4 to receive Triple J Fair Play awards

Matansa Football Club’s Philip Megino, second left, in action against TanHoldings players during their boys U15 division game in the 2019 NMIFA Youth League at the NMI Soccer Training Center. (Contributed Photo)

Four players will be the first recipients of the Triple J Motors Fair Play awards, as Northern Mariana Islands Football Association will honor the top performers in the spring and fall seasons of the 2019 NMIFA Youth League this Saturday at the NMI Soccer Training Center.

Matansa Football Club’s Philip Megino and Pia Ngewakl are the awardees in the boys U15 and girls U16 age groups, respectively, while Kanoa Football Club’s Casey Chambers will get the same recognition in the co-ed U12 division, and TanHoldings Football Club’s Thaiphi Austria is the recipient of the coveted award in the boys U18 category.

The awardees were selected after showing outstanding sportsmanship. After each game in the Fall season, coaches in the four age groups had to determine the Triple J Motors Fair Play awardee and the player with the most votes gets this season’s recognition.

NMIFA and Triple J, which is a major supporter of the youth league, will also honor other awardees in the fall and spring seasons in a ceremony scheduled after the FA Challenge Cup this weekend at around 4:30pm.

In the Golden Boot categories, the winners for the Fall season are TanHoldings’ Kaithlyn Chavez (co-ed U12), MP United’s Andrew Chung (boys U15), Shirley’s’ Katrina Costales (girls U16), and TanHoldings’ Mark Esalan (boys U18). For the Golden Glove awards, TanHoldings goalie Terell Hix made the winners list and will be joined by fellow club members Judy Andebor (girls U16) and Richard Waldo (boys U18), and Kanoa’s Vicente Reyes (boys U15).

The division champions—TanHoldings (boys U18 and co-ed U12) and Kanoa (boys U15 and girls U16)—will also get their trophies this weekend, while NMIFA will honor the team and individual awardees from the Spring season.

Kanoa’s Chambers and Merrick and Theresa Toves are the Golden Glove awardees in the co-ed U12, boys U15, and girls U19 age groups, respectively, while MP United’s John Bucayo (boys U18) and Southern United’s Haidee Manibusan (girls U16) complete the winners list.

For the Golden Boot, three awardees are from Kanoa—U12’s Paul Lizama, U16’s Shairmaine Francisco, and U19’s Paulynn Joyce—while MP United have two—U15’s Richard Steele and Sunjoon Tenorio. In the team awards, Kanoa will get four out of the five championship trophies after ruling the co-ed U12, girls U16, boys U15, and girl U19 divisions. MP United averted a Kanoa sweep in the Spring season after topping the boys U18 age group.