A series of back-to-back matches broke the mettle of Siaya County secondary schools boys’ football defending champions, Ambira Secondary School, fondly known as “Mobimba” within the county’s fan circles, enabling St Mary’s Yala School to win a nail-biting final 1-0 and qualify for the Nyanza regional schools ball games, tipping off today (Wednesday, July 9) in Kisumu City. 

Defending champions Ambira High School football team, which played three group stage matches (one more than St Mary’s Yala) and endured 90 minutes of an equally tightly contested semi-final at Sawagongo against Got Agulu, edged out the stubborn opponents from Usigu area in Siaya County 1-0, but found their match in Yala, settling for a barren draw at the end of regular time. 

After a scoreless regular time, the match between hosts St Mary’s Yala and Ambira was pushed to 30 minutes of extra time, 15 minutes apiece, as Ambira’s Team Manager Elphas Osinde Pablo, in an interview yesterday with People Sports, blamed fatigue for the eventual loss. 

During the extended play time, St Mary’s Yala School scored the all-important lone goal through a clinically executed header by Jeconia Agutu in the 116th minute, to seal Ambira’s fate.

Ambira’s Team Manager, Elphas Osinde Pablo, in the same interview, blamed team fatigue for the loss against their archrivals. 

Agutu, nicknamed Birdy by teammates and school football fans, fastened on an aerial cross by Enock Mwagandi to notch the all-important goal that earned St Mary’s Yala a qualifying ticket to the Nyanza regional secondary schools ball games, tipping off today in several Kisumu City venues, including Kisumu Day High School, Kisumu Boys, Moi Stadium and Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Mamboleo, on the outskirts of the Lake Victoria-fronting city. 

Ambira’s Deputy Principal cum Team Manager Pablo, while conceding the defending champions’ loss to St Mary’s Yala, said that by the end of extra time, his fatigued players had ended up playing a total of 210 minutes during the group stage matches, semi-final against Got Agulu, and final against Yala. 

“We lost to St Mary’s Yala due to players’ fatigue.” 

“My charges played more group stage matches, three, in fact, one more than St Mary’s Yala, which played two games. This was followed and coupled with a 90-minute semi against Got Agulu and a 116-minute final against St Mary’s Yala on the same day,” Pablo recalled. 

“Nonetheless, we congratulate St Mary’s Yala for winning the county boys’ football final and qualifying to represent Siaya County at the Nyanza regional secondary schools ball games. We should support the county’s winning team and desist from the plague of petitioning winning teams, as is the norm in other counties such as Kisumu, Homa Bay and Nyamira.” 

And in a separate interview with People Sports, St Mary’s Yala Games Master Ojwala Ojwalah said: “We are going to the Nyanza regional ball games with a lot of confidence and are determined to represent the region at the national secondary schools ball games football tournament, slated for Kakamega High School in Kakamega Town, from July 26 to August 3.” 

“St Mary’s Yala will also aim to qualify for the East African secondary schools ball games, also to be held in Kakamega Town from August 15 to 26, 2025, playing under the tutelage of Head Coach Kevin Oluoch, assisted by Joseph Ogutu. Apart from football, Yala has won five gold medals in rugby, volleyball, table tennis and lawn tennis to represent Siaya at the Nyanza regional schools ball games. In basketball, we bagged a silver medal but still qualified for the Nyanza regional competition,” a joyous Ojwalah said.