A Shirley’s FC player, right, dribbles past a Southern United defender during their game in the girls U15 division of the NMIFA youth league at the Francisco Mendiola Sablan Middle School Field last month. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Shirley’s Football Club clinched the girls U15 division championship, while TanHoldings FC zeroed in on the co-ed U12 title in the NMIFA Youth Spring League.

Shirley’s secured the division crown after a 2-0 victory over TanHoldings last Saturday at the Francisco Mendiola Sablan Middle School Field. Shirley’s finished the round-robin spring season with a perfect 6-0-0 record. Lilian Podziewski and Katherine Magat scored the two goals for Shirley’s, which gained its fifth straight title in the age group.

In the two other matches in the division, Southern United and MP United ended the season on a winning note. Southern pulled off a 1-0 win over Paire FC, while MP United downed Matansa, 5-0.

MP United was ranked third in the division with its 3-1-2 win-draw-loss record, behind Kanoa (5-0-1). Southern, which joined the girls U15 competition for the first time, placed fourth with its 2-1-3 slate, winning its last two games. Paire (2-0-4), TanHoldings (1-0-5), and Matansa (1-0-5) completed the field.

Meanwhile, TanHoldings eased past Matansa, 11-1, in the co-ed U12 game at the Hopwood Junior High School Field last weekend to improve to a 5-1-1 record. TanHoldings is currently in second place behind MP United (5-2-1) and a victory against Kanoa-2 this Saturday will put the former on top for the division championship this season. MP United is done in the tournament following a 5-2 triumph against the third-running Kanoa-1 (4-1-2) in the other match last weekend at the Hopwood pitch.

Mark Joseph Roque, Anthony John Bergancia, and Angelo Pulido teamed up in giving TanHoldings its fifth win in the double-round-robin competition, Roque scored four goals, while Pulido and Bergancia added three apiece. Ariel Narvaez contributed one goal for TanHoldings, which was ahead by only one at halftime before pulling away in the second half against Matansa (1-0-5).

Matansa drew its lone goal from Alex Megino, who found his target in the 44th minute. TanHoldings’ only goal in the first half came from Bergancia and was made in the 17th minute. Pulido then hit back-to-back goals (32nd and 33rd) to start the second half, while Narvaes lit up the board in the 34th, and Bergancia got his second in the 35th. TanHoldings’ string of goals continued with Roque canning four straight shots, while Pulido and Bergancia scored the last two for their hat trick.

In the other co-ed U12 game, Cody Shimizu and Kristopher Pascual logged two goals each in MP United’s victory, while Garett Weaver chipped in one. Markus Toves and Jim Kirt Maniago had one goal apiece for Kanoa-1, which bowed out of contention for the division title after the loss.

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The Chalan Kanoa Bears’ A.J. Lizama gets a high-five from his teammates during their first round game against the BSI Aces in the 2017 Saipan Baseball League at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Chalan Kanoa Bears’ A.J. Lizama and Go See Mark’s Jesse Brel are still on top of the pitching and batting races in the 2017 Saipan Baseball League.

Brel kept the No. 1 spot in the batting contest with his .520 average. He went 13-for-25 at bat at the conclusion of Round 1 of the two-round robin regular season and is the lone batter to average over .500.

The Bears’ Frank Lizama is ranked second with his .500 (14-for-28) while Titanium’s Jerald Cabrera (.480/12-for-25), Comets’ Jobe Reyes (.462/12-for-26), and the Falcons’ Giovanni Mira (.417/10-for-24) rounded out the Top 5. The BSI Aces’ Lamarc Iguel, Titanium’s Jhace Palacios, and the Bears’ Angel Palacios are the other batters to average at least .400, while 12 other players made it to the leaderboard, which was based on 21 or more times at bat.

The BSI’ Aces’ Jesus Iguel is at No. 13 in the batting race, but No. 1 in the runs with his 15. Closing in is Titanium’s Patrick Tenorio with his 13, while Brel, Lamarc, and Cabrera had 12 each. The D-9ers’ Roke Tenorio is ahead in doubles with five, while A.J. Lizama is in second with three. A.J.’s teammate Henry has the most triples so far with two, tying the BSI Aces’ John Tudela, GSM’s Tenorio, and the Falcond’ Bradley Lieto.

In the homer category, only Mira and GMS’s Pat Alepuyo has rounded the bases with one home run each, while A.J. Lizama and Nokkie Saralu of GSM are also in a deadlock in the RBI category with 11 each. GSM teammates Tyrone Omar and Tenorio are in second with 10 RBIs apiece.

A.J. Lizama is in a three-way logjam for the batting lead. The Bears pitcher is still perfect as he has yet to allow a single run in 17.1 innings pitched. GSM’s Nathan Guerrero and the D-9ers’ Jose Guerrero are also flawless in 15 and nine innings they worked the mound. Titanium’s Joe Palacios and the BSI Aces’ Manny Cabrera are ranked second and third with 0.86 and 0.93 ERA, respectively, while five other pitchers are still in the race.

Palacios is on top in the strikeouts competition with his 21, while the Falcons’ Ricky Joe Riungel and the Bears’ Franklin Lizama are close behind with 20 apiece.

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Mariana Resort’s Prince Factor takes off for an uncontested shot as TanHoldings’ Elmer Esdrelon looks on during the third quarter of Game 2 of their title series in the JEM/Mobil caging lat Monday night at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Mariana Resort forced a do-or-die game against TanHoldings following an 89-80 victory in Game 2 of their finals showdown in the JEM Company Ltd./Mobil Customer Appreciation Basketball League last Monday at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium.

