Bulldogs win third-straight U8 title in 3v3 grassroots tourney

The Bulldogs continued their dominance in the Guam Football Association 3v3 Grassroots Tournament by winning the U8 division title for the third-straight time in as many tournaments at the GFA National Training Center.

No other team in the history of the tournament, which began in the fall last year, has been able to accumulate as many titles.

“It feels great to win again because it was the third time,” said Riku Meyar, who has played on all three Bulldogs championship teams. “We were able to win because we just kept working hard every game, even against some stronger teams this time.”

Meyar, an 8-year-old student at Tamuning Elementary School, will move up to the U10 division in the next edition of the tournament. C.J. Takano, who also collected a trio of championship titles with the Bulldogs, echoed his teammate’s sentiments.

“This tournament was harder for us because the teams got better from last time,” said Takano, a student at Harvest Christian Academy. “We’ve been able to win so many times because of good teamwork. It was fun to win with the team and I look forward to playing in the U10 division next time.”

The Bulldogs defeated the Marauders 4-1 in the U8 division final. In the U10 division final, the Warriors edged the Tiger Sharks 3-2. Wings Red won their second-straight U12 championship with an 11-7 win over the ASC Trust Islanders J Crew. Eddie Cho and Mark Iseke led Wings Red with a hat trick each. Niclas Vavra and Matthew Iseke added two each and Kyle Halehale scored the Wings Red’s other goal. Josiah Duenas and Jeremy Collado each scored three for J Crew and Javian Cruz also scored.

Different in this edition of the tournament were goals used for the U8 and U10 divisions. Instead of utilizing small-sized pop-up goals, volunteers, led by Warriors coach Tim Simard and tournament director Randy Vavra, helped construct new goals with close to $800 worth of supplies donated by Home Depot. Close to 80 ten-foot 1.25-inch PVC pipes, another set of T- connectors, over 100 white elbow connectors, and large bags of zip ties were used to create 16 goals.

“I’d really like to thank Home Depot for their generous donation – the kids loved the new goals,” said Simard. “The great thing about the goals is that we built them to a size that also can be used by the United Airlines GFA National Academy and when not in use during breaks, they can be folded flat and are stackable.

“Overall, it took about five Sunday afternoons to finish constructing the goals, but it really was worth it for the kids,” Simard added.

Tournament organizers plan to add on a U14 and U17 division to the popular youth tournament. The older age division teams will play at a later date based on registration numbers. Registration still is being accepted for both divisions.