Santa Rosa Primary triumph in 1st-ever Pee-Wee final
Spectators at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground on Saturday evening were enraptured by an exhilarating final of the Courts Optical Pee-Wee Under-11 Schools’s football tournament, which resulted in Santa Rosa Primary lifting their first championship trophy in what was their first time competing in the tournament.
The contest between Marian Academy and Santa Rosa was filled with thrills from minute one as both sides endured the heartache of near misses.
While Marian Academy’s Cristiano LaRose and Joshua Johnson were unable to connect at the top as they did in games prior, Santa Rosa’s Ethan John and Taz LaRose saw their advances stopped short by Marian’s defence.
After a deadlocked score for the entirety of regulation time and the first half of extra time, Santa Rosa’s Michael Harris capitalised on a lapse in Marian’s defence to net the game winner.
Santa Rosa Primary receive their championship trophy
The play started from a throw-in near the box, which sailed over the heads of Marian’s defenders. A good take, control and composure was all Harris needed to find the back of the net in the 62nd minute, as Marian’s keeper reacted too late to the strike.
Earlier, 2023 champions St Pius Primary surpassed St John the Baptist Primary 3-2, to clinch the third-place trophy.
St Pius netted all their goals in the first half in quick succession, with Emanuel Forte opening the scoring in the 16th minute. Jovaine Wright later netted a brace in the 18th and 20th minutes to put St Pius 3-0 up by the end of the first half.
Santa Rosa’s Brandon James receives one of his two accolades
However, the Region 7 St John the Baptist outfit fought back, with Kriston Chandler connecting a penalty opportunity in the 26th minute and then, Kareem Welcome netting a stunning header in the 32nd, but it was not enough to challenge their opponents.
Santa Rosa’s goalkeeper, Brandon James, who only conceded one goal in the entire tournament was adjudged both Most Valuable Player of the tournament and Best Goalkeeper. The highway goal scorer prize was shared by three players: Enterprise Primary’s Dontay Kowlessar, St John the Baptist Primary’s Kareem Welcome and St Pius’s Jovaine Wright, who all netted 10 goals in this year’s tournament.
In addition, Santa Rosa’s coach Earl Richards was adjudged the tournament’s best coach.
The Courts Optical Pee-Wee tournament was also supported by Stenna Drilling, Sterling Products under its Igloo brand, and MVP sports.
