FRIARS MOVE ON, AIM FOR 7TH STRAIGHT FOOTBALL CROWN

By Nick Akimoto

After defeating the JFK Islanders 36-0, the Father Duenas Friars are making their eighth consecutive trip to the High School Football Championship. It was another shutout for the Friar Defense, as the ‘Maroon Wall’ held JFK’s offense to 4 total yards. 

On offense, FD opted to put the ball on the ground, rushing for four touchdowns. Running back Jaron Meno was crucial in the Friars attack, breaking through JFK tackles to put the Friars in scoring positions. 

“Feels great to be a part of the FD tradition, but we got one week to get it together. Still gotta put in the work. Job’s not done. Just gotta keep going,” said Meno, who racked up 97 total yards on offense and off of a kick return which he turned for 37 yards. 

Quarterback Alex Sojo orchestrated the FD offense, passing for 43 yards and a passing touchdown before retiring early in the second quarter. Sojo had 17 yards on the ground, which he collected on a 16-yarder off a broken play and capped off with a QB dive. Sojo’s touchdown in the air was to his favorite target, Trey Blas, who cut in his route to avoid the cornerback and turned it back to get into the end zone. 

“We still feel like we need to work in practice. We need to pick up our pace. We need to do better, prepare for the next championship, and pray we can do our best,” said the star QB Sojo. 

The Islanders gave the FD offensive line their biggest test so far, as the JFK defensive rush was able to find its way to the backfield for three sacks and three tackles for loss. Jack Aquiningnoc and Noah Medler led JFK’s defense in tackles, with five tackles a piece. Aquiningnoc had a tackle for loss and a sack in the Friars backfield. 

On the other side of the ball, the Friars defense has continued to have a historic season, giving up not so much as a single point the entire season. Defensive end Chase Artero wreaked havoc on the Islander backfield, getting to the quarterback twice, tackling the running back for a loss, and swatting down a screen play attempt. 

“Feels good. We go to practice every day and work hard. It’s nice to see the hard work pay off but there’s still more work to do,” said Artero. 

Besides Artero, FD saw big contributions from the usual members of the Friars wrecking crew. Tristan Burgos and Caleb Murphy shared a sack in the backfield, and Burgos was credited with a blocked field goal after bull rushing his blocker straight into the kick. 

“We’ve been working very hard in practice. I’m very confident in my team, but I think we should work harder in practice,” said Burgos. 

‘GOTTA KEEP GOING‘

With the 65th straight win in the program’s history under their belts, the Friars move on to a championship matchup with the Guam High Panthers. We still have yet to see how FD matches up against the Panthers, as the Panthers opted to forfeit their regular season matchup against the team, but now the stage is set for a battle between the top two teams in the league. 

The Friars will face off against the Panthers Saturday, May 27th, at GW Field at 7pm. The Panthers had a big 28-0 win over the GW Geckos in the other semifinals.

The championship game will be LIVE on www.guamsportsnetwork.com

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