San Beda prelate gives sport a big kick

The man in vestment streaked to the San Beda football field and mingled with the players during a break in a workout one would wonder what a member of the clergy has got to do with the sport in particular, and with the team in general.

But being on top of the school’s football program the last four years as its facilitator, Fr. Lukas, OSB, has all the reasons to be there, giving the members of the squad and its coaching staff some spirit-boosting talk and reassuring them of the school’s all-out support.

This is the very reason — support or lack of it — why the sport has lingered behind basketball, golf and now, badminton, in terms of popularity and acceptance, according to Fr. Lukas, and the good father wants to move heaven and earth to help generate interest and, of course, support to the sport — at least for his team.

With perennial backers adidas, Coca-Cola and lately Aboitiz One giving the sport a kick and with a new leadership at the football federation, Fr. Lukas and SBC coach Aris Caslib see a renaissance of football in the near future.

"Football is one sport Filipinos can excel in given a wide range of pool talents, especially in the countryside. But it lacks support," said Fr. Lukas, a sports psychologist and himself a member of SBC’s football squad during his high school years.

In fact, it was during his watch that the San Beda College Red Booters rose from mediocrity to a champion squad. No, make it the winningest team in the land today.

Four championships this year speak well of the caliber of the team honed up to its full potential by Caslib, the very mentor who steered the San Beda juniors to 10 straight championships before he moved up to the senior ranks.

The Red Booters’ romp included victories in the Special 7-a-side of the Rizal Football Association tournament, their second straight title in the NCAA wars, the Ang Liga, which featured the top teams in the NCAA and the UAAP, and the Unigames, which gathered all the best football squads in the country, and which Fr. Lukas described as their sweetest victory.

"Yan ang pinakamahirap at pinakamasarap dahil andyan lahat ang mga magagaling na teams na tinalo namin," said Fr. Lukas, pointing to the smallest but most valuable possession among four trophies of different sizes.

He, however, laments the lack of support from the SBC alumni considering the honors the Red Booters have been giving the school.

"Look at our team, we’ve won four tournaments this year with hardly any support, even from our alumni. But we cannot do it by ourselves. That’s why I wanted to convey a message to them (alumni) to re-direct their focus from say, basketball, and take a look at our football program, particularly our squad," added Fr. Lukas, noting the team is so talented and full of promise.

Led by Dan Padernal, a 22-year-old gem of a striker from Sta. Barbara, Iloilo, one of the spawning grounds of football talents in the country, the squad is a product of an aggressive program drawn up by Caslib and Fr. Lukas that included extensive scouting and recruitment in the countryside. It has a roster of 28 players with age ranging from 16 to 22 years old with the San Beda High School graduates making up 35 to 40 percent of the team.

"We tap the best players from our high school program although we have players coming from Dumaguete, Zamboanga, Iloilo and Batangas while our goalie is from Cebu," said Caslib, an AB Philosophy graduate who honed and sharpened his coaching skills in Germany.

Completing the list are Paolo Apacible (midfielder), Michael Casas (goalkeeper), Japet Sablon (defender), Jeremias Jiao (midfielder), Billy Corpuz (striker), Edberg Buenaseda (defender), Arvin Carandang (striker), Donald Somoza (midfielder), Christian Cañarosa (striker), James Dimaculangan (striker), Jessan Candolesa (defender), RJ Romero (striker);

Voltaire Pacia (midfielder), Vaughn Melendrez (striker), Mark Villon (defender), Ahmed Tahil (striker), Karl Tan (midfielder), Paolo