Strong start for Hopwood 1 in badminton

Francisco M. Sablan Middle School’s Wasee Anas, left, and Hopwood Middle School 1’s Tyrone Manipon play in the boys singles event in the TakeCare Interscholastic Badminton League last Saturday at the TSL Sports Complex.(ROSELYN B. MONROYO)

Hopwood Middle School 2 won its first two games in the TakeCare Interscholastic Badminton League last Saturday at the TSL Sports Complex for a rousing start in the inaugural competition.

The Chang Whang Jang-coached Hopwood 1 kicked off the season with a 13-2 victory over Francisco M. Sablan Middle School, as the Hilitais prevailed in the boys and girls singles, girls doubles, and mixed doubles. Hopwood 1 then made it two in a row following a 10-5 triumph over Saipan International School, as the former also took the girls singles and mixed and boys doubles.

Against FMS, Hopwood 1’s Teresa Lin Ahn swept Shaina Malonzo, 11-6, 11-2, to give her team 3 points. A squad is awarded 3 points if it wins in two games and 2 if it prevails in a three-game match. Ahn helped Hopwood 1 get two more victories, as she paired with Shemariah Hicaro in dominating Sisther Fred in the girls doubles, 11-3, 11-4, and Tyrone James Magnipon in downing Abdul Munim and Crisha Mariano in the mixed doubles, 11-3, 11-4.

In the boys doubles, Magnipon partnered with John Peter Quidato in outclassing Munim and Wasee Anas, 11-9, 11-6. Anas handed FMS its lone win in the pairing when he withstood Magnipon’s rally in the deciding third game and escape with an 11-8, 8-11, 11-10 victory. The Magnipon-Anas match was the highlight game in the FMS-Hopwood 1 duel, as the former once trailed at 5-10 before working his way back to force a deadlock at 10-all. However, Manipon fell short in the end, as his serve went wide in the ensuing play, giving Anas the close victory.

Despite playing three matches in their first assignment, Magnipon still had the energy to see action in another men’s doubles event with Quidato and they also swept their foes, cruising to a 11-0, 11-6 victory over SIS’ Branden DeRocher and Michael Zhou. Magnipon then played his fifth game when he joined forces with Ahn anew in the mixed doubles and they topped Julie Chavez and DeRocher, 11-3, 11-9.

SIS foiled Hopwood 1’s bid for a sweep of the three doubles events when Chavez returned to the court with Lina Tsukagoshi in the girls doubles and they slipped past Ahn and Hicaro, 11-6, 11-6. The Geckos went on to win two of their five matches against Hopwood 1 when Peter White nosed out Quidato, 11-6, 7-11, 11-7, in the boys singles. In the girls singles, Ahn made it two in a row in the opener after edging Hoo Wang, 11-9, 11-4.

Meanwhile, SIS, FMS, and Hopwood 2 also had two games in last Saturday’s opener and results of their other matches will be reported in Saipan Tribune’s Thursday edition. The four teams are in Bracket A of the middle school division, which will have its Bracket B matches on Feb. 19.

The high school competition of the Northern Marianas Badminton Association and CNMI Public School System Athletic Program-organized event is also scheduled to start on Feb. 19.