FROM outrigger to track & field to soccer, the Public School System held a successful SY23-24 season of various interscholastic sports events filled with thrilling championship matches from each participating public and private schools of all grades and ages.
Here are some highlights from the SY23-24 sports season.
Soccer
In one of the fastest growing sports on island, soccer showcased many talents in both the middle school and high school categories held at the NMI Soccer Training Center.
Saipan International School managed to snag three separate titles as their boys middle school team displayed dominance by silencing Hopwood Middle School 1, 4-0. SIS’ girls team also came out victorious against Hopwood Middle School’s counterparts, 2-0, to claim the girls middle school title. Their third title of the season was claimed by the girls high school team as they outclassed Marianas High School, 5-2.
Marianas High School also joined the podium as they were dubbed the boys high school division champions after rallying past Saipan International School, 2-0.
Softball
With PSS’ successful revival of softball, both private and publics school got a taste of the coveted sport.
In the high school girls division, it was Marianas High School that stole the show as they not only swept the regular season but claimed the title as well after defeating Saipan Southern High School, 11-6, during the championship game in the girls high school division of the inaugural SBL-PSS Interscholastic Softball League SY23-24 held at the Dandan baseball field. The boys highs school division had Kagman High School showing their dominance yielding similar results by sweeping the regular season and playoffs where they outscored Rota’s Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Jr./Sr. High School, 12-8, to claim the championship title.
As for middle school, Tanapag Middle School clinched both the boys and girls championship titles. The boys won by a hair outlasting Hopwood Middle School, 5-4, while the girls defeated Hopwood Middle School in the finals, 9-5.
Outrigger
The Manta Rays proved that they are the best in open waters as Saipan Southern High School swept all three divisions — men’s, women’s, and mixed — of the PSS Interscholastic Outrigger Race Series SY23-24 at Kilili Beach
Throughout the series, the SSHS boys team performed flawlessly acquiring a perfect score of 85 points to claim the championship. KHS placed second with 43 points while MHS finished third with 22. The SSHS girls team won the title with 73 points while MHS settled for second place with 51. KHS was third with 26. And in the mixed division, SSHS still stood tall in first place with a total of 65 points followed by MHS with 54, and KHS with 22.
Track & Field (Athletics)
In the track & field and athletics scene, Agape Christian School remains supreme in the high school category as both their boys and girls successfully defended their titles.
ACS led the high school boys division with a total of 90 points followed by MHS with 86, Kagman High School with 79, Grace Christian Academy with 32, Tinian Jr./Sr, High School with 29, Saipan Southern High School with 26, Saipan International School with 24, and Mount Carmel with 2. As for the girls team, placing in nearly every event, ACS secured the overall title by more than the proverbial mile, garnering a total of 149 points followed by SSHS with 56, SIS with 48, MHS with 39, TIN with 28, KHS with 20, and GCA with 12,
Basketball
Francisco M. Sablan Middle School proved all doubters wrong as they fought through the championship tournament undefeated and triumphed in a nail-biting finale against Saipan International School, 29-26, to win the boys middle school division title of the IT&E-PSS Interscholastic Basketball League held at the Marianas High School gym.
In the girls division, Grace Christian Academy capped a dominant season by trouncing Dandan Middle School, 28-6.
Volleyball
FOR the third straight year, the Koblerville Elementary School Hugging Umangs have retained the co-ed elementary school division title of the NMIVA-PSS Interscholastic Volleyball League SY23-24, this time by defeating the Kagman Elementary School Blue Marlins in two sets (21-13, 18-11) at the Oleai Sports Complex.
