The Sports Leigh-Out Oct. 11-17

Hafa Adai and Tirow sports fans, this is Leigh Gases with this week’s Sports Leigh-Out brought to you by Joeten Motors!

Let’s take a closer look at what our athletes have been up to in off-island competitions and on their home turf—whether it’s on the pitch, mat, courts, fields, track, pools, or the beautiful ocean.

Brian Camacho lifts Cardinals to pennant win

The defending champions Cardinals clinched the pennant with help from a 3-run homer by Brian Camacho during their pennant game in the Saipan Baseball League last Friday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field.

They defeated the Athletics, 9-4, and proceeded to eliminate the Natives on Tuesday, 12-1. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays upset the Athletics on Monday, 9-6.

Champions announced in the Bud Light Fishing Derby in Rota

The TaraKitu Killas reeled in the biggest catch of the Bud Light Fishing Derby in Rota last weekend with a 137-lb fish, edging out Da Reel’s 113-pounder, and EmmanueL’s 112-pound catch.

In the Wahoo category, Sea Juan topped the leaderboard with a 29-lb fish, followed by TaraKitu Killas at 27-lbs, and Fish Guam Heritage close behind at 26-lbs.

For Yellowfin, Jernie2 led with a 25-lb catch, while Shut Up and Fish landed 20-lbs, and Checha hauled in 19-lbs. In the Bonita Tuna division, Da Reel came out on top with 17-lbs. Shut Up and Fish caught 16-lbs and MV Juliana reeled in 14-lbs.

Overall, Fish Guam Malesso secured the award for most total weight at 247-lbs, narrowly surpassing Shut Up and Fish Guam’s 242-lbs while EmmanueL rounded out the top three with 192-lbs.

Napu Riders go back-to-back in boys hoops

Francisco M. Sablan Middle School Napu Riders once again showed why they’re the team to beat, cruising to a 25-11 win over the Chacha Ocean View Middle School Lancherus to secure their second straight boys middle school basketball title in the 2025-2026 PSS-NMIBF IT&E League on Saturday at the Marianas High School Gymnasium.

The Lancherus came in with plenty of fight after stunning No. 2 seed Hopwood Middle School in the semifinals, but fatigue caught up after three straight games just before the finals. FMS, on the other hand, entered the championship well-rested and locked in.

Right from the tip-off, the Napu Riders took control. Elli Jonas broke the ice with a fast-break layup and from there, sparked the offense with quick steals and fast-break finishes. Teammates Aloycius Fitial and Mohamod Minto then added buckets to extend the lead. COVMS battled and had chances at the basket but couldn’t convert as FMS’ defense clamped down early.

By the time the first half was winding down, the Lancherus still hadn’t scored with a 0-9 marker—until Jose Santos finally broke through with four straight points, followed by a free throw from Jayce Alepuyo to trim the gap. Even so, FMS stayed in front, 11-5, at halftime.

In the second half, FMS’ Ben Hossain and Dayron San Nicolas found their rhythm, padding the lead while the Lancheru’s offense went hot, then cold again. Lelan Mettao tried to breathe life back into the Lancherus with two late baskets, but Jonas finished the game the way he started it—strong at the rim—to seal the 25-11 victory and another championship for FMS.

The Napu Riders team with Jonas, San Nicolas, Hossain, Fitial, and Minto, were Nnart Siech, Helmar Bero, Napu Pangelinan, Kaleb Hossain, Justan Defang, Dean Aldan, Liam Duenas, Lovan Ngeskebei, and Johanan Imperial.

Leo records PBs in Senior World Champs in Norway

The Northern Marianas’ Leowell Cristobal competed in the 2025 IWF Senior Weightlifting Championships in Fjord, Norway on October 4, 2025. He competed in the men's 65 kg weight class at a bodyweight of 64.71 kg. He posted three personal bests or PBs with a 108 kg/238lb snatch, 145kg/319.73lb clean &jerk, and a total of 253 kg/507.87lb.

Cristobal has been competing in weightlifting since 2020 when he entered local contests in the United States. He went on to compete at several US National Championships where he earned several gold medals.

He first represented the CNMI in 2022 at the NMI Pacific Mini Games. Since then he has represented the CNMI at the 2023 Solomon Islands Pacific Games\Oceania Senior Championships; 2023 IWF Grand Prix 2 in Doha, Qatar; 2024 Oceania Senior, Junior, & Youth Weightlifting Championships in Auckland, New Zealand; 2024 IWF World Championships in Manama, Bahrain; 2025 Palau Pacific Mini Games; 2025 IWF World Championships in Fjord, Norway.

