BDFA First Division Tournament Finally Concludes  

Good evening and welcome to another exciting edition of Sports Monday! I’m Paul Lopez, and tonight we have some thrilling highlights from the final match of the Belize District Football Association’s First Division Tournament. You might remember that the finals were postponed due to a tragic incident during the semi-finals, where a spectator was fatally shot. But on Saturday, the atmosphere was much safer with heightened security measures. Over a dozen police officers were on duty, and everyone’s bags were thoroughly checked at the entrance to the Marion Jones Sporting Complex. 

 

Now, let’s get to the main event! Tut Bay F.C. faced off against Survivors F.C. in a thrilling showdown for all the marbles. Thirty-one minutes into the game, a throw in for Survivors went into the penalty box. The ball was set up right in front of the goal, and Troy Augustine was in the perfect spot to score for his team. Less than a minute into the second half, Tut Bay’s Calvin Thurton spots an opportunity after the goalkeeper fumbles a Hail Mary. Thurton seized the opportunity and kicked the ball into the net while the goalkeeper was out of position. With that, Tut Bay leveled the score. Twenty minutes later Tut Bay’s Raheim Herbert broke away from midfield with the ball. He sprinted down the left wing and launched a bullet towards the goal before the defense caught up. Herbert gave his team the lead, but the match was far from over.

 

As the sun set and the stadium lights came on, Survivors got another chance. A major blunder by Tut Bay in the penalty box set up Shemar Gillett perfectly, and he didn’t miss, tying the game once again. Well folks, this long anticipated showdown went into overtime. Four minutes into overtime, Survivors executed a beautiful pass through the legs of Tut Bay’s defender. Devon Augustine was in position to clean up and make the goal count. Twelve minutes into overtime, Augustine made another move down the left field. He gave the defender a hard shove, almost like a push, sending him crashing into the goalkeeper. Augustine scored the ball in an open goal. Tut Bay saw some relief from this long pass across the field, with the chase down by Tut Bay’s Calvin Thurton led to a faceoff with the goal keeper. A controlled tap over the keeper’s head placed the ball in the goal.

 

And that’s the final score, with Survivors F.C. edging out Tut Bay F.C. four to three. Survivors F.C. are your 2024-2025 Belize District First Division Champions and will represent the east in the upcoming inter-district tournament. Now, let’s check out some of the individual awards handed out during the tournament. Best Management of the Season and Best Coach went to Jermyn Swift and the Reggae Boyz.

 

From football we move over to some softball action. Saint Catherine Academy took on Pallotti High School on Saturday in the Central Secondary School Softball Tournament. Here is how that one played out. S.C.A. is first up to bat. K’lee Kelly swings and sends the ball towards third base. She sends her teammate to the home plate and makes it to third base after stealing two bases. Number eleven for S.C.A up to bat. The pitcher fielded the hit, but the first baseman fumbled and then overthrew it to the catcher, allowing Kelly to score. S.C.A. racked up six runs in the first inning, and their cheerleaders went wild.

 

Still in the first inning, Pallotti High School took to the batter’s box. Chriselda Thomas is up to bat with runners on second and third. She hits towards first base. S.C.A. gets the out, but it’s a small sacrifice for Thomas, because she brought in two runs. Pallotti had their best inning in the second, scoring seven runs. However, S.C.A. managed to hold them to just two more runs for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, S.C.A. scored three runs in the third inning, four in the fourth, and one in the fifth. In the end, S.C.A. emerged victorious with a score of fourteen to eleven.

 

In other softball news, the University of Belize Jaguars dethroned Independence Junior College to win the ATLIB Softball National Championship over the weekend. The games took place in Esperanza Village and featured five tertiary institutions. Congratulations to the U.B. Jaguars on their impressive achievement.

 

And finally, for tonight, Cyclist Derrick “Young Phenom” Chavarria travelled to the Dominican Republic last week to compete in the nation’s Intendance Cycling Tour. By the end of the tour, Chavarria had an impressive haul: a silver medal in the Under-23 category, another silver for consistency, and a gold medal for winning stage five. Congratulations to Chavarria. Well folks, that is all we have for you in today’s installment of Sports Monday. Catch you in the next one.