Ofafa Jericho Sevens coach James Kaili says he will take one game at a time during next month's Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) games in Nakuru after winning the county games on Saturday.
Ofafa stunned powerhouses Upper Hill 7-5 in the final at Lenana School over the weekend and the coach believes they will be competitive for the five-day national extravaganza in the Rift valley
"The message to my boys is to enjoy themselves and take one match at a time. This being the first time are playing at the nationals, we don't want to put so much pressure on ourselves. Remember these are young men who have their academics to focus on,” said Kaili.
Despite the loss, Upper Hill will accompany Ofafa to the nationals.
Ofafa bagged the Prescott Cup schools' crown in July after beating Rift Valley Academy 24-18 in the final.
The coach believes the structures they put in place have finally bone fruit.
“I have been with the team for the past decade and the structures we have put in place have paid off. We invested in Form One and two contrary to some schools, who prioritise Form fours and forget about the younger players,” Kaili revealed.
The Musingu High School alumni expects a competitive championship with schools from Western and Nyanza as the front runners.
“ It will be a tough tournament. The game of Sevens has grown even in schools but I would expect Koyozo and Maseno to be among favourites. We are not scared and we will go and enjoy ourselves in the championships,” he added
Kaili said they have had to adjust their programme since the onset of Covid-19 in March 2020. "It's not been easy for the past two years with no school sport in the country. However, we have dug deep and grown our team to make sure we are competitive,” he added.
Ofafa and Upperhill set up their final clash after emerging from the closely contested semifinals. Ofafa defeated Nairobi School 12-5 as Upper Hill edged Dagoretti School 17-14.
Nairobi School finished third with a 7-5 victory over Dagoretti as hosts Lenana settled for fifth with a 21-0 victory over Jamhuri.