The 27-year-old 1st Lieutenant in the United States Air Force is currently serving his country in Okinawa, Japan.

CNMI Weightlifting president, John Davis is hopeful that Lieutenant Cristobal will again represent the CNMI at the 2026 World Cup in Samoa in April 2026

Garapan defends co-ed soccer title

The Garapan Elementary School Mallards successfully defended their title as soccer champions after beating the Koblerville Elementary School Umangs, 3-1, in the 2025-2026 PSS-NMIFA Elementary School Co-Ed Soccer League on Tuesday at the NMI Soccer Training Center.

It was a heart-stopper between the two powerhouse teams, with the Umangs hungry for a title while the Mallards fought tooth and nail to keep their place on the throne.

After much back-and-forth that left the scoreboard blank, KobES’ Liam Palacios finally broke through and found the back of the net in the 19th minute, just before the first half ended.

After halftime, the Mallards’ offense came alive. As the second half began, GES wasted no time attacking, and Adrian Mercado fired in the equalizer to even things up—and from there, it was an all-out battle. Both teams traded close calls and near misses, keeping everyone on edge. Rain eventually poured from the threatening skies, but it couldn’t douse the intensity on the pitch.

The Umangs had a big chance to pull ahead on a penalty, but a clutch defensive header by Napu Pangelinan kept things level at 1-1.

Then, Pangelinan worked both sides of the field and broke through to put the Mallards up, 2-1 in the 28th minute. The Umangs were not out of it yet and the battle for possession reached an all-time high. Pangelinan continued to keep the Umangs at bay with his defense, and Mercado backed him and their keeper up with another goal in the 38th minute for a commanding 3-1 game.

Time wound down and the Umang’s attempts at the goal decreased as fatigue settled in, and the Mallards held on to win their second straight championship.

For his exceptional performance in the finals, Mercado was named the Most Valuable Player.

This season, there were three Golden Boot recipients all with 21 goals each—Mercado, Palacios, and Mount Carmel School’s Thomas Flores.

Runners shine in cross country champs

Runners shone as bright as the Saturday morning sun in the 2025-2026 PSS-NMA All Schools Cross Country championships at the Saipan Country Club.

Across rough terrain, puddles, and slippery grass, hundreds of feet pounded through—and when the dust finally settled and sweat still dripped as the sun tried to break through the cloudy skies, the fastest runners claimed their spots on the podium, and the top teams proudly etched their names onto the perpetual trophy for the school year.

The team results are as follows:

Girls High School-

First place is Agape Christian School with 26 points

Second place is Saipan International School with 35 points

Third place is Marianas High School with 43 points

Boys High School-

First place is SIS with 25 points

Second place is MHS with 28 points

Third place is ACS at 29 points

Girls Middle School-

First place is SIS with 24 points

Second place is Saipan Community School with 34 points

Third place is HMS with 61 points

Boys Middle School-

First place is Hopwood Middle School at 27 points

Second place is Dandan Middle School with 54 points

Third place is SIS with 56 points

Elementary School Girls-

First place is William S. Reyes Elementary School with 40 points

Second place is Brilliant Star School at 41 points

Third place is SIS at 85 points

Elementary School Boys-

First place is Kagman Elementary School at 38 points

Second place is Brilliant Star School at 56 points

Third place is WSR at 89 points

In individual standings, once again, SIS’ Victor Nash Santos was the fastest of them all in the boys high school division with a time of 18:42.33; teammate Landen Taflinger came in second at 19:57.81; and third was Marianas High School’s Takeru Jim at 20:12.48.

In the girls high school division, SIS’ Addalee Taflinger came in the fastest with her time of 24:01.42; GCA’s Dianna Yu Zheng snatched second place at 26:30.61; and ACS’ Sablina Shen rounded up the top 3 with a time of 27:07.84.

Making a strong return to cross country, SIS’ Quido Jambor notched first place with a time of 13:16.16; second was HMS’ Nicolo Unay at 14:01.49; and third place went to Dandan Middle School’s Jeffrey Pangelinan II with 14:04.20.

Brilliant Star School’s Lovel Spaeth was the fastest girl in the girls middle school division with a time of 14:53.22; SIS’ Neveah Arriola was second at 15:50.41; and a close third was DMS’ Amica Hornilla.

In the U12 girls elementary school division, Claire Fehrenbacker claimed first place with a time of 7:01.88; second was Iris Qin at 7:18.47; and third was Riem Hernandez with a time of 8:00.15.

