NCR/AHS baseball team is back to back champion of Palarong Pambansa; Andaya awarded for Most Stolen Bases

April 18, 2016
By: 
Paul Daza & Nana Guzman; Photos by Alfonso Estacio & Francine Arroyo
share this

STANDING (from left): Coach Randy Dizer, Nathan Carpio, Rafa Roque, Ivan Hernandez (DLSZ), Rymer Tionloc, Kiko Andaya, Gusti Pablo, JG Garcia, Coach Jose Jose KNEELING (from left): Junel Cruz (UST), Luis Estacio, Miggy Angeles, Geof Magsadia (DLSZ), Manu Guzman (Photo by Alfonso Luis Estacio)

For the second consecutive year, the National Capital Region (NCR) baseball team- which is composed mostly of Ateneo de Manila High School students- has emerged as champion of Palarong Pambansa’s secondary / high school baseball tournament. Team NCR defeated Southern Tagalog - CALABARZON  in the final, 8-3, last April 15. At the awarding ceremony that followed, recent AHS graduate Kiko Andaya of F-2016 also received the award for Most Stolen Bases.  
Most Stolen Bases awardee Kiko Andaya (Photo by Francine Arroyo)
Team NCR swept the eliminations with a 3-0 record, notching wins against Zamboanga Peninsula (5-4), Negros Island (7-1), and Zambales (3-2).  

They won the quarterfinals against SOCCSKSARGEN (4-0) on April 14 and the semis against Davao (4-0), also on April 14.
   
Nine of the 12 members of the NCR secondary baseball team are Ateneans:  Javier Ma. Agustin A. Pablo (12-I), Raphael Virgilio Roque (11-O), Alfonso Luis C. Estacio (11-M), Roque Francisco B. Andaya (12F), Rogelio Miguel A. Angeles (12-K), Nathan Joseph P. Carpio (10-F), Justin Raphael A. Garcia (12-D), Rymer Tomlin R. Tionloc (12-H), and Manuel Alfonso G. Guzman (10-G). Rounding out the team were Geof Magsadia and Ivan Hernandez from De La Salle Zobel, and Jhunel Cruz from UST. 

Palarong Pambansa 2016 was held in Albay, Bicol from April 10-16, 2016.  According to reports, NCR was again overall champion of the games for the 12th consecutive year with a haul of 104 golds, 57 silvers, and 48 bronzes. More than 14,000 student athletes from the Philippines' 18 regions competed for medals in 21 sports disciplines.