SMEGSS Football team celebrate as they receive their trophy. Photo by Godwin Abedican

By Godwin Abedican
 
Arua
 
St. Mary’s Ediofe Girls Secondary School (SMEGSS) and Mvara Secondary School, have won the 2024 Arua city post primary football games for the girls’ and boys’ football respectively.
 
The tournament which started with the group stages on March 15, 2024 concluded on Monday 25^th march 2024 at Barifa stadium in Arua city.
 
In the girls’ finals, SMEGSS played against Mvara Secondary School girl’s football team beating them 1 goal to nil, following a goal scored by Vivian charity, an S.3 student.  
 
Vivian whose goal won her school the championship says she looks forwards to becoming a great footballer in future. “First of all, this is my first time to play football at school level. The reason I have chosen to do so is because I have been made to believe that I have the potential of being a good football, my school mates encourage me a lot and from here forward I want to take football seriously and become a football star,” Vivian said amidst joy during an interview with the media.
 
According to Gertrude Sitaraya, a senior 4 candidate and the team captain SMEGSS, this year’s format of the competition provided them a better learning ground towards becoming the champions.
 
Meanwhile, the team coach SMEGSS Benard Eriku, attributes this victory to the tactics employed throughout the tournament.  “From the onset of the games we set a target to win the trophy having missed it narrowly last years and that’s why we had all our energy to win this tournament. It all comes to the game tactics and plans that we had,” Eriku explained.
 
Coached by Samson Caesar Okhuti, Onduparaka FC’s coach-player, Mvara secondary school boys’ team brushed aside the defending champions Arua secondary beating them 4 goals to nil.
 
Mvara SS boys team celebrating winning the championship.
Photo by Godwin Abedican
 
Coming into the game as defending champions, Arua secondary school could not hold the pace Mvara had for the game this time in a repeat of last year’s final fixture that saw them beat Mvara SS on penalties.
 
According to the school coach this was as result of lessons learnt from last year’s finals. “I think it was am experience learnt because having known where we had gone wrong, we managed to come back home and reorganize ourselves because the game really showed we prepared ourselves very well. To me we really deserved the win because winning a final with that goal margin means a lot,” Okhuti mentioned.
He expresses gratitude to the school and the team for the support and unity during the tournament as he dedicates the trophy as gift to the school for the Lent period and an Easter package to the school.
 
As winners for the boys’ category, Jackson Hebrews, the team captain of Mvara boys team says, this is a dream come true due to team work as he celebrates winning his first major trophy in his football career as a team captain. “Winning this trophy has been my priority since I joined Mvara in 2018 and it’s the first time it has happened. It means a lot to me and I consider it as my first major trophy as a captain. We lost it last year but we came back to claim it together as a team. The team discipline stands at 99% and we cooperate as a team and this was key for this victory,” Jackson said in excitement.
 
In the run to the finals through the group stages of the tournament none of the two teams conceded a goal in the open play, making them emerge champions on clean sheets.
 
The trophies that were given to the top three teams.
Photo by Godwin Abedican
 
The conclusion of the tournament sees Arua city presenting 3 boys’ teams and 3 girls’ teams for the regional tournament. 
 
Mvara SS the champions in the boys category, Arua Secondary School the runner-up and Niva High (former Nile High Ediofe road, who won the third place playoffs are the 3 boys teams, while the girls champions St. Mary’s Ediofe Girls Secondary School, Mvara Secondary School, the runner-up and Muni Girls Secondary School, the third place playoffs winners, will have girls teams for the regional tournament scheduled to take place next month in Koboko.