DEFENDING champion University of Santo Tomas and top-seeded Far Eastern University-Diliman aim to capitalize on their twice-to-beat advantage as the UAAP Season 88 High School Boys’ Football tournament kicks off today (Saturday) at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
The Junior Golden Booters and the De La Salle-Zobel Junior Green Booters will open the semifinal doubleheader at 4:30 p.m., followed by the Baby Tamaraws taking on the PAREF Southridge School Admirals at 7:00 p.m.
Wins for UST and FEU-D would secure their spots in the April 10 final, while La Salle and Southridge hope to force do-or-die matches set for next Wednesday.
The second-seeded Junior Golden Booters (28 points) look to eliminate the third-placed Junior Green Booters (20 points) on their first try. After winning 1-0 and 2-1 in their elimination-round clashes on January 24 and March 18, the defending champions now aim for a season sweep this weekend to return to the championship stage.
“Susubukan naming manalo sa first game since kumpleto naman kami at wala kaming suspended at wala ring injuries,” said UST assistant coach David Basa, who will rely on striker Argos Alingalan, midfielder Joshua Moleje, and defender James Sunog. “Expect namin sa boys na maglalaro sila 100% ‘yung first game para maipanalo.”
Meanwhile, La Salle coach Arvin Soliman is aware of the challenge facing his Junior Green Booters. Despite acknowledging his team’s struggles in the elimination rounds against UST, the first-year mentor is confident his players will give their all to force a decider.
Rookies like forward Jayden Gayoso and defender Robert Margarse have injected new energy into the Junior Green Booters this season. Along with goalkeeper Jacob Salavante, they aim to execute their coach’s strategy to the letter.
“Yes, so tinalo kami ni UST twice in the eliminations, but it’s a tight game,” said Soliman. “So for us, siguro kailangan lang naming gawin ‘yung mga assignments namin at yung mga kailangan naming i-improve on that game. And for sure, in that semi-finals against UST, we will try our best to get that win against them and push them to a do-or-die game.”
At the same time, FEU-D seeks to secure its place in the final and move one step closer to completing its redemption story in Season 88.
Top-seeded FEU-D (31 points) faces fourth-placed Southridge (17 points) in a rematch of last season’s Final Four clash, where a Jerriemy Biton strike gave the Baby Tamaraws a 1-0 victory. FEU-D hopes to maintain its dominance after sweeping the Admirals in the elimination round with a 2-0 win on January 31 and a 3-2 thriller on March 18.
Despite their strong form, Baby Tamaraws coach Jake Morallo cautions against complacency, noting that playoff football is a different challenge. He remains focused on preparing players such as Golden Boot candidate Enzo Panganiban, midfielder Jumong Amita, and Biton.
“We will adjust our game plan,” said Morallo. “‘Yung play-in sa semi-final, para sa akin, different story siya from elimination round, so maraming emotion ang lalabas dito. So, I think we have to go back. Pag-aaralan namin sila sa first game and second game; most especially, we have to go back sa analysis namin sa game kung ano ang kailangang i-improve. As always, lagi naman ‘yun ang ginagawa namin and apply namin, of course, sa training.”
For the Admirals, the goal is to surpass last year’s performance.
Although Southridge enters as the lowest seed, it has proven dangerous this season with wins over UST and La Salle, and has pushed FEU-D to the limit in several close encounters. Ghanaian coach Sam Bonney recognizes the odds but remains confident in his team’s ability to pull off an upset.
With a roster mostly composed of homegrown talent, a victory would be especially meaningful. Winger Francis Poticano, defender Carlito Vergara, and Kale Javier are among those aiming to make history for Southridge.
“Against FEU, we understand how they play,” said Bonney. “They’re experienced and recruit from different places. Many of their players are on scholarships — this is their daily bread. For my boys, we work with what we have in the school and develop them from there.”
“At the end of the day, this is football. I believe we can beat them, and the time will come when we do. I have no fear in facing FEU, and the boys feel the same way. Teams change at different moments, so we’ll wait for our moment and see what happens.”
