By Patrick Lujan
Taking a look back at the 2024 calendar, it was more of the same in terms of high school sports domination by the Father Duenas Friars, Guam sent a solid delegation to the Olympic Games in Paris and the IIAAG and ISA leagues finally found a way to combine the public and private schools to play once again after six years – at least for now. Village sporting facilities also are going through facelifts from the ARPA funds.
Back to the FD sports program. Look at their championships in 2024.
Golf (March)
Beach Volleyball (March)
Basketball (March)
Rugby (March)
Volleyball (May)
Football (November)
Boys 3×3 Basketball (November)
Baseball (December)
Soccer (December)
You can count wrestling as reigning champs, but that season ended in late December 2023 and the current wrestling season won’t end until Jan 10-11. What didn’t the Friars win? Cross country, track & field, tennis and bowling.
Here’s a look back at the sports highlights from month to month.
JANUARY
– FD Friars shut out JFK Islanders in boys soccer Champion of Champions match.
– Wrestling coach Terry Debold retires after coaching for 40 years
– Academy Cougars wins Kanto Plains Classic girls basketball
– Gapplers Quest two-day tournament hosted by Brandon Vera
– St. Paul Warriors capped off IIAAG, Champion of Champions and then Far East championship girls basketball
FEBRUARY
– Guam def Mongolia 74-63 in men’s FIBA basketball
MARCH
– GW def Okkodo 41-38 in ISA boys basketball championship
– Edward Oingerang and Jen Camacho win MTB championship
– De’Aundre Cruz signs with Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League
– FD wins 4th straight IIAAG Boys Basketball 64-56 over Guam High
– Academy upsets Guam High in fastpitch softball 13-4
– FD and Academy take rugby titles
– Roque Martinez regains Deep megaton belt
– FD def. GW in a classic 66-65 Champion of Champions
– FD’s Colin Baker scores 61 (15 3-pointers) in Manila tournament 127-123 v Sanchez
APRIL
– Guam wins 7-6 over South Korea in Asia-Pacific Little League senior division in Auckland
– Manami Iijima-Martin silver in Asia Triathlon Cup in Pokhara
– Atos Academy wins team Patgon Jiu-Jitsu Spring tournament
MAY
– Basketball coach Gerard Barnes passes away at 73
– Friars win 6th straight IIAAG boys vollleyball title
– GW Geckos def GAA Angels in five sets for boys volleyball ISA champions
– Bailey Concepcion signed for 2nd year with Seattle Seahawks dance team
– FD def GW in four sets in Champion v Champion boys volleyball game
– JFK wins 4th straight girls ISA soccer title over Southern 2-1.
– First ever youth girls flag football league
JUNE
– Guam’s first ever Ninja Warrior Games takes place at Micronesia Mall
– Tao Tao Mana wins 2024 Guam Rugby Cup
– Ivan Sablan and Tyanna Jacot defend Guam Amateur Golf Championship titles
10th Micro Games in Majuro:
- men’s and women’s 3×3 and 5×5 basketball gold
- Underwater Spearfishing gold
- Regine Tugade breaks Guam and Micronesian 100m record of 11.76 seconds to win gold
JULY
– Roque Martinez wins fight in Black Combat (South Korea)
– Jacob Torres and Mieko Carey win Guam National Triathlon
– Class of ‘16/’17 wins FD Alumni Basketball Tournament in dramatic fashion
– Athletes compete at the Paris Olympic Games: Nicola Lagatao, Aquino Sisters, Raina Taitingfong, Joe Green, Regine Tugade, Manami Iijima-Martin and Maria Escano
– Rob Lizama earns his pro bodybuilding card stateside
AUGUST
– Guam’s U15 girls soccer team beats Mongolia, Macau and CNMI in international play in China
– Top runner Hugh Kent signs to run with the University of Portland
– Nekhi Freeman runs wild in leading the Metgot Division Faha Outlaws to undefeated season in the GNYFF. The older Outlaws also made team history, winning its first ever Matua Division title.
SEPTEMBER
– Jeremiah Camacho wins the U22 Hong Kong Storm Cup bowling championship and later the overall Asian Intercity Bowling Championship in Malaysia.
– FD Friars start their new campaign to add to high school football winning streak
OCTOBER
– Guam High Panthers once again win high school boys and girls cross country titles and later the overall Asia Pacific Invitational in Japan
– Academy Cougars win back-to-back IIAAG Girls Volleyball League, cruising past the Harvest Eagles, and later the Far East Volleyball Tournament
– Sanchez Sharks win back-to-back ISA Girls Volleyball League, taking out the GW Geckos in five set. Unfortunately, a Champion v Champion game with Academy never materialized
– Long-time football/basketball referee John Benavente passes away
– Largest Marianas Open Jiu-Jitsu Tournament to date
NOVEMBER
– FD Friars football win their 9th straight championship and extend their winning streak to 81 games, but not without a fight from the GW Geckos in the title game. A safety and field goal was all that was mustered in FD’s 5-0 win over GW.
– Guam’s men’s national rugby team gets back into international competition after five years and beats the Philippines national team 24-10.
– Elton Bautista was once again crowned Guam’s Strongest Man for the third straight year after winning GSPN’s I Mås Metgot Competition. First-timer Janelle Jones took the women’s division.
– In the biggest basketball game hosted by Guam in international play, Guam nearly pulled off an upset over Japan in FIBA Asia Cup Qualifier action at the UOG Calvo Field House.
– FD Friars win the inaugural high school boys 3×3 league
DECEMBER
– Fifty four powerlifters take part in the first ever sanctioned event under the USA Powerlifting format
– FD Friars complete an undefeated baseball season with an 11-0 shutout over the ND Royals
– Guam’s first ever slap competition is part of the Scraps promotion
– MVP Jia Peters leads the St. John’s Knights to the school’s first ever girls high school basketball championship in a well-played game with the Academy Cougars
– FD Friars edge out the JFK Islanders 2-1 for the boys soccer championship, the first time in six years the public and private schools combined
– Roque Martinez finishes the year with a tough loss in South Korea’s Black Combat. Martinez dropped to light heavyweight for the first time in his career, but dropped a decision in a fight he felt he won. The future of the champ is up in the air.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE. MAY 2025 BRING US MANY BLESSINGS!
