC)-BED, 13-4; SHS-AdC thrashed University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R), 8-0, while USPF won against Canduman Elementary School, 3-0. Before losing to Don Bosco, Lawaan Elementary School had a lopsided 11-1 win over Benthel Asia School.
SHS-Hijas, USC-BED, Apas National High School, SHS-AdC, USJ-R Balamban and DBTC logged wins in the secondary division on the first day.
SHS-Hijas beat Talisay Central National High School, 5-2; USC-BED destroyed Benthel Asia School, 10-0; Apas National High School upset Abellena National School, 2-1; SHS-AdC defeated Pref-Springdale, 3-1; USJ-R Balamban outclassed Sisters of St. Mary, 8-2; and DBTC annihilated MMIS, 25-0.
Meanwhile in basketball, defending champions Bacolod Tay Tung High School and SHS-AdC are off to a hot start in their respective title defenses.
Bacolod Tay Tung, the secondary division titleholders, scored a 114-39 landslide over Compre, while Ateneo outclassed USJ-R Balamban, 59-27.
In other secondary division games, USC crushed Monterey, 83-58; Talisay National High School pounced on Benthel, 78-46; Exceed destroyed SCSIT, 79-20; Boystown won against CEC, 56-26; and SHS-AdC defeated DBTC, 60-40. (MCB with EKA)