Vimbai Crowned Champions as St Eric-MWOS FC U20 Schools Tournament Unearths Talent

With additional reporting from the Daily News.

Vimbai were crowned champions of the inaugural St Eric High School and MWOS FC U20 Schools Tournament after defeating Focus Academy 4-2 on penalties following a goalless draw in the final.

Held under the theme “Boots On, Drugs Out: Uniting Youth Through Football,” the tournament brought together 16 schools and academies for an exciting showcase of youth football while promoting drug awareness among young people.

The tournament provided a platform for young footballers to showcase their talent while promoting positive values through sport as Zimbabwe continues its fight against drug abuse among the youth.

Sixteen teams were drawn into four pools, with every side aiming to secure a place in the quarter-finals.

Pool A featured MWOS FC U17, Sacred Heart FC, Chingwere and Dalny FC in a closely contested group.

Sacred Heart and Dalny opened the group with a goalless draw.

MWOS FC U17 recorded a narrow 1-0 victory over Dalny FC to strengthen their qualification hopes.

Chingwere and Sacred Heart later played out another 0-0 draw.

Sacred Heart sealed top spot in the group with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over MWOS FC U17.

Pool B began with hosts St Eric High School defeating Sandringham 1-0 through a goal from Takunda Nyamutova.

Chemukute then edged St Eric 1-0 to move into contention.

Hillcrest Hills defeated Sandringham 1-0 before sharing a goalless draw with St Eric in the final group fixture.

Pool C belonged to Vimbai, who were inspired by striker Dylan Chazanga.

Chazanga scored twice as Vimbai defeated Skomota Academy 2-1 in their opening match.

Masiyarwa also claimed an important 1-0 victory over Skomota Academy through Pride Wemba.

Pool D saw Focus Academy dominate the competition from the outset.

Focus Academy defeated Kutama Boys 2-0 before producing an impressive 4-1 victory over Parklands Academy.

Missie Group of Schools also impressed after beating Parklands Academy 1-0 and Kutama Boys 2-0 to qualify for the knockout rounds.

The quarter-finals produced thrilling contests across all four venues.

Focus Academy and Masiyarwa could not be separated after normal time before Focus Academy progressed with a 4-3 victory on penalties.

Vimbai also needed penalties after drawing 1-1 with Missie Group of Schools.

Dylan Chazanga scored for Vimbai while Andrew Chigwende equalised from the penalty spot for Missie Group.

Vimbai eventually won the shootout 5-4 to reach the semi-finals.

The semi-finals delivered more drama as Vimbai and Sacred Heart battled to a goalless draw.

Vimbai held their nerve to win the penalty shootout 3-2 and book their place in the final.

MWOS FC U17 also produced a spirited performance against Focus Academy in the second semi-final.

Neither side could find the breakthrough during regulation time.

Focus Academy eventually edged an epic penalty shootout 9-8 to deny the Young Punters a place in the final.

The championship match lived up to expectations as Vimbai and Focus Academy cancelled each other out over normal time.

The title was ultimately decided from the penalty spot after another goalless draw.

Vimbai converted four of their penalties to win the shootout 4-2 and lift the inaugural St Eric High School and MWOS FC U20 Schools Tournament trophy.

The tournament also celebrated outstanding individual performances.

Perfect Chamangwiza of Sacred Heart FC was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament.

Leon Kharma of Focus Academy received the Player of the Tournament award.

Focus Academy coach Clemence Masunda was voted Coach of the Tournament.

Vimbai striker Dylan Chazanga finished as the tournament’s Golden Boot winner following an outstanding goalscoring campaign.

Speaking during the tournament, MWOS FC Chief Executive Officer Gift Chari said the competition had grown into an important fixture on the schools’ football calendar.

“This tournament is now an annual event and a fixed part of our calendar. Our main objective is to promote football from the grassroots, while using the game to help fight drug abuse among young people.”

Chari said MWOS FC intends to expand the initiative by introducing an Under-13 tournament and creating more opportunities for girls to participate.

“We want to grow this initiative even further by introducing an Under-13 tournament and also creating a platform for the girl child. Our vision is to give more young players the opportunity to develop through football.”

The tournament also served as a talent identification programme, with scouts monitoring every match in search of promising young players.

MWOS FC Technical Director Wilson Mutekede said the competition provides an important pathway for talented players to progress within the club’s development structures.

“We had scouts watching every match to identify the best players throughout the tournament. We have also introduced individual awards this year to reward outstanding performances.”

“This tournament gives us an opportunity to identify talented players and help them progress through our development pathway.”

The successful tournament highlighted the abundance of young footballing talent across Zimbabwe while reinforcing the message of keeping young people away from drugs through football.

The inaugural St Eric High School and MWOS FC U20 Schools Tournament concluded as a memorable celebration of youth development, sportsmanship and community engagement, while establishing itself as a key grassroots football event with a strong focus on talent identification and social impact.