After a monumental collapse in the series opener last Friday, Mariana Resort showed poised in Game 2 to tie the short series, which will be decided tonight as the opposing teams collide in the rubber match at 7pm.

Mariana Resort equalized as it withstood TanHoldings’ repeated comeback bids with the last one in the final two minutes and change of Game 2. TanHoldings moved within four, 81-77, with 2:21 left, but Mariana Resort countered with two straight field goals for more cushion, 85-77, 1:37 left on the clock.

Sandrew Kani and Carlo Prado gave Mariana Resort the crucial baskets with the former recovering from a fumble and eluding TanHoldings’ Elmer Edrelon for a banked shot. Kani then made a big defensive stop on the other end, as he held his ground against a driving Esdrelon, who lost the ball after bumping into the Mariana Resort player. Then with the 24-second shot clock ticking, Prado went for an isolation play against the taller R.J. Nonato at the left corner and the former got away with a floater after the latter reached in for a steal and failed.

TanHoldings sued for time after that basket, hoping to repeat its success in Game 1, however it muffed a couple of shots in the end and was held to a field goal and one free throw, while Mariana Resort drilled 4 more points for good measure.

TanHoldings fell short in Game 2 as it clearly missed the production of Douglas Schmidt, who played through pain (sprain leg) in the second half. Schmidt, who exploded for 44 points in their come-from-behind 97-74 victory in Game 1, scored 14 in the first half, but was held to a field goal and two free throws in the entire second, as limped his way to the court. He took off so slow in a fastbreak play for his lone field goal in the second half and saw limited minutes in the third quarter where Mariana Resort opened a 68-57 lead, with less than a minute left in that canto.

TanHoldings then cut the deficit to 5, 65-70, but Mariana Resort countered with a short 7-0 run off a timeout to bring the lead back to double digits, 77-65, 5:35 left in the game. Mel Sakikat had 5 points in that rally, while Kami scored the other basket off the bench.

Down, but definitely not out, TanHoldings threatened Mariana Resort with another comeback, as the former had a 12-4 scoring surge, 7 of which came from Bart Demapan. However, that was it for TanHoldings, as Mariana Resort regrouped and this time avoided a meltdown to keep its title hopes alive.

Sakisat paced Mariana Resort with his 27 points, while Prince Factor chipped in 19. Demapan had 33 on a losing effort.

Meanwhile, the seven suspended players are back in tonight’s deciding Game 3. Lerio Pagarao, Dindo Pablo, Jarett Matsutaro, and Paul Quizon will suit up anew for TanHoldings, while J.R. Lifoifoi, Masaki Kitani, and Jun Fidelino returns for Mariana Resort.

Third Place Game
McDonald’s 83 — Mi. Achas 36, Macaranas 10, Mc. Achas 10, Gaspar 8, J. Achas 7, Ladra 7, C. Achas 5.

Best Deal/RNV 62 — Mortos 24, Odicta 13, Cayanan 8, J. Rueda 7, Naval 6, Alfonso 4.

Scoring by quarters: 23-14, 46-24, 68-39, 83-62.

Game 2
Marianas Resort 89 — Sakisat 27, Factor 19, F. Lifoifoi 15, Kani 12, Prado 10, Arthur 4, Ermitanio 2.

TanHoldings 80 — Demapan 33, Schmidt 18, Nonato 14, Esdrelon 11, Duenas 4, Villamena 2.

Scoring by quarters: 20-20, 47-40, 68-59, 89-80.

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Paire Football Club and Shirley’s FC are still perfect in the 2017 Dove Women’s Spring League following their respective wins last Sunday at the Chacha Oceanview Middle School Field.

Paire is unbeaten in six games and holds a 5-1-0 win-draw-loss record after shutting down MP United-TanHoldings in their Division A match, 7-0. Jeraldine Castillo, Guinevere Borja, and Angel Sally scored two goals apiece in Paire’s easy victory. Krizel Tuazon contributed one goal in the team’s domination of MP United-TanHoldings.

Sally and Castillo made all their goals in the first half, with the former hitting the board in the 14 th and 20th minute and the latter having back-to-back goals in the 21st and 23rd. Borja also earned two straight goals knocking in her first in the 43rd and the last in the 48th, while Tuazon scored earlier in the 17th minute.

With the victory, Paire kept its distance against Kanoa, which improved to a 3-0-2 mark following a 3-2 triumph over Shirley’s. Mary Kay Alferos drilled all three goals for Kanoa, starting her streak in the sixth minute and making her last two goals in the 32nd and 57th. Marielle Gariguez posted the lone goal for Shirley’s, which is at the bottom of the team standings with its 0-2-4 mark. MPU-TanHoldings is at third place with its 1-1-3 slate.

In Division B, Shirley’s is on top with its 4-0-0 card after a nosing out Kagman last weekend, 1-0.

Nicole Loste logged the only goal for Shirley’s, which is two wins ahead of MP United (2-1-0) and Kagman (2-0-2).

MP United remains a threat to Shirley’s after beating Kanoa, 5-1.

Misaki Suemasu canned a pair of goals for MPU, while Julia Ishikawa, Kye Tamm, and Maaya Sato contributed one apiece. Christine Beceril made the only goal for Kanoa (0-1-4).

Idle Paire completes the Division B field and holds a 0-2-2 record.

Meanwhile, three games were played in the Masters division with TanHoldings dueling MP United-2 in the opener and Matansa-Kanoa and MP United-1-Topnotch scheduled to play in the last two matches. Results of the games are not recorded as matches are non-competitive ones.

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Tsunami Saipan’s Isaiah Aleksenko swims in the 50m backstroke event during last month’s 2017 Saipan Swim Club International Meet at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Swimmers dominated the roster of Northern Marianas Sports Association’s awardees for March.

