Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
TWO schools from Makoni District – Mavhudzi and Nyamidzi high schools – have emerged as provincial representatives in the upcoming National Association for Secondary Heads (NASH) Under-20 boys and Under-20 girls national finals.
The schools delivered impressive performances in the provincial finals, outplayed rivals, including the highly fancied powerhouses, Mutare Boys’ High and Nyamauru High, last Friday.
For the provincial finals, in Group A boys – Vengere High School – emerged winners after amassing four points ahead of second placed, Nyamauru, while Goko High bowed out at the early stages of the competition.
In Group B, Mavhudzi High School and Mutare Boys’ School emerged first and second respectively, while Mweyamutsvene High were booted out in the group stages of the competition.
Competition in Group C saw Mamunyadza High School emerging winners ahead of Nhedziwa Secondary School, while Buhera High succumbed in the group stages.
Tsonzo High School emerged as the top team in Group D, building on the impressive performance of their Under-17 team, which recently won the provincial championship.
Although they were ultimately outplayed at the national finals in Chinhoyi, their success has clearly had a lasting impact.
Hande High School from Buhera District secured second place in the group stages.
Nyanga High School’s campaign came to an early end as they bowed out in the group stage.
Meanwhile, Vengere High School from Rusape advanced to the next round after a thrilling quarter-final encounter against Nhedziwa.
The match ended in a goalless draw, but Vengere High School, ultimately emerged victorious, winning 5-4 in the penalty shootout.
Mamunyadza High School edged out Nyamauru High School in a nail-biting penalty shootout, winning 5-4 after the match had ended in a goalless draw.
This narrow victory secured Mamunyadza’s spot in the semi-finals.
In another quarter-final match, Mavhudzi High School booked their semi-final berth with a convincing 2-1 win over Hande High School.
In the semi-finals, Tsonzo High School pulled off a stunning upset, defeating highly fancied Mutare Boys’ High by a single goal to advance to the final.
Mavhudzi High School edged out Nhedziwa in a penalty shootout, winning 3-2 after the match had ended in a goalless draw.
In the provincial final, Mavhudzi High School emerged victorious, defeating Tsonzo High School 5-4 in a nail-biting penalty shootout, following a goalless stalemate in regular time.
In the girls’ category, Nyamauru and Nyamidzi High emerged from Group A, while Handina and Mhandarume were Group B representatives in the quarter finals.
Murambinda B High and Mutasa High were the Group C winners, while Ratelshoek Secondary School and Sagambe Secondary School won Group D.
The quarter-finals saw Nyamauru deliver a convincing 2-0 victory over Mutasa, securing their spot in the next round.
In another nail-biting encounter, Murambinda B and Nyamidzi played out a goalless draw in regular time.
The stalemate was eventually broken when Nyamidzi emerged victorious, winning 4-3 in the penalty shootout.
Handina and Mhandarume also progressed to the semi-finals.
Nyamidzi beat Mhandarume 1-0, while Nyamauru also beat Handina by a similar score line to progress to the final.
In the final match, Nyamidzi stunned highly fancied Nyamauru, winning 2-0 in the penalty shootout after the game had ended goalless in regulation time.
NASH head-in-charge of football in Manicaland, John Muyocha praised the high level of competition, saying: “There was tough competition, with all teams coming well-prepared. Most games were decided by penalty shootouts, making it a bonanza for scouts looking for talent.”
Muyocha noted that several favourites were stunned, particularly on the boys’ side.
“The standard and spirit of play are remarkably high for both boys and girls. However, teams need to understand that penalties may not be the best way to decide winners. They need to focus on scoring goals,” he said.
He expressed his gratitude to all participating teams and NASH for making the competition a resounding success.
