By Andrew Mbuva.
Little-known Misuuni Secondary School of Makueni produced one of the biggest upsets of the Eastern Region Secondary School Games after dethroning defending champions Dr. Charles Secondary School of Machakos to win the girls' football title and book a historic place at the National Secondary School Games.
The thrilling final ended 8-7 on penalties after the two sides battled to a draw in regulation time, with Misuuni holding their nerve in the shootout to complete a remarkable journey.
It marks the first time in the school's history that the girls' football team has qualified for the national championships, making the victory even more significant.
Head coach Moses Muasya described the triumph as the reward for years of hard work, dedication and belief.
"We knew we were facing the defending champions, so we expected a very difficult match. The girls showed great determination and never gave up. There was a point where I felt the team was losing energy, but we made a few tactical changes that gave us fresh strength. We fought until the end, forced the game into penalties and eventually emerged victorious," he said.
Muasya revealed that the achievement has been three years in the making, with the school investing heavily in training and exposing the team to competitive tournaments.
"This is our first time qualifying for the Nationals. In fact, this was also our first time reaching the regional championship. We have worked towards this dream for the last three years. We trained hard, invested in the team and participated in several tournaments to prepare the players. Today we are Eastern Region champions, and we are looking forward to representing the region well at the National Games in Thika," he added.
The coach also thanked supporters across the Eastern Region, promising that the team will fight for honours at the national championships.
In the boys' football final, Tumaini Secondary School capped an impressive campaign by defeating Katheka Kai Secondary School 3-1 to secure the regional title and qualify for the National Secondary School Games.
Team captain Musa Tindi attributed the victory to unity, resilience and faith.
"We thank God for helping us reach this stage. It was not an easy journey, but we remained determined from the first whistle to the last. Our unity as players, together with the support from the management, has brought us this far. We assure our supporters that we will continue representing them proudly at the next level," said Tindai.
Tumaini Games Teacher Ambasi Enos Paipe said the qualification was the culmination of a long-term project he began when he joined the school three years ago.
"It has always been my dream to build a team capable of reaching this level. For the past three years, we would fall short at the county stage, but this time God has enabled us to break through to the regionals and now the Nationals. We are not going there just to participate; we are going to compete for the title and hopefully qualify for the East Africa Games," he said.
The victories by Misuuni and Tumaini underline the growing competitiveness of schools from Makueni County, with both teams now shifting their focus to the National Secondary School Games in Thika, where they will seek to continue their impressive runs against the country's best school teams.