Tsunami Swimming Center Saipan’s Isaiah Aleksenko and Ashley Dangol took the NMSA/Tan Siu Lin Foundation Student Athletes of the Month plums, while Northern Mariana Islands Swimming Federation board member Carol Lynn Pierce was named Female Athlete of the Month.

Aleksenko got the March honors after his outstanding performance in the Tokyo Junior Sprint 2017 and in the 2017 Saipan Swim Club International Meet. The 10-year-old swimmer won a gold medal in the 50m freestyle event of the short course tournament in Japan held last March 4 and 5 and also made it to the finals of the 100m individual medley. Aleksenko went on to win the Most Outstanding Swimmer award in his age group in the Tokyo Sprint—a first for the club and a CNMI swimmer.

In the SSC meet, which also featured swimmers from Guam, Palau, and Pohnpei and was held from March 23 to 25, the Tsunami Saipan member also made history by setting eight records in the boys 9 to 10 age group. He earned age group marks in the 50m, 100, and 200m freestyle, 50m, 100m, and 200m butterfly, and 50m and 100m backstroke en route to getting the high-point award in the division.

Aleksenko’s fellow Tsunami Saipan member—Dangol—was in the same tournament in Tokyo and brought home two medals. She finished first in the girls 10’s 50m butterfly and second in the 100m IM.

In the SSC tournament, Dangol was the high-point winner in the 9 to 10 division, but the highlight of her performance in last month’s competition was her records in five events—50m and 100m backstroke and 50m, 100m, and 200m butterfly. The Tsunami Saipan swimmer also also joined the SSC Ocean Swim and ruled her age group.

Meanwhile, Pierce got the Female Athlete of the Month award after logging 104.75 miles in the “Saipan Polar Bear Swim” that concluded last March 21. The series of swims—both pool and open water—was organized by Dolphin Swim Club and is patterned after the program of Dolphin Club San Francisco at the San Francisco Bay.

Completing the March honor roll was bodybuilder Enrico Valdez, who took the Male Athlete of the Month award for topping the 3rd Marianas Muscle Bodybuilding and Physique Competition.

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CNMI U16 National Team’s Joshua Abragan, left, and Thaiphi Austria close in on Kanoa FC’s Rodwealth Espana during their Division 1 game in the M-League last Sunday at the Hopwood Junior High School Field. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Hawaiian Rock and the CNMI U16 National Team scored two goals apiece to win their respective debuts in the Division 1 of the M-League last Sunday at the Hopwood Junior High School Field.

Trey Dunn and Suguru Takahashi scored for Hawaiian Rock, which shut down TanHoldings in the third match in the division. Dunn drew first blood with his shot in the 45th minute, while Takahashi found his target three minutes later.

In the second game, Thaiphi Austria knocked in the go-ahead goal for the CNMI U16 in the 44th minute to lift the Teen Ayuyus to a 2-1 triumph over Kanoa FC. Joshua Abragan made the other goal for the CNMI U16 with his coversion in the 29th minute.

Kanoa dropped its debut despite hitting the board first off Ben Poon’s goal in the eighth minute.

In other results in Division 1, MP United eased past Sun Palace, 5-0.

Northern Mariana Islands Football Association technical director Michiteru Mita debuted in the M-League and powered MP United to the lopsided victory after drilling a hat trick. He logged his goals in succession and all were made in the second half, which started with MP United just up by one. Young Ju Lee recorded MP United’s first goal in the 25th minute, while Evan Belcher had the team’s last in the closing stage of the second half.

DIVISION 2
Kanoa 4, Women’s NT 2
In the first game in the division last Saturday, Kanoa topped the CNMI Women’s National Team.

Ian Maniago nailed a pair of goals for Kanoa, while Kirt Andon and Taka Borja chipped in one apiece. Maniago scored first for the winning squad with his shot in the eighth minute, while Andon had his lone goal seven minutes later. Kanoa made it three in a row in the first half when Maniago got his second goal in the 20th minute, while Taka handed the squad a 4-0 advantage with his shot in the opening minute of the second half.

As for the Women’s NT, Guinevere Borja finally broke the team’s silence in the 50th minute, while Bernadette Horey earned one more for the losing squad in the 55th minute.

Shirley’s-2 3, Matansa 1
Jack Phan registered two goals to lift Shirley’s-2 to a victory over Matansa.

Phan recorded his first goal in the 12th minute and the second in the 38th. Hoin Ryu scored the other goals for Shirley’s in the 20th minute, while Matansa avoided a shutout, thanks to Anamul Haque’s shot in the 43rd.

Shirley’s-1 2, KFAS 2
In the first game in the division, Shirley’s-1 and Korean Football Association on Saipan settled for a draw.

Gota Kawakami posted the pair of goals for Shirley’s-1 with his first coming in the 25th minute and the second in the final half of the match. Edwin Kim duplicated Kawakami’s feat to help KFAS force the standoff.

Meanwhile, Sun Palace won its debut via default as the Thundercats failed to field enough players for the 8 vs 8 game. The Thundercats had only four players available for its first game of the season.

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TanHoldings’ Lerio Pagarao, left, stretches for a layup after slipping past the defense of Mariana Resort’s Sandrew Kani during the deciding Game 3 of their title series in the JEM/Mobil caging last Wednesday at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

TanHoldings survived a scare from Mariana Resort, 91-88, in the deciding Game 3 of their title series in the JEM Company Ltd./Mobil Customer Appreciation Basketball League last Wednesday at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium.

Returning from the Game 2 suspension, Lerio Pagarao made three pressure-packed free throws to save the day for TanHoldings, which led by as much as 15 points in the fourth quarter only to be threatened in the homestretch by the hard-fighting Mariana Resort.

