Too good. Too strong. Too classy.

Negros Occidental once again left its regional sporting rivals reeling in its wake, retaining the elementary and secondary titles at the close of the Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association Meet in Bacolod City yesterday. The hosts dashed whatever hopes of a final-day assault from Iloilo by splitting the athletics titles with its fiercest contender and winning majority of the championship matches in ballgames.

It was a convincing triumph for the Negrenses in the secondary division, where the hosts posted a total of 465 points, 110 ahead of Iloilo. Capiz came in third with 166.5 points, followed by Aklan (106), Antique (99) and Guimaras (85.5).

The elementary division followed the same script, although the advantage was lesser.

Iloilo tried to make a fight out of it by winning the basketball title to hike its output to 336.5 points, an effort which proved to be in vain as Negros stamped its class with 363, anchored on victories in swimming, athletics, baseball, badminton, softball and taekwondo.

The outcome meant that majority of the members of the Western Visayas contingent for the 2007 Palarong Pambansa in Koronadal, South Cotabato will come from Negros.

SECONDARY DIVISION

Bannered by NOPSSCEA spikers, Negros won a tough five-setter over Iloilo in the secondary girls' volleyball finals in a match that best characterized its regional Palaro campaign this year --- jumping to an early lead, before allowing Iloilo to catch up and finding enough resolve to finally ward off the challenge.

Negros also topped secondary basketball at the expense of Iloilo, 81-74 at the NOMPAC to gain 25 points. Over at the St. La Salle College Covered Court, the spikers from Pulupandan town also prevailed over Iloilo for the crown, while the Negrenses overwhelmed the Ilonggos anew in the sepak takraw finals at the Doña Corazon Montelibano Elementary School courts.

The baseball and softball finals appeared to have been a breeze for the Negrense squads with perennial Palarong Pambansa champion Domingo Lacson National High School adding another title to its vast collection with a 10-0 win over Iloilo.

The batters from Bacolod City also proved that the decision of retaining them as the Negros representative was the right one as it swept past Guimaras, 10-0, for the title worth 25 points.

At the Panaad Park and Stadium, JC Mark Palesterio, sprint prince Paul John Geamoga, Arjay Arinal, German Remallo grabbed the limelight one after the other to help Negros retain the high school boys' athletics crown.

Despite triple-gold performances from standout thrower Jossie Entrina and sprinter Keizel Pedriña, Negros fell short of the girls' crown. Entrina ruled shotput, javelin and discus throw, while Pedriña reigned in the 100-m, 200-m and 400-m races.

Negros also swept swimming as the meet's top athlete Miguel Villanueva, Dominique Balinas, Carmela Nava registered multiple-gold finishes at the Panaad Olympic Pool.

Lawn tennis, badminton and gymnastics also proved to be the Negrenses' virtual playground. The other team titles for the hosts came in girls' table tennis, boys' taekwondo and one of the province's favorite sports, boxing.

Iloilo grabbed the titles in boys' archery, girls' athletics, boys' table tennis, girls' taekwondo and football, an event it has dominated for the past three stagings of the regional meet.

ELEMENTARY CATEGORY

Tanker Kiefer Piccio proved to be the biggest star in the elementary division for the second straight year, powering Negros to the boys' crown. Aldin Flores of Escalante City also notched three gold medals with victories in the 400-m, 800-m and 1500-m races, while Maika De Oro starred in the girls' division by topping shotput and discus throw.

Negros shared overall honors in athletics with Iloilo but the hosts had enough firepower to claim the crowns in baseball, football and softball, worth 25 points each. The Negrenses also topped boys' chess, girls' badminton and the MAG and RG competitions of gymnastics.

Iloilo's titles came from boys' athletics, basketball, girls' volleyball, boys' lawn tennis, sipa, girls' swimming and boys' badminton, while Guimaras pulled off one of the biggest shocks of the meet by claiming the boys' volleyball title. *CPT

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