KNIGHTS WIN SUGAR AND SPICE MIDDLE SCHOOL FESTIVAL

PRESS RELEASE – St. John’s School showcased its perennial prowess on the pitch with a 2-0 win over Astumbo Middle School in the 16^th Annual Sugar and Spice Middle School Girls Football Festival championship match Sunday afternoon at the Guam Football Association National Training Center.

Two goals from eighth-grader Melu Harmon secured the Knights’ third-straight title in the annual event supported by Japan Football Association.

“It feels amazing for this win – first off, in the regular season, we were able to three-peat and now also with this tournament,” Harmon said after the match. “We all helped each other along the way, and it was an honor for me to play alongside them and win championships. Most of the players we have now are new and different from the previous championship teams. We started out rough, but in the end, we shaped ourselves into a strong team – it was perfect and I couldn’t ask for anything better. 

“For the younger players on this team moving into next year’s league and tournament, I would just tell them to keep playing the sport, just keep improving. Honestly, it’s just amazing how all girls with the same goals can come together and play as a team – it’s beautiful,” added Harmon when asked for advice to give sixth and seventh graders on the team.

Harmon had been a part of the team since she was a sixth grader and has been part of each of the team’s championship win in the IIAAG Girls Middle School League and the Sugar and Spice Middle School Girls Football Festival. She credits Knights coach P.K. Harmon, who is also her father, as well as her brother Curtis “Meto” Harmon for assisting in her football development, as well as the teams over the years.

In Saturday’s event, St. John’s School dominated in the group stage, scoring 20 goals in three matches and allowing zero to top Group B and set up a semifinal with Group D winners, Luis P. Untalan Middle School Wildcats. The Wildcats finished the group stage with a 2-0-1 record, scoring four goals in three matches played and allowing zero.

In the ensuing semifinal match, St. John’s won 1-0 for a ticket to the championship match against Astumbo.

Astumbo was the other lone team with a perfect 3-0 record in the group stage. The Dragons scored seven goals in three matches and allowed zero, to top Group C. Astumbo set up a semifinal match against Oceanview Middle School after the Knights topped Group A with a 2-0-1 record, scoring five goals in three matches played and allowed two. Astumbo won 1-0 over Oceanview for its ticket to the festival’s final match against St. John’s School in a repeat from last year’s championship fixture.

This year’s festival featured 16 teams with over 450 players total registered on team rosters: Andersen Middle School, Astumbo Middle School, two teams from Bishop Baumgartner Memorial Catholic School, Cmdr. William C. McCool Elementary/Middle School, F.B. Leon Guerrero Middle School, Guahan Academy Charter School, Inarajan Middle School, Jose Rios Middle School, Luis P. Untalan Middle School, Oceanview Middle School, SIFA Learning Academy Charter School, St. Anthony Catholic School, St. Francis Catholic School, St. John’s School, Vicente S.A. Benavente Middle School.

The festival is the first of four major tournaments held in the month of March to also celebrate AFC Women’s Football Day. The next event is the annual GFA Challenge Cup Girls High School Preseason Tournament supported by Japan Football Association set for Mar. 16, followed by the championship match of the Bud Light G League Women set for Mar. 23. The month’s celebrations conclude with the second annual Tokyo Friendlies Tournament set for Mar. 29. Seven youth clubs from the Triple J Auto Group Robbie Webber Youth League will compete in a one-day tournament with a visiting team from Tokyo Football Association.