Mariana Resort put the spectators of the do-or-die game at the edge of their seats as it tied the match at 88-all, after Jun Fidelino, who also came out of the Game 2 suspension, scored 5 straight points off a triple and another long jumper.

The deadlock was recorded at the last 13.2 seconds of the game and with no timeout left, TanHoldings went for the quick inbound with Pagarao on the finishing end and fishing for a foul on Frank Lifoifoi. Lifoifoi took the bait, sending Pagarao to the foul line where he nailed his first charity to give TanHoldings the shaky lead, 89-88. He missed the second free throw, but fortunately, Lifoifoi touched the ball last before it rolled out to the baseline as the latter battled the rebound against TanHoldings’ Elmer Esdrelon.

TanHoldings regained possession down to the final 8.5 seconds and with the clock ticking after the inbound play, Mariana Resort’s Prince Factor was forced to foul Pagarao. The TanHoldings player this time went perfect at the stripe, as both of his attempts hit nothing but the bottom of the net.

After Pagarao’s clutch charities, Mariana Resort had to inbound from the backcourt as it was out of timeout, too. Fidelino then received the pass from Mel Sakisat, but was quickly hounded by two TanHoldings defenders and fell on the ground. The ball rolled to the sideline, but it was touched last by Demapan so Mariana Resort kept the possession with 2.9 seconds remaining in the game. The time left proved to be not enough for Mariana Resort to pull up for a shot, as after Sakisat’s inbound, Frank Lifoifoi dribbled once and then kicked the ball out to Fidelino, who unloaded a triple from the right corner and missed after the final buzzer had already sounded.

TanHoldings saved the win and took the championship despite playing without its top gunner Douglas Schmidt, who was still nursing a sprain he sustained in their Game 2 loss last Monday.

Pagarao, who sat out in Game 2 after getting involved in a bench-clearing scuffle in Game 1, stepped up in place of Schmidt, scoring 24 points. Bart Demapan paced TanHoldings with his 26 markers, while Jarett Matsutaro, who was also suspended in Game 2, did his share, too in the win, adding 13. R.J. Nonato and Esdrelon made 14 apiece to complete TanHoldings’ box scores.

With TanHoldings’ balance offense, it opened a double-digit spread at halftime, 50-39. However, Mariana Resort moved within a deuce past the halfway mark of the third period, 57-59, as Sandrew Kitani, J.R. Lifoifoi, and Factor teamed up in the rally.

Sensing trouble, TanHoldings sued for time and when the game resumed it had a 13-3 windup to bring its lead back to twin digits. Pagarao tallied 5 markers in that surge and TanHoldings got several points from the foul line to widen the gap, entering the final canto.

TanHoldings went on to establish its biggest lead in the game, 79-64, after winning the exchange, 7-3, in the opening minute of the fourth period. However, Mariana Resort slowly trimmed the lead down with Carlo Prado starting the rally with a triple and J.R. Lifoifoi, Sakisat, and Factor also contributing in the recovery.

Mariana Resort sliced the deficit to two twice, but baskets from Matsutaro and Nonato prevented the eventual runner-up from grabbing the lead. Nonato’s point-blanked shot off an entry pass from Pagarao gave TanHoldings an 88-83 lead, 48.6 seconds left in the game.

However, that was the last field goal for TanHoldings as it turned the ball over twice, allowing Mariana Resort to even up the count before Pagarao came to the former’s rescue.

TanHoldings 91— Demapan 26, Pagarao 24, Nonato 14, Esdrelon 14, Matsutaro 13.

Mariana Resort 88 — Fidelino 23, Sakisat 15, Prado 13, J. Lifoifoi 12, Kani 11, Factor 10, F. Lifoifoi 2, James 2.

Scoring by quarters: 19-18, 50-39, 72-60, 91-88.

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A MP United FC player, second left, tries to get away from a Kanoa FC defender during their boys U17 game in the first round of the NMIFA youth league at the Hopwood Middle School Field. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The boys U17 division championship is within MP United Football Club’s reach after it beat Matansa FC, 2-1, in their game in the NMIFA Youth Spring League last Saturday at the Hopwood Middle School Field.

Oliver Lee and Edwin Kim delivered the goals for MP United, while David Mafnas made the lone shot for Matansa. Mafnas found the back of the net in the 25th minute to put his team on top and Matansa went on to remain in the driver’s seat in the entire first half and until the first few minutes of the second.

Lee then hit the equalizer in the 48th minute, while Kim knocked in the go-ahead in the 67th to lift MP United to the important win.

With the victory, MP United now has a 7-0-0 win-draw-loss record in the five-team field. The defending spring champion has one more game left in the double-round robin regular season and would only need a draw against TanHoldings (6-0-1) next Saturday to clinch the division championship. A loss will put MP United in a tie with TanHoldings for first place and the winner of the boys U17 crown will be decided by a playoff game.

In the other boys U17 match last Saturday, Kanoa and Paire engaged in a draw, 1-1.

Paire forced the standoff, thanks to Dai Podziewski’s goal four minutes before the 80-minute match wrapped up.

Neither team scored in the first half while Andruw Omelau broke the ice seven minutes into the final frame to give Kanoa the shaky lead.

With the draw, Kanoa kept the No. 3 spot in the team standings with its 2-2-4 slate, while Paire is still at the cellar and has yet to win a single game with its one draw and six defeats. Matansa is just slightly ahead of Paire with its 1-1-5 mark.

