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After three years of heartbreak and pain, St Anthony’s Boys High School, Kitale, finally recaptured the boys’ hockey title as this year’s Brookside Secondary Schools National Term One games ended yesterday in Kisumu.
Les Titans, as they are fondly known, did it in style, edging out familiar foes Friends School Kamusinga (FSK) Cougars 4-1 in a penalty shootout to reclaim the title they had lost to Musingu High School during the 2023 games held in Eldoret.
Stakes were higher than ever before, for it was not just Les Titans who had endured at the hands of Musingu since 2023, but the Cougars had suffered the biggest loss after being locked out of the nationals for three consecutive years.
As the two hockey dynasties walked onto the dusty pitch at Kisumu Day High School, it was clear that it wasn’t just a game but a collision of legacies. The battle was not just on the pitch but on the sidelines as the alumni of the two schools who turned up in their numbers also faced off, cheering and rallying their sides to victory.
From the whistle, the intensity and tension were very high as the two sides were evenly matched in every aspect of the game. This saw the first half end in a stalemate with both sides having made unsuccessful goal attempts.
FSK captain Annan Kurere broke the deadlock in the 31st minute, with St Anthony’s star Kelvin Onyango equalising in the 50th minute. The two sides fought gallantly to break the tie, but their efforts didn’t pay off, setting the stage for the eight-second tie-breaker.
Onyango, Peter Wachira, Delvin Luganji, and Isaac Okoth scored for St Anthony’s to spur them to victory. Kurere and Reagan Meshack missed their penalties, while it was only Clement Ogari who netted for the Cougars.
St Anthony’s coach Kelvin Lugalia was elated, saying that their hard work had paid off.
“We really needed this because we have been coming very close in the past three years and losing in the final. We are glad to have finally made it happen, and now we will shift our focus to the East Africa games,” Lugalia said.
In the girls’ category, St Joseph’s Girls High School bagged their maiden national title after beating 2023 winners Nyamira Girls in the final.
Just like their opening pool match, the two sides played to a barren draw, forcing the duel to be decided in the shootout. St Joseph’s carried the day after edging out Nyamira 2-1.
In basketball, Butere Girls High School Cannons won the title after seeing off Kaya Tiwi 60-53 in an entertaining final played at Kisumu Polytechnic.
The Western Region giants took the first quarter 16-10 before Kaya Tiwi rallied to take the second quarter 21-17 as Butere carried a narrow 33-31 halftime lead.
A tight 12-8 third quarter followed in favour of the champions, who sealed the win with another close 15-14 fourth-quarter dominance to complete the four-peat.
Speaking after the win, Butere Girls coach Chris Odeke, who was jovial and over the moon, could only thank his students for not playing under pressure since the games started on Tuesday.
“The mental strength of these girls is commendable. We cannot take anything away from them. Despite losing five key players last year, we have shown that rebuilding early works and that we can trust the young players, too.
“This win is for the young girls in the team who were dreaming of being part of the championship journey they heard of. Now they are part of the Butere Girls basketball championship,” said Odeke.
FSK Tigers are the new basketball boys’ champions.
The Tigers replaced Laiser, who won bronze after seeing off St Mary’s School, Yala 61-51 in the third-place play-offs. The Western heavyweights came from behind to edge out Lukenya Stallions 54-51 to win the title, becoming the first boys’ team from the region to win the national basketball trophy.
In the girls’ playoffs, St Brigids from Rift Valley defeated Barchando from Nyanza 70-48. The Stallions’ flawless run ended in anticlimax after they squandered a healthy lead to succumb to defeat in the death.
FSK’s star Shadrack Morara punished the Stallions, ensuring that his side carried the day. Morara, the 2024 East Africa basketball 3X3 Most Valuable Player, returned stronger from last year’s disappointing exit in both versions of the game to help his side bag their maiden title. He attributed their victory to teamwork.
“Last year was not good for us because we exited at the group stage and also lost our 3X3 East Africa title because we didn’t qualify. We have been working hard, but it’s all about teamwork because you can’t win alone,” Morara said.
In handball, Moi Girls Kamusinga (MGK) retained their title after seeing off St Joseph Girls Kitale 25-16 in an entertaining final. MGK took a comfortable 13-4 halftime lead, a nine-point advantage that eased matters for the Western giants who will now be shifting their focus to the elusive East African title.
Lavenda Babra led the champions with 10 goals, while Sheila Amoding added eight more in the victory, which also saw Velma Amoit score three, as Mirriam Yego and Ruth Nicole finished with braces.
Speaking after the win, MGK tactician Godfrey Simiyu praised his girls for delivering yet another title and maintaining their game plan throughout the competition as they head home unbeaten in Kisumu.
“Congratulations to every player of MGK. They gave everything during the week-long games, and I am proud to be their teacher and leader on the pitch. We had a good start that championed our path, and now we celebrate, rest, and wait for Tanzania,” said Simiyu.
In the boys’ final, Musingu School were crowned the new handball champions after crushing St Joseph Boys Kitale 30-19. Last year’s winners, St Luke’s Kimilili, failed to go past the Western Region after they lost to Musingu at the finals last month.