by Mr. Adrian Asis, HS English Teacher

The Xavier junior paddlers stamped their class over four other high school teams by claiming the championship at the recently concluded Philippine Athletic Youth Association (PAYA) table tennis competition held at the Blue Eagle Gym of the Ateneo de Manila University last January 17, 2009. It has been more than five years since the team last took home the champion’s trophy.

In the midgets division, Xavier grabbed third place.

The Xavier Juniors Team actually faced an uphill climb to victory as they suffered a humbling 1-2 loss to Ateneo during the round-robin phase of the tourney. However, the Xavier paddlers seemed undaunted in the semifinal as they reversed the result with a 2-1 win against the Blue Eagles.

In the championship round, Xavier once again displayed its domination with a 2-1 victory against second runner-up La Salle Greenhills.

“I just kept my word,” team captain Denzel Wong (H3F) beamed. “I had promised our principal, Mrs. Cacacho, that we would win the championship, so we did.”

Xavier Juniors Table Tennis Team (right to left) Mr. Adrian Asis, George Go (H2H), Team Captain, Denzel Wong (H3F), Jeryl Tan (H2A), Kevin Siy (H1F), and Coach Caloy Marquez

Xavier Midgets Table Tennis Team:  Joshua Soon (G6I),  David Dimayuga (G7E),  Coach Caloy Marquez, Tommy Yap (G6B), Miguel Legarda (G6C), Kyler Ng (G4G), and Jared Go (G4I)