Meanwhile, despite failing to score in their victory over Matansa, MP United’s Sunjoon Tenorio is still ahead in the Golden Boot race with his 11 goals. TanHoldings Mark Esalan is in second place with six, while Tenorio’s teammate James Kim is ranked third with his four goals.

In the team tally, MP United has the most goals so far with 29 and has yielded the least (two). TanHoldings also had a 20-plus output with its 21 and has allowed six, while Matansa and Kanoa have seven apiece, and Paire has scored only three so far.

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Kelvin “The Big Hit” Fitial, seen here unleashing a kick on Australia’s Benjamin Sosoli during their heavyweight bout in PXC 56 held last month at the University of Guam Calvo Field House, will see action in the Rites of Passage 21: Throwdown on May 26. (Pacific Xtreme Combat Photo)

Trench Tech’s first offering for 2017 is sure worth the long wait, as Rites of Passage 21: Throwdown will feature two MMA stars in the Marianas, a title fight, and an extended list of supporting bouts.

Frank “The Crank” Camacho will see action in the main event of the May 26 competition against Extreme Combat Korea’ Gun Han Park and hopes for a fitting follow-up on his TKO win over the latter’s compatriot Hyun Joo Kim in ROP 20: Conquer in August last year.

Preceding the Camacho-Park lightweight clash is the heavyweight battle between the CNMI’s own Kelvin “The Big Hit” Fitial and GuamFightClub’ Pete “Big Mac” Miyasaki. The fitter and faster Fitial will go for win No. 2 this year after prevailing against Australia’s Benjamin Sosoli via unanimous decision in their heavyweight bout in PXC 56 held last month at the University of Guam Calvo Field House.

ROP 21: Throwdown will also Fitial’s return to Trench Tech’s event after a seven-year absence. The 33-year-old fight last fought in a Trench Tech-organized competition in 2009 when he defeated Guam’s Manny Chong via TKO in Trench Warz 10: Collision.

For the title fight in next month’s event that will be held at the parking lot of the Marianas Business Plaza, it will be another CNMI vs Guam duel, as Derick “El Peligro” Rangamar of Marianas Elite challenges defending champion Rob “The Real Deal” Wusstig of Steel Athletics.

Wusstig hopes to keep the lightweight crown that he defended against Trench Tech’s Stanley Iakopo when he won via rear-naked choke at the 4:22 mark of Round 1 of the main event bout in Trench Warz 20: Full Throttle in December last year. The Guam fighter.

Besides the three highly-anticipated duels, ROP 21: Throwdown will also have 13 other MMA bouts and one kickboxing match—making Trench Tech’s first event of the year one of the longest fight cards here.

Mark “The Dark Nuique” and Peter Rodriguez will collide in the lone kickboxing bout in ROP: 21, while the other supporting MMA fights are as follows: Shane Moore vs Vince Acfalle; Andres Camacho vs Kyle Gumataotao; Garard Quichocho vs Brendon Manglona; John Mendiola vs Austin John King; Austin Petrus vs Patrick Ungcangco; Nick Cruz vs Jerome Fujihira; Joey Boy Crisostomo vs Vince Torres: K.J. Villagomez vs Juan Lizama; LD Ogo vs Torsten Rosser; Sang Hyun Park vs Seay Camacho; Matquipuha Maratita vs Phil David; and Ray Duenas vs Jones Langu.

Also set to see action in one of the MMA bouts in ROP 21 is Kier Agda and Trench Tech is still looking for his opponent in the 160lb catch weight. The organizers also listed standby fighters—Dan Cruz, Deshaun Blas, Chris Redina, and Perry Aldan. All fights are subject to changes.

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The Falcons’ Spencer Dickinson pitches against the Enforcers during their second meeting in the Senior League division of the 2017 Saipan Little League Baseball at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The Falcons secured the pennant in the Senior League division of the 2017 Saipan Little League Baseball after nipping the Enforcers, 2-1, last Sunday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.

The Falcons now hold a 7-2 record and though they still have three games left in the regular season, they are locked at the top spot as the second-running Enforcers dropped to a 6-5 card after the loss.

Tindin Deleon Guerrero had an RBI and also scored one run in their crucial victory against the Enforcers. Deleon Guerrero’s single at the bottom of the second inning brought Spencer Dickinson home. Earlier, Dickinson blasted a triple to move to scoring position. Deleon Guerrero batted next and after his single he stole second and third before reaching home off a passed ball.

The Falcons, who are also the division’s defending champions, went on to keep the lead in the low-scoring game, as the Enforcers only made it home once, courtesy of Pedro Maratita’s run at the top of the fourth inning.

Dickinson helped the Falcons neutralize the Enforcers as he pitched in the first four innings before getting a breather from Jester Kintaro, who worked the mound for the back-to-back pennant champions until the last inning.

Meanwhile, the Falcons and Enforcers dominated the batting race in their division with the latter’s seven players and the former’s six making it to the Top 15. The Blue Jays had only two players on the leaderboard.

The Enforcers’ Tyrese Camacho had the best batting average at the cutoff date (April 2) with his .454 (15-for-33), while the Blue Jays’ Dominic Yumul (.416/10-for-24), and the Falcons’ Deleon Guerrero (.346/9-for-26) placed No. 2 and 3, respectively.

Others on the list (not in order) are the Falcons’ Henry Aguon (.333), Ace Evangelista (.320), Dickinson (.318), Noel Cabrera (.315), and Kobe Lifoifoi (.296), the Blue Jays’ Awang Tudela (.333), and the Enforcers’ Jose Camacho (.333), Maratita (.333), Dennis Cabrera (.333), Larson Sibetang (.291), Shakobe Rangamar (.272), and Leo Salalila (.266). The batting leaders were based on 18 or more times at bat.

