USSSA Games: Will Masaka spring another surprise?

Masaka has proven to be a tricky ground for record-champion St. Mary's Kitende in the national schools' football championship. Despite holding the title for the most wins (11) alongside Kibuli SS, Kitende has come up short in their last three attempts held in the Masaka region.

In 1996, Kitende didn't take part in the competition, the first year it adopted the name "Coca-Cola Cup" from National Post Primaries.

Kibuli SS emerged victorious that year in a tournament they had dominated in the previous 10 years.

In 2005, a dramatic turn of events unfolded. Defending champions, Kitende were disqualified from the tournament in a controversial decision that rocked the competition. Standard High Zzana and East High Ntinda also faced disqualification for fielding ineligible players.

The ruling, overseen by the committee led by Raphael Bwire and under the authority of former National Council of Sports (NCS) General Secretary Nicholas Muramagi, sent a strong message: no team is above the rules.

Kitende's specific offense involved allegedly fielding forward Yudah Mugalu, who reportedly had received a payment of Shs2m to join their team from Gaba Mixed SS. His former school refused to release his credentials though.

In 2010, Bp. Nankyama Ddegeya emerged as champions, breaking the dominance of Kampala and Wakiso schools that had held the title for several years and continuing Kitende's hoodoo in Masaka.

Bp. Nankyama became only the third school outside of Kampala and Wakiso to win the title. Naggalama Islamic (2002) and Ngabo Academy (2001) were the only other schools to achieve this feat before them.

Kitende's most promising performance in Masaka came in the 2017 finals. The match against Jinja SS ended in a 1-1 draw, forcing a penalty shootout. Unfortunately, Kitende fell short again, losing the championship to Jinja SS 4-3 on penalties.

The trend remains clear - Masaka has not been a kind host to the 11-time champions. Will Kitende manage to conquer this hurdle?

Amus time

Amus College, from Bukedea District, has emerged as a serious contender to rival Kitende's dominance in recent years. Owned by Kachumbala MP Patrick Isiagi, Amus College pushed Kitende to the limit in two close encounters last year.

Their first meeting in Fort Portal was a 1-1 draw in the semifinals that went to penalties in the USSSA Boys Football championship, with Kitende winning 5-4.

The second encounter was a repeat performance in the FEASSA finals, where Kitende again secured victory through penalties (4-2) after a tied game.

Amus College's head coach, Nimrod Kintu, is confident his team has improved since last year.

"We're a stronger team now," Kintu stated.

"We can match Kitende in any position on the field. While we respect them, we believe we can close the gap and challenge them for the top spot soon," he added.

Despite losing their star forward, Allan Oyirwoth, who is part of the Uganda Cranes set-up, Kintu remains optimistic.

"Oyirwoth was a valuable player, but we have a talented squad," Kintu said.

He expressed his faith in attacking midfielder Shafiq Waswanga and Abdul Razak Muzamir to lead the team's offense in Masaka.

Previous winners in Masaka

1996: Kibuli SS

2005: Kibuli SS

2010: Bp. Nankyama

2017: Jinja SS

USSSA Boys football

Selected results

Amus 1-0 Ryakasinga CHE

St Julian 6-0 St Kagwa

Sironko 0-1 Jinja Comprehensive

Kimaanya 3-0 Tawheed

Quality 2-2 Koch SS

Pabo 0-3 Mukono King’s

Makobere 0-3 Andy Mwesigwa

Kisozi Seed 0-1 Kitende

TOPA 0-1 Old Kampala

Nakaseke 1-0 Kawempe

Playing Monday 

TOPA vs Kasasa, 10am

Kimaanya vs Highway Kiganda, 10am

Amus vs Kyadondo SS, 10am

St Julian Seeta vs St Maliko, 10am

London Coll. Vs Jinja SS, 10am

Quality Buikwe vs UMHS Lubaga, 10am

Makobere vs Welden, 10am

Kitende vs Mbale Progressive, 2pm

Old Kampala vs Kakungulu HS, 2pm

Kawempe vs Busia, 2pm

Tawheed vs Bukedea Comp., 2pm

Kakungulu Mem. Vs Buddo, 2pm