Kisii School and Agoro Sare have vowed to retain their Nyanza region secondary schools' rugby 15’s and football titles.
Kisii School started their preparations by bagging the Kisii School @90 celebrations tournament while Agoro Sare succumbed 5-4 on penalties to Kisii University.
In rugby 15s final, Kisii School overcame local rivals Cardinal Otunga High School, Mosocho, 43-0.
“It was a good tournament for us. It helped me gauge the boys' fitness levels. We want to participate in Maseno and Mang’u Open tournaments before the season starts,” said Kisii School coach Lee Arstone.
“We have a better team than last year. Our target is to retain our Nyanza title and target to play in the final of the national championships.”
Cardinal Otunga coach Felix Kabondori downplayed the huge loss.
“It was a learning experience for the boys. I’m sure they will improve after two or three tournaments,” he said.
In boys’ football, Kisii University edged Agoro Sare 5-4 on penalties after the teams drew 1-1 in regulation time. In the semis, Agoro Sare beat Getembe 2-0 while Kisii University overcame Kibabii High 1-0.
Agoro Sare coach Bernard Ombija said: “We played against a very good Kisii University side. This tournament gave my boys good exposure. The competition was tough. Our target is to retain our Nyanza title and go for the national crown.”
Last year, Agoro Sare finished fourth at the nationals.
St Theresa’s Nyangusu lifted the girls' title after beating Kereri Girls 3-1 and Geke Mixed 1-0. In the other game, Geke edged Kereri 2-1. The competition attracted three teams and was played in a round-robin format.
Kisii University beat Kereri Girls 2-0 to win the girls' hockey title while Kibabii Boys beat Sameta 3-0 to lift the boys' title. Kisii Falcons saw off Oyugis Hockey to win the clubs’ category.
Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) Kisii Campus beat Migori County champions Sagegi Mixed 3-1 (27-25, 23-25, 25-20, 25-23) to win the boys’ volleyball title. Sagegi claimed the girls’ title after straight-set victories over Kereri, Ichuni Girls and KMTC Kisii Campus.
Nyanchwa Boys defied a hostile home crowd to beat Kisii School 47-41 to clinch the basketball title.
Kereri Girls lifted the girls’ basketball title. Kereri, the Kisii County champions beat Ichuni Girls 11-02 and Manga Girls 20-11. Manga beat Ichuni 39-08 to finish second.
Gusii Stingers beat Igonga 14-13 to win the boys’ handball title while KMTC Kisii campus won the girls’ title after winning all their three games. They beta Kereri Girls 11-4 in the opener, overcame Ichuni 8-0 and ended their campaign with a 19-3 victory over Sagegi.
The tournament, which featured more than 30 schools, will be held annually.
“The turnout was good considering that this was the inaugural edition. We expect to attract more teams next year,” said Kisii School’s head of games Hesborn Chweya.