In the pitching race, Tyrese Camacho is also ahead of the pack as he allowed only two runs in 24 innings pitched for a 0.56 ERA. Rangamar is in second place with his 1.00 ERA (two runs allowed in 28 innings) and was followed by the Blue Jays’ Sho Taguchi (1.10 ERA/3 runs/19 innings), Kintaro (1.31 ERA/3 runs/15.2 innings), and Noel Cabrera (175 ERA/5 runs/19.2 innings).

Taguchi and Rangamar are tied in the most doubles scored with three apiece, while the latter is also in a deadlock with Tyrese Camacho in RBIs with eight each. In the triples, Rangamar is alone on top with two, while Tyrese Camacho leads in runs with 11. The Enforcers pitcher is also ranked No. 1 in strikeouts with 37, just ahead by three against Rangamar. In the home run category, only the Falcons’ Kimo Angailen and the Blue Jays’ Trion Sulap have rounded the bases.

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Andrew Chung serves to Danny Lee during their boys U12 singles game in the 2017 CNMI Junior Tennis Championships last Saturday at the American Memorial Park tennis courts. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Three pairs made it first to the winner’s circle of the 2017 CNMI Junior Tennis Championships.

Andrew Chung and Min Gi Jung prevailed in their one-on-one showdown against David Kwon and Danny Lee for the boys U12 doubles title last Sunday, 6-0, 7-5, at the American Memorial Park tennis courts.

In the boys U14 age group, there was also a head-to-head match between Eugene Park and Sam Ryu and Hyun Min Cho and Andy Kim with the first pair surviving the three-set game. Park and Ryu took the opening set 6-3, but missed a sweep after dropping the closely fought second set, 5-7. Then in the deciding super-tiebreaker third set, the eventual champions regained their bearings and pulled off an 11-9 triumph.

While Ryu and Park labored their way to the title win in their division, Tania Tan and Malika Miyawaki experienced the opposite, as they eased past Mimi Sakano and Ami Tsukagoshi, 6-0, 6-1.

Meanwhile, the boys U18 doubles crown will be contested by the pairs of Robbie Schorr and Ken Song and Vincent Tudela and Steven Goodwin after they downed similar foes in the opening week of the tournament.

Goodwin and Tudela were the first ones to top Andy Cho and James Kim after recording a 6-0, 6-0 victory last Saturday. Then last Sunday, it was Song and Schorr’s turn to beat Cho and Kim, 6-1, 6-1. The boys U18 doubles title will be disputed this weekend.

In other results in Week 1 of Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association’s last local competition for the 2016-2017 season, Hoo Wang and Nason Wassel boosted their chances to win the girls and boys U10 singles crowns after prevailing in their respective games last weekend.

Wang finished Week 1 of the round-robin contest in the girls U12 singles with a 2-0 record after defeating Dana Lee, 8-4, and Soarin Oh, 9-7. She will go for the sweep and the division title against La Mee Lam this weekend. Oh has yet to play in the tournament, while Oh saw action in two games, winning her other match against Lee, 8-1.

In the boys U12 singles, Wassel outclassed Sam Cope, 8-2. Wassel will duel La Hunn Lam this weekend and another victory will give the former the division championship.

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Ali’i/Blue Haus’ Elmer Esdrelon, right, sneaks in and tries to steal the ball from SSFM’s Andrew Ashburn during the second quarter of their game in the San Antonio caging last Saturday at the San Antonio court. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Ali’i/Blue Haus and Stephen’s Pawnshop earned double-digit winning margins in their respective games in the 2017 San Antonio Summer Basketball League last Saturday at the San Antonio court.

Ali’i/Blue Haus bounced back from a slow start to overhaul a 14-point deficit and steal the victory from SSFM in the nightcap, 90-80, while Stephen Pawnshop had a second-quarter assault for a 91-73 win against Marianas Variety in the curtain-raiser.

Stephen’s Pawnshop was just ahead by a hair at the end of the first period, 16-15, when it stepped on the gas in the second to build a 48-32 halftime advantage. Sean Rabasto led Stephen’s Pawnshop’s surge in the second frame, as he scored 14 of his 21 points in that canto. James Abuy contributed two triples in that run, while three other Stephen’s Pawnshop players added at least two field goals apiece.

It was cruise control from thereon for Stephen’s Pawnshop, as Ernest Duenas, Jack Aranda, and Gerald Flores took over in the second half en route to the team’s 18-point victory.

Flores, Rabasto, and Duenas combined for 64 points for Stephen’s Pawnshop, while Aranda and Abuy also finished in twin digits with 15 and 12, respectively.

In the second game, Ali’i/Blue Haus once stared a 12-26 deficit midway in the first quarter, but managed to regroup late in that period and took control of the game in the second to remain undefeated in three matches.

SSFM caught Ali’i/Blue Haus flatfooted early in the game as Andrew Ashburn found his target in the opening canto, scoring 14 points in that period, including 12 straight. SSFM eventually lost its double-digit lead at the end of the first quarter, 26-21, while Ali’i/Blue Haus successfully grabbed the driver’s seat by the halftime break, 47-42.

Ali’i/Blue Haus leaned on its balance scoring to recover and survive the hot shooting of Ashburn. Five Ali’i/Blue Haus players broke into double figures, while three more added at least 8 points each. Elmer Esdrelon paced Ali’i/Blue Haus with his 17 points.

Ashburn had a game-high 29 markers, while only Dan Barcinas backed him up, chipping in 20. Jack Lizama had 12 markers, but was scoreless in the second and third periods.

First Game
Stephen’s Pawnshop 91— Flores 22, Rabasto 21, Duenas 21, Aranda 15, Abuy 12.

