On Sun, 20th Oct'24, we kicked off our 12th Holy Family High School & Jr. College Ex-Students Football Tournament, and what a day it was!

We had 6 teams battling it out on the field—66 football fanatics sweating it out for the glory of that coveted title. Here’s the lineup that had us all on the edge of our seats:

Pool A:
⚽ Goal Diggers (They know exactly what they’re digging for... GOALS! Captained by the goal hunter Sunny Nazareth)
⚽ Shakti Boys (Powered by... well, Shakti—and the legendary Mathias Coutinho)
⚽ Kajuwadi FC (Bringing the spice with smooth moves, with Rohit Maliyekal leading the charge)

Pool B:
⚽ Noble Knights (Chivalry with a side of killer footwork, led by the noble Robin Rego)
⚽ Young Ballers (Youth, skill, and a dash of nostalgia, under the watchful eye of manager Blaney Coutinho)
⚽ Gundowli FC (They put the kick in Gundowli, captained by the energetic Nash Henriques)

Here’s how the action unfolded:

Pool A Matches:

Match 1: Shakti Boys edged out Goal Diggers with a 2-1 victory, with Mathias Coutinho netting both for the Shakti Boys, while Gavin Dsouza kept Goal Diggers on the board.
Match 2: Goal Diggers vs. Kajuwadi FC. A defensive masterclass—or maybe just a snooze fest—it ended in a 0-0 draw.
Match 3: Shakti Boys and Kajuwadi FC fought to another 0-0 stalemate.

Pool B Matches:

Match 1: Young Ballers outscored Gundowli FC with a 2-0 win, thanks to Kevin Coutinho and Rishon Almeida, who delivered the goals.
Match 2: Noble Knights won a tight 1-0 game against Young Ballers, courtesy of Glen Moraes’ strike.
Match 3: Noble Knights edged past Gundowli FC 4-3 in a thriller, with Elias Dsouza scoring twice, Reagen Braganza adding one, and Glen Moraes sealing it. For Gundowli FC, Clyde Fernandes, Leron Azavedo, and Nash Henriques made sure it wasn’t a walk in the park.This match was not for the faint hearted - as the pendulum kept swinging to decide the winning team. It had the other Pool B Young Ballers team members biting their nails off as the the results of this match would decide their place in knockouts. In the end as Noble Knights won, & Young Ballers had a sigh of relief. Hats off to Gundowli FC for fighting till the last moment & kudos to Noble Knights for remaining undefeated during the league stage.

Semi-Final Showdowns:

Semi-Final 1: Shakti Boys vs. Young Ballers—no goals in regular time, but Shakti Boys clinched it 4-3 in the penalty shootout.
Semi-Final 2: Noble Knights vs. Kajuwadi FC—again, no goals in regular time, with Kajuwadi FC taking it in the shootout 4-3.
Third Place Match:
Young Ballers took home bronze with a 3-1 victory over Noble Knights, with Kevin Coutinho opening the scoring and Rishon Almeida sealing the deal with a brace. Robin Rego managed to net one for Noble Knights.

The Grand Finale:
Kajuwadi FC and Shakti Boys faced off in a tense battle, with 0 goals in regular time. It all came down to penalties, where Kajuwadi FC held their nerve to win 5-4. Cue the confetti! Kajuwadi FC wins the title second time in a row !

A big round of applause to our winners and all the players who gave it their all!

During the break, our school’s current principal, Father Andrew, delivered a pep talk to the players, applauding their enthusiasm and dedication to keeping the Holy Family School spirit alive. He also extended his appreciation to the Ex-Students Association for their continued support and activities.

And who could forget the touching family moments? From Young Ballers, we had Blaney Coutinho (1987 batch) managing the team while Kevin (2022 batch) made key plays on the field. Meanwhile, in Noble Knights, Glen Moraes (1993 batch) joined forces with his son Ethan (2021 batch) and nephew Neil Paswan (2022 batch) for a formidable family trio.

The nostalgia was in full swing during the prize distribution, as our former football coach and sports teacher, Mr. Denis Coutinho, presented the awards—made even more special by the fact that his sons, Mathias (2004 batch) and John (2006 batch), both played for Shakti Boys.

All in all, it was a memorable day, filled with football, fun, and a little family bonding! A huge thank you to all the players, their fans, and everyone who made this event possible.