Far Eastern University-Diliman and University of Santo Tomas continued to set the pace atop the UAAP Season 88 High School Boys’ Football Tournament standings.
League leaders Baby Tamaraws cruised to a resounding 5–0 victory over the Ateneo Blue Eagles, while defending champions Junior Golden Booters edged 10-man Southridge Admirals, 1–0, in a hard-fought contest.
Meanwhile, Adamson University secured its first victory in program history with a 4–1 trouncing of Claret School of Quezon City.
The result proved doubly significant, as it officially eliminated the Red Roosters from Final Four contention.
FEU-D and UST currently share the top spot with 19 points each, but the Baby Tamaraws hold the lead due to a superior goal difference of plus-20 compared to the Junior Golden Booters’ plus-12.
Rounding out the top five is third-placed De La Salle Zobel (14 points), which was on hiatus this week, followed by Ateneo (13 points) and Southridge (11 points).
Adamson currently sits in sixth place with six points, while Claret remains in seventh with three points following its elimination.
The dominant performance marked a return to form for the Baby Tamaraws. Coming off a disappointing 1–1 draw against La Salle last week, FEU-Diliman unleashed its wrath on Ateneo, replicating its 5–0 shutout from February 17.
Enzo Panganiban stole the show, scoring in the 21st, 73rd, and 77th minutes for the Baby Tamaraws, while John Inocencio and Jerriemy Biton provided an early cushion with goals in the 3rd and 17th minutes, respectively.
“Grabe, pinabilib ako ni Enzo, as always,” said FEU-D coach Jake Morallo on Panganiban, who now has six goals this season. “(Even) in training, he is a very deadly pag sa side namin. Every time may chances siya, he will take them with no hesitation. Kung di mo siya i-guard nang maayos, he will deliver good passes. Very happy with the performance of Enzo today.”
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
The second match of the afternoon saw UST avenge its 1–0 first-round loss to Southridge with a victory by the same scoreline.
Midfielder Roy Panunciar Jr. provided the breakthrough for the Junior Golden Booters, scoring the game’s lone goal in the 30th minute to lift the defending champions.
UST striker Argos Alingalan proved to be a constant menace throughout the match. After forcing a fine save from Southridge goalkeeper Reign Deomampo earlier in the contest, Alingalan later drew a straight red card from Deomampo in the 77th minute following a reckless challenge outside the box.
“Happy ako nakapag 1-0 kami against Southridge,” said Junior Golden Booters deputy David Basa. “Yung hard work namin nag-pay off, especially the boys. Nag-prepare kami talaga against Southridge. May mga plan kami nag-work, may mga plan kami hindi. At least, in the end, nakuha namin yung win.”
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Unlike their first-round encounter on January 31, where Claret prevailed 3–2, it was Adamson’s turn to claim a milestone victory behind Stephen Derrick’s clinical finishing.
Derrick spearheaded the second-half surge with a brace, finding the net in the 71st and 90th minutes to anchor the historic result.
The San Vicente Elementary School product’s goals capped off a dominant performance for the Baby Falcons, with captain Rian Solaiman setting the tone in the 36th minute before Josh Año added a header in the 85th.
Red Roosters forward Rolando Torres had briefly leveled the contest with a header in the 44th minute, but his strike proved to be a false dawn as Derrick and the Baby Falcons’ attack took control after the break.
“I’m just proud of the boys,” said Adamson’s Cameroonian coach Darlton Digha. “When you look at their faces, they’re happy. It’s the first win for them. They made history for Adamson since they’re the first high school team to get three points. I’m just proud of them.”