Marianas Variety 73 — P. Factor 18, Fitial 18, Villarin 11, A. Factor 10, Devero 7, Pineda 4, Sablan 2, Supetran 2.

Scoring by quarters: 16-15, 48-32, 73-54, 91-73.

Second Game
Ali’i/Blue Haus 90 — Edrelon 17, Peredo 12, De Dios 13, Guiab 12, Demapan 10, Barbo 9, Pagarao 8, Talania 8, Garcia 2.

SSFM 80 — Ashburn 29, Barcinas 20, Lizama 11, Palino 8, Libuw 4, Hammond 4, Santos 2, Kapileo 2.

Scoring by quarters: 21-26, 47-42, 69-58, 90-80.

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The CNMI Girls U15 National Team players huddle before their game against Shanghai Jinshan District U15 in the EAFF U15 Girls Tournament 2017 in Shanghai, China last Sunday. (Contributed Photo)

The Commonwealth’s two youth teams had mixed fortunes with the U18 training pool having a productive training camp in Guam and the CNMI Girls U15 National Team losing its debut in the EAFF U15 Girls Tournament 2017 in Shanghai, China.

The Teen Ayuyus capped their five-day training camp with a 2-0 victory over University of Guam yesterday, 2-0. Sunjoon Tenorio scored the pair of goals for the training pool, which nearly swept their training matches in Guam, winning three of their four games.

Tenorio also made all the goals for the pool in their 3-0 triumph over Wings FC Red last Sunday, while he contributed one in the Teen Ayuyus’ 6-0 demolition of Wings FC Black last April 14. Joshua Deleon knocked in a pair of goals in the pool’s first victory, while Mareko Tekopua, Alex Park, and Dai Podziewski chipped in one apiece. Quality Distributor handed the visiting squad its lone loss last Saturday, 1-0.

The pool had a training camp in Guam in preparation for its participation in the 2018 AFC U19 Championship Qualifiers, which will be held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 8 with the venues yet to be announced. The CNMI is in the East Zone of the qualifiers and will be playing in Group D against Macau, Cambodia, Brunei, and Guam. Only the top finisher in each group will qualify to next year’s finals.

Meanwhile, the CNMI U15 team bowed to Shanghai Jinshan District U15 Team, 0-7, in its first match in the EAFF competition last Sunday.

According to team manager Mikky Vargas, the Commonwealth players struggled in the bigger and grassy pitch at the Jinshan Sports Center, while the hosts capitalized on their familiarity with the field.

“Our girls had a difficult time adjusting to the size of the field and the thickness of the grass. Today (last Sunday) they played on a standard adult sized field that is much larger than the field dimensions they are used to. Also, a lot of their passes were not connecting. Because of the fullness of the grass on the field, a lot of their balls were not traveling far or fast enough and our passes were easily intercepted. The size of the field and thickness of the grass made it very difficult for the team to transition from defense to offense. It was obvious in their performance during the first couple of minutes of the game that the girls were very nervous,” Vargas said in an email sent to Saipan Tribune.

“For this match, Jinshan was definitely the stronger team. They were quick to pressure, organized in both defense and offense and had good passing quality and very strong chemistry,” Vargas added.

Despite losing their first match, Vargas said the coaching staff headed by Olympian Luam Khen Koo lauded the team’s efforts as they fought for every possession all throughout the game.

Up next for the CNMI U15 is Chinese-Taipei and Koo and company are hoping that the squad will be more relaxed and confident in the second game as it will face a much tougher team this afternoon. For its final game, the Commonwealth will duel Mongolia (on April 20).

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A peeled off portion of the flooring of the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium is shown here during a game in the Diaz youth caging yesterday. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Good news.

The repair works at the Oleai Sports Complex’s track and field facility is on schedule, while the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium will undergo the needed facelift soon.

Tony Rogolifoi, executive director of Northern Marianas Sports Association, which is in charge of the management and maintenance of the two facilities, said that the contractor doing the resurfacing work at the track is just waiting for the asphalt to dry so it can proceed with the pouring of the rubberized surface.

“I was told it will take up to 20 days to dry up the asphalt. They poured it in early this month and if I am not mistaken, we’re on the ninth day (yesterday). After that, they will begin working on the rubberized surface. The materials are all on island, so if the weather will cooperate, we will have the track back third or last week of May,” Rogolifoi said in an interview with Saipan Tribune yesterday.

After the rubberized surface is put into place, it has to be dried up, too and cleaned/flattened, while markings will be done last. The track will retain its reddish color.

As for the Ada Gym, Rogolifoi said they are just waiting for the project specification from the contractor and they are hoping to receive it before the month ends.

The NMSA executive director said the flooring of the gym will be replaced with an appropriate one—unlike the previous materials that were for household use. Materials for the new flooring are available in Guam, so it will be much easier for the contractor to bring them to Saipan.

Besides the floor, the dilapidated scoreboard will also be replaced with a new one, while leaks on the roofs will be fixed. The offices at the Ada gym will also be renovated with the floors and ceiling to undergo repairs/replacements. Completion of these improvements will take three to four months, according to Rogolifoi.

Funding for the resurfacing works at the Oleai track and the renovation of the Ada gym both came from local and federal agencies and improvements are being done in preparation for the CNMI’s hosting of the Pacific Mini Games for the first time.

The quadrennial meet will come to Saipan in 2021 and the Pacific Games Council would like to see improvements from the various sports facilities on island a few years before the competition is held here.

Last year, Council president Vidhya Lakhan and executive director Andrew Minogue had a three-day visit on Saipan to check the facilities and talk to the people involved in bringing the Mini Games to Saipan. They are expected to meet with NMSA officials and other stakeholders in December in Vanuatu to get updates on the Commonwealth’s preparation for the hosting of the 2021 event.