As for the U12 boys elementary school division, David Yang was the fastest at 6:31.38; Johnny Shen was second at 6:53.08; and third went to Orion Garde with 6:54.16.

And last but not the least, in the youngest age group, the U9 girls elementary school division, first place went to Chloe Mostales at 7:59.63; and second place was Makenna Pangelinan at 8:08.88; and third was Yile Zhuang at 8:20.21.

In the U9 boys elementary school division, Declan Spaeth was the fastest with his time of 6:31.76; Eliis Fehrenbacker was second at 7:03.97; and third was Jace Brennfleck at 7:13.25.

Kim, Muna win Project Buddy Check golf tourney

In the Low Gross division of the Project Buddy Check 670 Veterans Victory Golf Classiclast Saturday at the Laolao Bay West Golf Course, Sae Hee Kim claimed the women’s title with a score of 84, while the men’s division came down to an intense sudden-death playoff between Franco Santos and Jay Muna. Muna sealed the win with a par, while Santos settled for a bogey, giving Muna the men’s low gross title with a score of 74.

In the skills contests, Nick Leon Guerrero took home the Aggressive Drive award at 72.5 inches, Marco Peter blasted the Longest Drive at 306 yards, and Freddie Salavaria earned the Accurate Drive title with an 8.5-inch shot. Closest to the Pin (KP) winners included Phil Sablan on hole #3 (13.8 ft.), Marco Peter on #7 (1 ft. 9 in.), Freddie Salavaria on #13 (18 ft. 7.5 in.), and Nathan Camacho on #17 (7.5 ft.).

For the Double Peoria competition, Manny Mangarero topped the leaderboard with a gross score of 80 and a net score of 70.40. Rounding out the top 10 were Nate Camacho (71.40), Harry Nakamura (71.80), Frankie Blas (72.20), Joe Camacho (72.20), Franco Santos (72.80), Li Zhi Yun (72.80), Freddy Salavaria (73.00), Joe Torres (73.20), and Kaegel Taitano (73.40).

The purpose of the tournament was to promote outreach for CNMI veterans and fundraise for the group’s upcoming Family Fun Day Event on Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11. The turnout saw 80 golfers who received cash prizes and other prizes from their sponsors.

The event was organized by the Project Buddy Check 670 and led by president Clement Bermudez, vice president Anthony Demapan, chairman Jesse Stole, and treasurer Harley Eriich.

They also received much support from Catherine Attao of the Tan Siu Lin Foundation and volunteers from the Kagman High School JROTC program.

Commander-in-Chief level sponsors included Pacifica Insurance Underwriters, Inc., the Office of the Governor David Apatang, Docomo Pacific, Joeten Motors, Friends of Ralph, MaxPac Inc., Tan Siu Lin Foundation, Tan Holdings, Top Shelf Wine & Spirits, Latte Built Gym, Marianas Variety, and Hook Up Saipan.

General’s level sponsors were Bridge Capital (CNMI) LLC, Chong’s Corporation, D&Q, IT&E, Herman’s Modern Bakery, Gold Star family, Leo Tudela, Rep. TJ Manglona, and Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez.

Colonel sponsors included Century Insurance, Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan, Perry and Teresa Kim-Tenorio, and Rep. Blas Jonathan Attao.

Captain sponsors were All Star Sporting Goods, CSM(R) Jose Crisostomo, Surf Club, Mobil, PHI Pharmacy, Atkins Kroll, Island Apparel, Brabu, Kalayaan Corporation, and The Athlete’s Foot.

Contributing sponsors were Barney’s Pizza, Coca-Cola Beverage Company, E-Land Pacific Islands Club, Everest Kitchen, Fish and Tackle, Gold’s Gym, Guam Apparel, Kumoi Farms, Lions District 204’s Zone-3 Clubs, Lucky Bills, McDonald’s, Naked Fish, Office of Kimberly King-Hinds, Rep. Vicente Aldan, Run Saipan, Saipan Shipping Co., Saipan Stevedore, Shirley’s Coffee Shop, Thelma Flores, and Triple B Forwarders.

Kagman stays undefeated in boys fastpitch

It was all Ayuyus on Saturday at the Dandan Softball Field as both their varsity and junior varsity teams won their games in the PSS-NMIFA Boys High School Softball League. The Ayuyus varsity are still the team to beat after they defeated the Marianas High School Dolphins, 12-9. With this, the Ayuyus have won six straight games and are the top team heading into the playoffs.

In the other game that day, KHS JV also won over MHS JV, 13-3.