THE Holy Child College of Davao (HCCD) Red Eagles captured the boys’ under-16 championship at the 19th Del Monte Football Cup held over the weekend in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.
The Red Eagles edged out Celestial FC, 1-0, with Jonathan Puno scoring the winning goal.
In a Messenger interview with SunStar Davao, HCCD coach Murphy Jake Somosot shared, “After our defeat in the Davao City Athletic Association (Dcaa) Meet 2025 semifinals, all of my U16 players became more motivated to train harder every day. That setback ignited a powerful drive within them.”
HCCD participated for the first time in the Bukidnon football festival, which attracted teams from all over the country.
The Red Eagles opened their campaign with a 3-0 win over the Alubijid Wolves, followed by a narrow 1-0 victory against Nitivo Football Club, thanks to a goal by Dundyl Bersabal. They continued their dominant run by shutting out Menminpa Club de Futbol, 7-0, and routing MMFC, 6-0.
The unbeaten Dabawenyo squad topped Bracket C, setting up a quarterfinal clash with Amigos FC. They pulled off another 1-0 win, again courtesy of Bersabal’s goal. In the semifinals, the Red Eagles blanked Nitivo FC, 2-0, to book their spot in the finals.
The champion team was composed of team captain Dan Wilbur Pañares, Jonathan Puno, Chris Andre Adejado, Dundyl Bersabal, Aaron Simpas, goalkeeper Joshua Calamba, Gabriel Delos Reyes, Eman Hawa, Kayne Corpuz, Andrei Maghanoy, and Justin Roberts. MLSA