Fair Play: Will March 16 be a Don Bosco day?

IF you ever consider yourself a fan of Bosconian football, you should be at the Aboitiz Sports Field today, from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Five Don Bosco teams are in the finals of the Aboitiz Football Cup against five different teams, and that paints a nice picture of Don Bosco football.


For the 12-Under, it will be against Giuseppe, who is the latest team to try to end the Bosconians grip in the division.  In the 14-Under, it will be against Springdale, another age group powerhouse that, despite not having the strength of Don Bosco's student population has put up an impressive football program.

For the 8-Under, it's against Bright Academy, another up and coming school, while for the 10-Under it will be against Canduman, the only public school to make the finals.  

For me, the 3 p.m. finals in the 17-Under division is the most-anticipated---Don Bosco against Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu.

For some, it could be a chance for SHS-Ateneo to show that its previous win  wasn't a fluke but for me, that's not the case.

I saw Ateneo's win against Don Bosco in the Milo Little Olympics finals and I thought that was fluke, as the Eagles got a few lucky breaks near the end.

That time, Don Bosco was having a day, hitting from distance against the Ateneo keeper, who invited the barrage after his clumsy ball-handling skills allowed the first goal for Don Bosco.

That tactic backfired big time for the Bosconians.  Instead of rattling the keeper, after three or four easy saves from distance, the continuous barrage from Don Bosco boosted his confidence and soon enough, he was swatting off volleys and stopping one-on-ones as if he was born to do it.

And the Eagles succeeding wins in the Cesafi showed that the win was no fluke and that the 17-Under division is Ateneo's and that’s something the Don Bosco team wants to change.  Just imagine, they ruled the Cesafi for almost a decade and everybody knew that when SHS-Ateneo won its first Cesafi title in 2010, it was only because Don Bosco got suspended for one game.

Now, that’s not the case.

So here's what I think will happen today, Don Bosco will take the 8, 10 and 12-Under division titles, showing that they are and will still be the favorite in the younger age groups but Springdale and Ateneo de Cebu will take the 14- and 17-Under division titles and for the Eagles, this is the culmination of the boost their football program got five or six years ago.

Of course, I could be wrong.  So, why not be at the Aboitiz Sports Field today to find out who's right?

SAC AWARDS.  By the way, I’m inviting everyone to join us for the 31st SAC-SMB Sports Awards on Sunday at the North Wing of SM City.  It will be at 3 to 5 p.m. so if you’re going to join the Super Sale crowd, watching the awarding ceremony would be a nice break.

Seats, of course, will be prioritized for the awardees and their family but everyone is welcome to watch. 

The special guests are Dan Palami and PFF president Nonong Araneta, who, I’m told will make a surprise announcement.

I have no idea what it will be but I think the PFF president could be announcing another friendly in Cebu.