BY CYRUS M. GARDE
BACOLOD City – National Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) football champion Ceres-La Salle dominated the two-day Ceres Cup Football Festival in two categories at the Ayala North Pitch in Talisay City.
Mentored by multi-titled coach Freddie “Nene” Lazarito, the team won the Under 20 over University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, 4-3 via shootout.
Its men’s team defeated Ceres Team A, 3-1 in the other category.
Hanesin Prince Antony, the player who delivered the winning goal for Western Visayas in the Private Schools Athletic Association national meet in Tagum City, Davao del Norte this April, made the three winning goals against Ceres Team A.
Antony was a mainstay of the Ceres-La Salle Football Club that represented the country in the recent AFC President’s Cup Group B Qualifier held here this month.
Antony was subsequently named Most Valuable Player in the men’s open category.
He is also a member of the University of St. La Salle team that won the championship in the National University Games last year.
Coach Lazarito said they are training year-round in preparation for all the tournaments they are competing in.
He said they cannot afford to relax as they have several titles to defend in school-based competitions.
Their target is to keep on winning and remain the No. 1 varsity football team in the country.
They beat Ceres Team B, 2-1 in the shootout during the semifinals.
The other winning teams were San Carlos in the Under 14 girls’ category. They beat Barotac for the championship.
Other winners were:
- Ceres-Bacolod United FC-A in the 38-Above category
- Don Bosco Cebu in the U-16 category
- Don Bosco FC in the U-12 category; and
- Ateneo in U-10 division./PN
