The zonal qualifiers for the inaugural Sam Okwaraji Championship, sponsored by FirstBank Plc, have ended, with 12 schools securing tickets to the national finals.
The qualifiers, held across the country’s six geopolitical zones, provided a platform for young talents to showcase their skills, with participating schools delivering impressive performances in their respective centres.
At the Lagos centre, which featured four states, Ondo and Ogun emerged as the two teams to qualify for the national finals after impressing against hosts Lagos and Oyo.
Ondo State emerged champions of the zone with seven points from three matches, finishing as the only unbeaten team. Ogun secured the second ticket despite putting up a strong challenge for the top position.
Ogun had recorded victories over Lagos and Oyo and appeared poised to complete a perfect run before running into an impressive Ondo side in their final encounter.
The Sunshine State boys produced a determined performance to secure a 2-0 victory, finishing top of the standings and pushing Ogun into second place.
Lagos finished third with four points from a win, a draw and a loss while Oyo ended the campaign at the bottom without a point.
At the South-East centre in Owerri, Imo and Abia states claimed the two available tickets to the national finals.
Ezeachi Secondary School, Orlu, Imo State, completed a perfect campaign after defeating Ebonyi State’s Estington Academy International School, Orueke, 1-0 at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri.
Ezeachi had earlier secured victories over Enugu and Abia states to finish the competition with a maximum nine points.
Abia State’s Community Secondary School, Aba, claimed the second ticket after defeating Enugu’s Saint Theresa College, Nsukka, 2-1 in a decisive encounter.
The victory completed a remarkable turnaround for Abia, which had lost 1-0 to eventual group winners Imo in its second match. The team had earlier opened its campaign with a 2-1 victory over Estington Academy International School of Ebonyi before sealing qualification with a crucial final-day win.
Meanwhile, at the Calabar centre, which hosted the South-South zonal qualifiers, Delta State emerged champions with 10 points, while Rivers State finished second with seven points to claim the two available tickets to the national finals.
Six schools had earlier qualified for the national finals from the Northern zones.