When I learned a week ago there were only four teams left in the high school division of the Cebu Sports Athletic Foundation Inc. football competition, I immediately suggested to Commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy that the league adopt a guest team for this season.
The first school I suggested was Benthel Asia School of Technology, which I learned was winning titles left and right, including outside Cebu. But that was before the current situation and I thought the commish wouldn’t like it if I add more missing members to his receding hairline.
So I suggested Paref Springdale and Abellana National School, two schools with a solid history in football which I’m confident could add more value to the league and Sir Boy said he is thinking about the idea.
Having a guest team isn’t new to Cesafi high school football as a few years back, it had the Sisters of Mary School-Boystown as a guest team.
And inviting two, instead of just one, in the high school division, wouldn’t be that expensive as it only means the number of games, not the match days, would increase. As it currently stands, the football tournament has five college teams and four high school teams, which means a single match day will have two collegiate games and two high school games.
Adding two more high school teams means a single match day will now have three high school games and two college games. So yes, two guest teams, is the perfect addition.
But why Springdale and ANS? Well, for one, Springdale is a private school that I think should have joined the Cesafi a long time ago and perhaps giving the Titans a taste of the Cesafi competition will prod the school to join the league.
As for ANS, well, it’s a public school that, despite the lack of resources, has had a consistent football program over the years and a spot in the Cesafi is a welcome reward.
There’s another school that, I belatedly learned, also deserves a spot, Don Bosco Boys Home-Liloan, a team that has also consistently excelled in DepEd meets. But it might be too much for the league to have three guest teams, so I think two would suffice and any two of the three I mentioned are deserving.
VELEZ COLLEGE. Anothe welcome development this year is the entry of Cebu Doctors University in the collegiate football competition. There are a lot of talented high school standouts who go to CDU for their course of choice, and because CDU doesn’t join Cesafi tournaments, just play with friends or former teammates in festivals.
And these aren’t ordinary players, these are Palaro-level players. I hope CDU’s entry in football means the school will be prodded to join the other events as well.
I’ve also learned there’s another medical school that’s teeming with football talent–Velez College. I hope Velez College, too will consider fielding a football team and make it its foothold into other sports.