Northern Mindanao downs Soccskargen for Palaro tennis doubles gold

Christine Mae Santos

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Northern Mindanao downs Soccskargen for Palaro tennis doubles gold
Northern Mindanao overcame a tough challenge from Calabarzon before defeating Zamboanga to win secondary boys tennis doubles gold

LAGUNA, Philippines— The Northern Mindanao secondary boys tennis team was almost certain that they’d lose to Calabarzon in their quarterfinals matchup on Tuesday, May 6.

That’s why the games are played, because nothing in sports is a given.

With a 2 sets to 1 victory, the NMRAA team qualified for the doubles finals where they swept Zamboanga Peninsula in two sets to win gold.

Rolly John Sata of Northern Mindanao said that their victory was hard-earned, crediting their pure diligent work and unshaken faith.

Born and raised in Bukidnon, Rolly used to fetch balls at a tennis court near their house. He was just observing the player’s finesse in every tennis match and eventually developed an interest for the sport. In grade three, he decided to play tennis for the first time.

“Pamilya kami ng mga tennis players,” Rolly said

(We’re a family of tennis players)

Same goes for John Ormoc, Rolly’s partner in the doubles. He was also from Bukidnon, spending his childhood days helping players at the public court managed by his uncle. He has been playing tennis for seven years now. 

Rolly and John’s championship title in the regionals earned them a ticket to the Palaro. 

It was their first time to bag the gold medal in the tennis team competition. However, getting to the finals wasn’t easy. For two months, they did intense training and conditioning but they have more to offer. 

According to Rolly, having the best players on their team really helped them to win. He said that their line-up is stronger than last year’s. They have gold medalist players who joined tournaments months before the Palaro.

Their final match with Soccskargen was a close fight. Asked what was their advantage against Region XII, the baseliners said that they had full control over the ball and used blocking to counteract the opponent’s poaching.

Soccskargen redeemed in defeat

John Manuel (left) and Jeric delos Santos (right) are happy after bringing Soccskargen to the finals again after 16 years. Photo by Aki Yatco/Rappler

John Manuel Strope and Jeric delos Santos admitted that the NMRAA team are composed of strong players. 

“Ganyan talaga sa tennis, minsan nananalo minsan natatalo pero hindi naman ibig sabihin nagkukulang kami,” John Manuel said.

(In tennis, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose but this doesn’t mean we don’t try our best)

Two weeks before Palaro, John Manuel suffered from dengue. His platelet count dropped to nine and he nearly died. His doctor said that he survived because of his sport. Playing tennis made John Manuel’s body strong and resilient. However, he didn’t easily adjust and didn’t have enough time to practice. 

Their defeat against Northern Mindanao didn’t bother the team. Reaching the finals is already a fulfillment for them. It took 16 years for Soccskargen to step foot again in the finals. The last time Soccskargen had been in the finals was in 1998 when John Manuel’s brother bannered the team.

For the coming individual game, Jeric swore that they will win this time and rise again to bag the gold. 

Results for Secondary Boys Tennis Team Competition (May 6, 2014)

Deciding Match

Central Visayas over CARAGA 2-0

Ilocos Region over ARMM 2-1

Zamboanga Peninsula over CAR 2-1

SOCCKSARGEN over NCR 2-0

Davao Region over Central Luzon 2-0

Western Visayas over Cagayan Valley 2-0

Northern Mindanao over MIMAROPA 2-0

CALABARZON over Eastern Visayas 2-0

Quarter Finals

Central Visayas over Ilocos Region 2-1

SOCCKSARGEN over Zamboanga Peninsula 2-0

Davao Region over Western Visayas  2-0

Northern Mindanao over CALABARZON 2-0 

Semifinals 

SOCCSKSARGEN over Central Visayas 2-1

Northern Mindanao over Davao Region 2-0

Rappler.com

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