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Kento Akimaru rushes to the Micro Beach shore to complete last Saturday’s 2017 Escape from Managaha. (Contributed Photo)

As expected, perennial first finisher Kento Akimaru completed the 2017 Escape from Managaha ahead of the pack.

Kento clocked in at 32:55 in the 2.4-kilometer crossing from Saipan’s famous island to Micro Beach to rule the race for the eighth straight year. His time in last Saturday’s swim was also his fastest since he started dominating the swim in 2011. The Then 10-year-old Kento posted 40:04 to lead the finishers in the 2011 race. His other times were 38:09 (2012), 38:00 (2013), 36:50 (2014), 38:06 (2015), and 33:25 (2016).

Joining Akimaru in the Top 3 of last weekend’s Escape from Managaha were Jinnosuke Suzuki and Christian Villacrusis, who submitted 33:39 and 35:44, respectively. Last year’s No. 2 finisher and Jinnosuke’s brother, Lennosuke, dropped to fourth place with his 36:05, while David Boyer rounded out the Top 5 after recording 36: 37.

Forty-five out of the 47 who started the race made it to the finish line with some using fins and snorkels to complete the challenging course. The race began at 6am and cut-off time was one and a half hours with the last finisher making it to Micro Beach with about six minutes to spare.

“The event was a huge success. Despite the choppy conditions there were several first time crossers. It was a great way to start the morning,” said coach Jacoby Winkfield of the organizing Saipan Swim Club.

“The Saipan Swim club would like to thank all the volunteers who worked tirelessly to organize this year’s swim. Thanks to the Department of Public Safety, Boating Safety for the excellent protection on the water as well as rest of the safety crew who battled the choppy waters to ensure the participants made the crossing. Thank you too to Eddie Johnson and his World Resort lifeguards and the extra level of safety they add to the event,” he added.

The 2017 Escape from Managaha was among the last few races in SSC’s calendar of events for the 2016-2017 season.

Next weekend (April 29), SSS will have the 2017 Sak Sprint Meet, which will be on its second year and is being held in recognition of club founders Bil and Jeane Sakovich. The meet will run from 7am to 11am at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool.

Then from June 30 to July 2, SSC will send its swimmers to Hawaii for the 69th Keo Nakama Swim Meet that will take place in Mililani, Oahu.

“Thanks to Doug Brennan and Atkins Kroll (Saipan) Toyota whose contribution will go to supporting SSC swimmers in the 69th Keo Nakama Swim Meet. The ‘Keo’ a premier long-course meet which attracts clubs from Hawaii, U.S.mainland, and club teams worldwide,” Winkfield said.

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The Ol’Aces Elite’s Joaquin Fleming pulls up for a point-blanked shot against Agape Christian School’s Tychicus Xu during the first half of their boys U15 division game in the Diaz youth caging last Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The Natibu Warriors made it past the century mark to crush Agape Christian School, 104-33, in the boys U18 division game in the 2017 Francisco M. Diaz Memorial Youth League last Monday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Natibu capitalized on Agape’s lack of manpower to cruise to victory, as the latter reported for the match with only seven players. Natibu, on the other hand, was in full force and 10 of the 14 players listed on its roster scored.

With Natibu having the advantage in the number of players, it had the game in the bag right at the end of the first half after enjoying a 45-12 advantage. Natibu went on to pad its lead in the second half to hand Agape a beating.

Henry Aguon paced Natibu with his 26 points, while Jun Aguon and Rawhoo Sulap chipped in 15 and 12, respectively. Six other Natibu players contributed at least 6 points each.

Alan Zhao led Agape with his 12 markers.

In the boys U15 division, Agape also lost, as the Ol’Aces Elite posted a double-digit victory in their duel last Saturday, 54-42.

Agape showed up for the weekend match with enough players, however, the Ol’Aces Elite proved to have the better skills, as it led from start to finish to remain unbeaten in the division.

Joaquin Fleming top-scored for the Ol’Aces Elite with his 11 points and he drew enough support from his teammates, as seven of them added at least two field goals apiece.

Yang Chenxuan had 11 markers on a losing effort for Agape.

In the first game in the boys U15 last weekend, the Young Warriors defeated Kagman Rollers, 49-21.

Francisco Kumuch and Aven Evangelista stood out for the Young Warriors after logging 14 and 11 points, respectively, while no Kagman Rollers broke into double figures.

BOY U15
First Game
Young Warriors 49 — Kumuch 14, Evangelista 11, J. Norita 8, M. Norita 4, Atalig 4, Cruz , Salilin 2, Daikichy 1.
Kagman Rollers 21 — Wenio 6, J. Agulto 4, A. Agulto 4, Agustin 3, J. Cruz 2, L. Cruz 2.
Scoring by halves: 26-15, 49-21.

Third Game
Ol’Aces Elite 54 — Fleming 11, Abejo 8, Omelau 6, Laxa 6, Elchico 4, Camacho 4, Saralu 4, Oagasawara 4, Naraja 3.
Agape 42 — Chenxuan 11, Cai 9, Wang 7, S. Xu 6, T. Xu 5, Hao 2.
Scoring by halves: 26-19, 54-42.

BOYS U18
Natibu Warriors 104 — H. Aguon 26, J. Aguon 15, R. Sulap 12, Fejeran 8, T. Sulap 7, Omar 7, Kainoa 7, Malwelbug 6, Evangelista 6, Gande 4.
Agape 33 — Zhao 12, Xiong 8, Wang 7, Luke 4, John 2.
Scoring by halves: 45-12, 104-33.

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