Will those arrows seize the eagles, or will the eagles soar over the archers?
The most celebrated rivalry in Philippine sports history will soon be making headlines again, as the De La Salle Green Archers and the Ateneo Blue Eagles face each other on June 1 at the Arena in San Juan for the Fil-Oil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup.
Recent history – UAAP Season 75 – favors the five-time defending UAAP champions by a 3-0 win-loss record against La Salle. However, the Fil-Oil tournament shares the other side of the coin, as the Blue Eagles have yet to beat the Green Archers in the preseason cup.
Who will dominate?
Both teams have an identical tournament record of 6-1, with the Blue Eagles suffering from an early loss against the UST Growling Tigers, and the Green Archers bowing down to the UE Red Warriors last May 25.
Along with mainstays Jeron Teng, Almond Vosotros, and Norbert Torres, the rookies and emerging bench players of the Green Archers have redefined Coach Gee Abanilla’s squad. Newcomer Jason Perkins, Visayan star Kib Montalbo, sophomore forward Gabby Reyes, and former LSGH standout Robert Bolick have provided depth on both the offensive and defensive capacities of La Salle.
The mix of veterans and young blood has rejuvenated La Salle as it has become one of the top contenders in the preseason tilt, winning the first five games in dominant fashion. During their winning streak, the Green Archers won by an average of 18.6 points, with their 37-point rout of SWU standing as their biggest winning margin.
Meanwhile in the Blue-and-White corner, Ateneo has been plagued by the injuries of center JP Erram and forward Von Pessumal, and has been left in the deficit by the graduation of last year’s starters, Nico Salva and Greg Slaughter.
Fortunately for the Blue Eagles, they can still count on the third year dynamo Kiefer Ravena as well as point guard Juami Tiongson, the burly Frank Golla, and rookie Chris Newsome to banner their squad. Just returning from their recent training in the USA and Japan, the Ateneans hope to strengthen their line-up through the remaining preseason games in their bid for a sixth straight UAAP title.
A battle for the top spot
The much-anticipated match-up between the arch rivals is set at 4 pm, right after the duel between Adamson and San Beda at 2 pm. The undefeated Lady Archers and the Lady Eagles will also be facing off at 11 am in the same venue.
A victory by either team will place them at the top of the standings of Group B and they will be pitted against the fourth seed of Group A, the Arellano Chiefs, in the quarterfinals. A La Salle loss will drop them to third place behind the Blue Eagles and the UE Red Warriors, the sole team to have topped the Green Archers this preseason. If DLSU drops to third, they will face the FEU Tamaraws, the AdU Soaring Falcons or the San Beda Red Lions, depending on the results of the remaining Group A games.
As the Green Archers and the Blue Eagles renew their rivalry on this different stage, Ateneo will attempt to extend their UAAP winning streak to the preseason cup, but the surging Green Archers will not easily give up their undefeated head-to-head Fil-Oil slate. The first meeting between the Green and Blue is fast approaching, and it promises to be the first of many heated matches for the year.
