School Games: Nyagichenche Girls and Cardinal Otunga crowned Kisii County rugby sevens champions

Nyagichenche Girls and Cardinal Otunga are the new Kisii County Secondary Schools rugby sevens champions after winning their respective finals at the Term Two Games held on Thursday at Nyamache Boys High School.

In the girls’ category, defending champions Nyagichenche were in dominant form from the quarterfinals all the way to the final, where they blanked a spirited Nyangoge side 17-0 to retain the title.

Nyagichenche had kicked off their campaign with a commanding 31-0 win over Nyagonyi in the quarterfinals, followed by a 37-0 demolition of Nyabigena in the semifinals. The defending champions did not concede a single point in the entire knockout phase, showing the same quality and discipline that took them to the East Africa finals last year.

Nyagichenche head coach Dennis Onyango praised his team’s consistency and growth.

“Last year was our first time playing rugby competitively, and we surprised many by reaching the East Africa finals. This year, we are more experienced and focused,” Onyango said.

“Our defense was solid and our attack sharp. We worked on fitness and game awareness, which gave us the edge. Our next goal is to reclaim the regional title and do better at the nationals.”

In the girls’ third-place playoff, Mesabakwa overcame Nyabigena 10-0 to finish third.

In the boys’ category, Cardinal Otunga ended Kisii School’s dominance with a narrow but deserved 12-0 win in the final. Otunga had earlier eliminated Bongonta 26-12 in the quarters before dispatching Kerongorori 22-5 in the semis.

Kisii School had reached the final after beating Nyabigena 27-0 but fell short against a more clinical Otunga side in the final.

The third-place playoff in the boys’ category saw Nyabigena edge Kerongorori 7-0.

Both Nyagichenche and Cardinal Otunga will now shift focus to the Nyanza Regional finals, where they hope to continue their winning runs and book tickets to the national and East Africa championships.