Andaya shatters his way through finals; seizes SC’s first billiards gold and special award

Geiger Zeus Lance Andaya of Santiago City National High School (SCNHS) closed the match through a break and run with his Quirino rival, Kane Daren Tigas, 5-2, to tally their first gold medal in the Billiards Boys Race to five 9-ball Championship during the last day of the 2022 DepEd Dos Regional Invitational Sporting Event (RISE) at Cauayan Sports Complex.

Andaya gathered a special award after pounding his way through the double-elimination round by cruising past the spirited Cagayan in the first round, 4-2. He survived the do-or-die match against Isabela in the second round, 4-3, and crushed his Quirino rival, 4-1, in the semis.

Tigas went on to win the lower-bracket finals to face Andaya once again. The Santiago assassin used his reflective shots and ball cuttings to trample the opponent’s veteran moves and secure an early three-racks-tonothing lead. The latter fought back and stole one rack, 3-1, but Andaya suddenly loosened up his cool and unleashed flawless combos to inch closer to the gold, 4-1. The Quirinian battled it out with his close-to-accurate salvos to stop the assassin’s momentum, 4-2, but he did not let the battle go any longer as he capitalized on the series of miscues given by Tigas and secured the last round, 5-2, via a Break and Run out fashion. He ended up winning a special award for the win streak throughout the competition and gave his home the first gold medal in the sport.

While the learners are on cloud nine, they seek more than just a game. The youngsters want to know who among them is the best of the best when it comes to a specific electronic game. They set the pressure on and conduct competitions everywhere. Each team established its boot camp to prepare themselves for war. Some were born with talents, and few have the trait of hardworking. As the wild creatures collide, they will determine who will be the king of the jungle. But, winning or losing is not the thought of the city high students. The very reason why they joined such events is to test their abilities and strategies on how to catch victory. Most importantly, cyber game tournaments stretch out how strong the team endures and how they comprehend sportsmanship.

Win or lose doesn’t matter. What signifies most is that these schoolboys gave their best. Electronic games show these high schoolers how to accept defeat and learn. With their skills and talents, they make names for themselves. Debunking the myth that these games will catalyze students to go violent and airheaded, while in fact, cyber games help students be strategic, critical, communicative, and content. However, too much fun in the virtual world will lock a person forever.

Too much of everything is as bad as too little. Some juniors prioritize their online games rather than their studies. Because of arrant playing, several schoolers spoon-feed their brains with gadgets. Instead of being excellent players, they were swallowed by the game. They tend to forget to care for themselves since the galore of the time is covered with games. When discipline is lost, they become wild monkeys when disturbed. On the other hand, no relaxation kills a person. People are like batteries; they need to recharge to function.

When the world throws challenges, the learners will surely end up sleeping with the fishes if rest was never an option. Just like in the real world, cyber society brings you short-term joys and sorrows. However, you cannot escape the virtual world once you become an addict. Do you still want to continue, player one?

DepEd Spikers ruled over the heart-thumping three-set match against SIMC Warriors, 2-1, to secure the first place in the Juanalympics – Volleyball Men’s Championship, at the Bulwagan ng Mamamayan, March 12.

Despite having no training prior to the match and being called to participate at the last minute, Angelito Capili of Santiago City National High School (SCNHS) and Rowel Antonio of Sta. Rosa Elementary School (SRES) brought their A-game and pummelled through the match with their set-and-spike combination to usher DepEd Spikers to victory before a SIMC Warriors-favored crowd.

DepEd opened the first set with a service, but Sam Quijano’s blazing spike earned them the first blood, followed by an error from SIMC to tie the first set, 1-1.

TARGET LOCKED. DepEd Spiker’s Utility Spiker Angelito Capili mustered a coup and dispatched SIMC Warriors, netting the first-place finish en route to the Juanalympics – Volleyball Men’s Championship.

Just as the Quijano-led squad thought they were neck and neck with DepEd, Antonio drilled five powerful spikes to spark a commanding 22-14 lead, but a quick drop from Capili sealed off the first set for their team, 25-15. It was a nip-and-tuck rally that opened the second set, but Raymond Torres of SIMC went big with a surprising drop followed by a service ace to pull off a two-point lead, 9-7.

After a slim 10-9 SIMC lead off from a DepEd error, SIMC found their footing and came alive with a crucial 8-2 scoring, finished off with three service aces from Kevin Sabiniano to eke out an 18-11 win. DepEd managed to oppose the domination and take away the lead to four points, 24-20, but a costly net error from Felipe Quiravu caused them the second set and tied the series for one set apiece, 25-20.

It was a down-the-wire battle at the start of the third and last set when Quijano tried to take over by unshackling his blasting spikes, 4-0, but DepEd seized back control with Capili’s playmaking prowess and accurate tosses, 4-3.

It was all back and forth from then onward until Antonio went berserk and unleashed three game-winning kills off Capili’s well-placed tosses to finally close the game in a nail-biting fashion, 15-12.

“Ang sa tingin kong factor na nagpanalo sa amin ay ‘yong solid teamwork. Hindi kasi siya masusukat sa individual aptitudes lang, e.” Capili said.

Moreover, he pointed out that despite their different delegation of tasks, every contribution weighs. We collaborated effectively, hence; we reached the desired outcomes,” the SCNHS MAPEH teacher added.

Set Scores: 25-15, 20-25,15-12