By James Sablan
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Variety News Staff
THE PSS-NMNPSF Interscholastic Outrigger Race Series SY25-26 was a season to remember for Marianas High School teams, as they completed a championship sweep with strong performances by both their men’s and women’s squads last Sunday at Kilili Beach.
The road to glory was paved with precision, persistence, and performance during the double-points preliminary and final rounds.
Girls’ division
MHS was unrivaled in the girls’ division, powering their way to a championship title. The team set the tone in the preliminary round with a first-place finish of 15:34.50 — over a minute ahead of the competition — earning 14 points. Saipan Southern High School came second at 16:40.20 for 10 points, followed by Mount Carmel School at 16:42.90 for 6 points, and Kagman High School at 17:41.10 for 2 points.
MHS widened the gap during the finals, finishing in 15:36.10 to add 28 points and secure the championship with an overwhelming total of 42 points in the finals. SSHS came second at 16:21.90 (20 points), followed by MCS at 16:36.20 (12 points) and KHS at 17:01.80 (4 points). Overall, MHS led the leaderboard with 140 points, SSHS had 85, MCS 47, and KHS 42.
Boys’ division
In the boys’ division, SSHS stole the show. They dominated the preliminaries with a first-place finish of 13:32.90 for 14 points. MHS followed with 13:39.70 for 10 points, MCS with 14:03.40 for 6 points, and KHS with 14:50.30 for 2 points.
SSHS continued their dominance in the finals with 13:26.80 (28 points), followed by MHS at 13:33.40 (20 points), MCS at 13:53.60 (12 points), and KHS at 14:12.10 (4 points). Despite trailing in the finals, the MHS boys squad’s consistent performance throughout the season earned them the championship with 98 total points. SSHS finished second with 94 points, MCS third with 72, and KHS fourth with 50.
Coaches’ reflections
The path to victory was not without challenges. MHS head coach Emma Chong and assistant coach Erryne Dasalla reflected on the season’s unique dynamics.
“It started out really stressful,” Chong admitted. “This is where I’d like to thank Erryne; she came on about a month and a half before the season and helped me. I had all of them by myself for a while, and she is my angel from heaven.”
The coaches also navigated the introduction of a new Junior Varsity category. “The big difference was that we didn’t have the inclusion of the JV category,” Chong continued. “So that kind of threw a wrench in our plans, and we had to adjust a lot.”
Despite the stress, the coaches praised their athletes. Chong noted, “The kids were amazing this school year — very respectful and always willing to learn. They’re great.” Dasalla added, “They were really motivated by each other. Even when they got third, they were like, ‘Oh yeah, we got third! We’re there!'”
James Sablan has been a sports reporter for Variety since 2013. He was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College and covers all local sports.
