Fallen giants seek redemption in national schools championships

When this year’s Secondary Schools Term One National Games get underway  on Tuesday at Machakos Boys High School, giants of yesteryears will be hoping to leave a mark on their return to the annual championship.

The games, sponsored by Brookside Dairy, will feature rugby 15s, basketball, hockey, handball, swimming, athletics and cross country. The top three teams in each discipline will represent Kenya at the East Africa Secondary School Games in Uganda in August.

Former giants Lenana School (rugby15s), Pangani Girls High School (hockey), Buru Buru Girls Secondary, and Sigalame Boys High School (both basketball) are among teams hoping to reclaim lost glory.

Lenana School last played at the nationals 17 years ago, and all members of the current squad had not been born. Their coach Nick Abok was still a teenager. The Nairobi Region champions are now hoping to dominate rugby 15s after years of watching from the sidelines as teams from Western, Nyanza, and Nairobi run the show at their expense.

Lenana, who won the national title in 1990, 1994, and 1999, now have a chance of making it four. Coach Abok admits the pain of playing second fiddle to other teams for a long time motivates them to fight their way back to the top.

“I am proud to be associated with our renaissance and I hope this journey will culminate in us clinching the national title on Saturday,” Abok told Nation Sport yesterday.

“We have suffered years of heartbreak and pain in our quest to get back to the nationals and I know the team will not take this opportunity for granted. We will not be pushovers,” he warned.

“Changez” beat Upper Hill School 6-5 in the Nairobi Region finals, with Joel Ochego kicking two penalties to hand them victory.

The winger’s kicking skills will be needed in Machakos if his side is to wrestle the title from Busia County’s Butula Boys High School. Lenana are in Pool ‘B’ and will open their campaign against Eastern Region’s Kitondo Secondary School, before battling Marafa Secondary School (Coast) and Mang’u High School from Central. Pool ‘A’ has holders Butula, last season’s runners-up All Saints Embu High School (Eastern), Nyanza’s Kisii School, and St Patrick’s Iten from Rift Valley. The top two from each pool will qualify for the semi-finals.

Over at Pangani High School, expectations are high as the team prepares to return to the national stage after a seven-year hiatus.

Pangani dominated hockey in the 90s and 2000s, winning the national title seven times, including four in a row from 1997 to 2000. Some of the notable names who played for the school are former internationals Hellen Chemutai and Jackline Mwangi.

However, after winning their last national title in 2008, "Pango" struggled to reach their previous heights as other schools dominated the sport.

Pangani’s coach, Eunice Obalo, believes it is time for them to reclaim their rightful place at the apex of school hockey.

 “We have watched for years as other schools achieved success at our expense while we continued to suffer heartbreak. I am so happy that we are back among the best of Kenyan hockey," Obalo told Nation Sport yesterday.

Pangani are in a tough pool “A” that has defending champions Nyamira Girls High School (Nyanza), Western’s Tigoi High School, and AIC Nyayo Girls Secondary School from Eastern. Their first match against Nyamira will underline their title intentions.

For Buru Buru, their last appearance at the nationals in 2019 was a happy one as they won the girls’ basketball title after beating current champions Kaya Tiwi High School. Buru coach Julius Otieno is relishing another clash with the Coastal side.

Sigalame are also back on the national stage after their last appearance in 2019. The Western Region champions were beaten finalists in their maiden appearance in 2018, losing to holders Laiser Hill.