Amid strong, constant winds from the east and intermittent rainfall, John F. Kennedy High School defeated Notre Dame High School 3-1 in the Interscholastic Boys High School Football League championship soccer game on Saturday at the Guam Football National Training Center.

“Put in all the work, and it came out in our favor in the end,” said JFK’s Landen Cruz, who scored two goals.

Within the first few minutes of play and before the Royals’ defense was fully set, the Islanders’ Nehemiah Nauta received a long pass and drove in a long goal past Royals’ goalkeeper Kevin Doronila.

The Islanders entered halftime with a 1-nil advantage, but the lead was erased.

Near the midway point of the second half, Notre Dame’s Gregory Collins found himself in an one-on-one situation with Islanders goalkeeper Renzel Reburiano. With only the goalkeeper to beat, Collins was fouled from behind and Notre Dame was awarded a penalty kick. The play resulted in the Islanders’ defender receiving a yellow card. Reburiano, who was injured on the play, hopped off the field and was replaced by Leiam Santos. Once play resumed, Jace Almandres lined up for the penalty kick and sent a low, hard strike into the back of the net.

Reburiano, on the next play, returned to the pitch to defend his goal.

With the game tied 1-1, the Islanders – as if playing with a sense of urgency, took control.

“We had a sense of urgency, but we’re not panicking. We know what our team could do, and we knew we could come up with a win at the end,” Cruz said.

About eight minutes after Almandres’ goal and from 25 yards in from and left of the Royals’ goal, Cruz fired a shot past Doronila. Cruz had given the Islanders the one-goal lead, but he was far from finished.

“We were just making the run forward, and we put pressure on their back line and ended up scoring,” Cruz said.

Less than two minutes after Cruz’s go-ahead goal, he struck again.

After a scramble in front of the Royals’ goal, Cruz scored the insurance goal – creating a two-goal lead and cementing the championship.

In the third-place game, which was decided in a penalty kick shootout,  the Harvest Christian Eagles defeated the defending-champion Father Duenas Memorial School Friars 4-3.

Before the two overtime periods, the Eagles and Friars were knotted at 2-2. For the Eagles, Jack Tran and Hanyoung Kang scored one goal apiece. For the Friars, Trystan Santos and Sean Halehale also scored one goal each.