In what will be only the second meeting of the schools today, St. Pius and Redeemer will battle for the coveted Courts Optical Pee Wee Football Championship, with both teams expressing confidence in emerging victorious at the Ministry of Education ground.
The respective declarations were made by team representatives at the pre-match press conference yesterday at the National Library on Main Street and Church Road.
The previous meeting between the two undefeated teams occurred in 2022 and resulted in a 2-1 quarterfinal win for two-time champion St. Pius, who are making their fifth appearance in the final.
Vice-captain of the Middle Road-based outfit Clive Jacobs, during brief remarks, said, “We are here to win because last year we did not win.”
Similarly, Milessa Rodrigues, manager of the team, said that the team is very excited about the final, noting that while the team will accept the outcome of the contest, she is confident of securing a positive result.
On the other side, Redeemer, who are making their maiden final’s appearance, is aiming to exact revenge on their storied opponent given the result of the previous encounter.
Redeemer captain Adiel Hamilton said, “In the quarterfinals last year, we lost to them, and we were devastated. Now we are in the final, and we are looking forward to beating them.”
Likewise, Travis Bess, head coach of Redeemer, said, “It has been a pleasure to participate in this tournament. I made my debut last year, and we were very disappointed at the loss last year to St. Pius, as my captain said, and since then, our objective has been to improve and win the tournament.”
Meanwhile, Courts Optical Brand Manager Richard Simpson said that the tournament has exposed significant talents, noting that the event has provided an opportunity for players to start a bright future in the sport.
Simpson revealed that the company will create a family atmosphere to conclude the tournament, adding that the partnership between Courts Guyana and Petra Organisation has been further solidified given the success of the event.
