CAN HARMONY HIGH SCHOOL WIN THE R1 MILLION SANLAM KAY MOTSEPE SCHOOLS CUP PRIZE MONEY – FOR A FOURTH TIME?

Welkom will be hosting the Free State under-19 Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup provincial final on Saturday at Rovers Club (kickoff 9am).  It might well be cold on the day, but on the football field there is sure to be some hot action when six regional teams battle it out for the R100 000 prize awarded to the provincial champion.

The winners and runners-up will both be travelling to Bloemfontein from October 2 to 6 where they will meet the top two sides of the other eight provinces to compete for the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup National title and the R1 million that goes with it.

In action will be a number of schools who have enjoyed considerable success in this competition over the years. Pride of place goes to Virginia’s Harmony Sports Academy who is six times Sanlam Kay Motsepe School Cup Free State Champions and has won the competition’s National Finals three times.  In the past two years Harmony has won R1.7million for the school that was spent on a 44 seater bus, 3 other vehicles, a TV and projector, computers, sprinkler system, sports equipment and donated R20 000 of sports equipment to neighbouring schools.

Defending champions Dr Reginald Cingo Comprehensive School from the Fezile Dabi region will also be in action on Saturday. The school is situated in Maokeng Township near Kroonstad and this is their sixth time in the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup competition. Apart from winning the title last year, the team made it to the provincial playoff stage in 2010.

Their coach, Sam Nketu, is very experienced. He has coached in the SAFA Second Division League and this is his 10^th year with the school team. Nketu believes that, despite having six players back, there is still a lot of work to be done. “We need a lot of improvement, particularly on the right hand side of the field, but I am still confident for Saturday,” he says. Of the players who were in the team last year, Nketu believes striker Lebohang  Mokhunoane will make an impact in the provincial finals “He is a good dribbler and controls the ball well.”

Midfielder Mokete Mojananga was also part of last year’s team that won the provincial title. “He reads the game well, has is an accurate shooter and a good team motivator,” Nketu says.

HTS Louis Botha School from Bloemfontein in the Motheo Region are in the provincial finals of the Sanlam Kay Motspe Schools Cup for the first time, although they have played in the competition for four years.

Their coach, Prince Sani, introduced a system in 2010 of identifying players in grade eight and keeping them together as a team. “I think we were successful in our regional matches this year because the players understand each other they know what is expected of them now.”

Key players in the Louis Botha team are goalkeeper Ofentse Motlhanke and midfielder Charles Hlalela who reads the game well and is the team’s current leading goal-scorer.

The other teams that will be in action in Welkom on Saturday are: Ipetleng Secondary School (Xhariep District); Moketa High School (Thabo Mofutsanyana District) and Concordia High School (Lejweleputswa District).