Dolphins rules NORFA youth football, bags U-13 crown

BACOLOD City – Dolphins FC flexed its growing dominance in grassroots football, sweeping major victories over the weekend by clinching the NORFA Champions League Under-13 title and securing a finals berth in the Under-17 division.

The U-13 squad delivered the club’s biggest highlight, edging the University of St. La Salle-Bacolod, 1-0, in the championship match. The breakthrough came in the second half when a long pass from the goalkeeper set up the lone, decisive strike.

In the battle for third place, ADA-Pontevedra dismantled Legacy Buklod FC with a resounding 5-0 win.

Dolphins FC players also raked in individual awards. Andre Lucas Hernaez was named Best Defender, Kyanna Ruzzel Cunanan Best Midfielder, and Gerald Dela Torre Best Goalkeeper. John Zian Enario capped it off by bagging the Most Valuable Player award. USLS-Bacolod’s Clyde Miraflores took home Best Striker honors.

In the U-17 category, another Dolphins FC side punched its ticket to the championship match after surviving host Bago City FC, 1-0, in a tense semifinal. Miguel Carmona fired the match-winning goal in the second half to secure the spot.

Their opponents in the final will be DBTI-Elan Vita, which demolished NOHS, 13-0, in the other semifinal. The U-17 title clash is set for September 13 at Victorias National High School in Victorias City at 4:00 p.m., with Bago City FC and NOHS squaring off for third place earlier at 2:00 p.m.

The back-to-back triumphs underscored Dolphins FC’s depth of talent and solidified its reputation as one of Negros Occidental’s premier youth football programs./PN