GUEST schools Claret School of Quezon City and PAREF Southridge School are set for a baptism of fire as they make their UAAP Season 87 High School Boys’ Football Tournament debut on Saturday at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
The Southridge Admirals will face last season’s runners-up University of Santo Tomas Junior Golden Booters while the Claret Red Roosters take on defending champions Far Eastern University-Diliman Baby Tamaraws in the evening match at 7:00 p.m.
Baby Tamaraws head coach Albert Besa acknowledges the challenge of keeping the throne, as they aim for a record-extending 13th straight championship in a league that now features six teams.
“Our target is to give it our best, and hopefully, the results will follow,” said Besa, who is also currently coaching the Philippine Women’s National Futsal Team in its 2025 AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup qualification campaign in Uzbekistan.
“There’s a lot of pressure on the team to defend the title and complete the treble, but with hard work and if it’s His will, we will achieve the 13-peat,” he added.
Despite the tough opening fixture, the Red Roosters are eager to prove their mettle.
Head coach Feb Baya, a former University of the Philippines standout, emphasized the importance of a solid defensive strategy.
“We know FEU has been a dominant force and the defending champions, so we’ve prepared by emphasizing defensive stability,” said Baya. “Our priority is to keep our shape tight as a team, especially with our back four. It’s about staying disciplined defensively and being decisive when opportunities come.”
The Junior Golden Booters, meanwhile, are determined to overcome the heartbreak of last season’s 3-0 loss in the Final against FEU-D.
This season, UST is driven to finally claim its first high school football title.
“Objective ng team na makapasok muna ulit sa finals this season,” said UST coach Marjo Allado. “Once na ma-qualify sa final, try namin yung best na manalo kung sino din yung magiging opponent.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Like Claret, Southridge is eager to showcase its readiness for UAAP-level competition.
Admirals team manager Ryan Fermin shared how the team prepared extensively over the past four months, including through the holiday period, to make the most of their league debut.
“We’ve prepared very hard to come up with a tactical game plan to hopefully manage UST’s strengths while exploring ways to attack them,” said Fermin.
He also noted the advantage of having played two to three practice matches against UST, saying, “It gave us a chance to understand them better. We also studied how their men’s team played in the first round to identify similar traits with their juniors.”
Between the two matches, the storied Ateneo-La Salle rivalry will take center stage at 4:30 p.m.
The two schools enter the season with contrasting narratives.
The Blue Eagles aim to improve on three consecutive last-place finishes in Seasons 82, 85, and 86.
Despite the success of its collegiate men’s team, Ateneo’s last high school football crown came in Season 72.
“From last year’s result and standing, my goal is to improve Ateneo’s performance this season,” said Blue Eagles head coach JP Merida, who guided Ateneo’s collegiate men’s team to the Season 87 Final last December. “It’s a big challenge because of the competitive recruitment landscape in the high school division, but we’ll try our best to make it to the final match.”
On the other hand, the Junior Green Booters are determined to finally secure the title after narrowly missing out in Seasons 79, 80, and 85.
DLSZ’s only high school football championship came in Season 70 when the event was still a demonstration sport.
“To win, of course,” said Matthew Nierras, part of the Junior Green Booters’ coaching staff. “Our last and only championship was in Season 70 under Coach Hans (Smit). We’ve come close several times, especially in Season 85, so the goal is to finally win it all this year.”
