CEBU CITY – Central Visayas unleashed its might on several fronts to wrap up the overall championship at the close of the PRISAA National Games here Friday.
Victories in boxing, women’s indoor and beach volleyball, table tennis, and men’s football gave Region 7 the runaway overall winner for the second year in a row in the 20th edition of the premier sportfest for collegiate athletes.
With only the men’s basketball title left to be disputed late yesterday, Central Visayas was on top of the heap with 108 golds, 43 silvers and 36 bronzes, Western Visayas (Region 6) was a far second with 59-47-49 while Region 4-A wound up third again (44-36-42).
“The 2012 PRISAA National Collegiate Games has been a grand success,” said a delighted PRISAA national chairman Emmanuel Angeles at the close of the competition. “This is the most well-organized and well-supported sportsfest I have witnessed in the last 20 years of the meet since we revived it in 1991.”
The Central Visayas bets continued their relentless drive late Wednesday when they picked up four of the eight golds at stake in boxing, which was making its second appearance in the event.
The CV winners were light flyweight Ian Rafuela over Region 12’s William Orendain (2:00, 2nd round), flyweight Dann Lou Codilla over CAR’s Harmon Jay Viado (4-1), Zoro Babel over Zamboanga’s Jestoni Autida (3-2) and Robert Etorima over Jethro Maligro (1:58, 1st round).
Southern Mindanao had three winners in lighweight Quirino Mellejor Jr. over Central Visayas’ Lobert Labanza (1:27, 2nd round), light welterweight Jay-a Inson over Region 7’s Melvin Basinga (2:15, 3rd) and welterweight Lamberto Catipay Jr. over Region 12’s Rey Ortega (5-0).
Bantamweight Roldan Boncales of Region 12 trounced Region 11’s Jolan Bungahoy, 5-0, for boxing’s final gold.
Central Visayas ruled five of seven events, including a sweep of the men’s and women’s doubles, women’s team, doubles and mixed doubles. Western Visayas added the men’s team and men’s singles gold to its collection.
Anchored by varsity players of Southwestern University, the Region 7 volleybelles subdued Southern Mindanao (Region 11), 25-22, 14-25, 25-19, 25-13 to cop the women’s crown even as Calabarzon prevented a sweep of the hosts with a hard-earned 27-29, 25-19, 25-21, 25-20 win for the men’s championship.
Central Visayas overwhelmed Southern Mindanao, 21-13, 21-12, to annex the men’s beach volley plum while Region II topped Region 6, 21-25, 21-10, for the women’s gold.
In football, the Region 7, whose core comes from the University of San Carlos, nipped Region 12, 3-2, for the men’s championship, while its chessers topped the men’s team competition.
Region 4-A took the women’s team and individual chess golds while Socsargen topped the men’s individual competition.
Southern Mindanao routed Region 5 (Southern Tagalog), 7-1, to cop the men’s baseball title even as Western Visayas nipped Northern Mindanao (Region 10), 14-11, in bagging the women’s softball plum.