Cory Williams Defends Road Championship Title  

Goodnight, welcome to this evening’s installment of Sports Monday. I am Paul Lopez, bringing you the latest from across the country. Tonight, we begin with the race for the National Road Champion. This is the Male Elite category at their starting point in Roaring Creek Village, as they geared up for a seventy-mile race west through the hills of San Antonio Village then back to Roaring Creek. Under twenty-three and some master riders rode the same distance.

 

Among the riders are names like brothers Cory and Justin Williams, and Jyven Gonzalez. Erick Trapp, Derrick Chavarria and the likes. Leaving Teakettle Village, heading west, Cory Williams leads a small chase group going after lead the rider in the lead, Justin Williams. The main peloton behind them is on the chase as well. Going into San Ignacio, one lead rider, young Jaylen Briceno was holding a forty-second gap between the main field of riders. Heading into the western hills through the Caracol Road on the way to San Antonio Village, the group is mostly intact. But it quickly became a race of endurance as the hills began telling on the riders’ legs. 1:33:26 These three riders going at a pace of seven miles an hour up this difficult incline. Exiting back onto the George Price Highway in Santa Elena two riders in the lead, Cory Williams and Derrick Chavarria, with another pair, Jyven Gonzalez and Jalen Briceno.

 

Going into Teakettle Village, the race is down to three riders playing cat and mouse and testing legs. Jaylen Briceno was dropped. A mile from the finish line, Chavarria launched an attack. Williams gets out of the saddle and Gonzalez does the same. The pace picked up to thirty miles an hour. Chavarria, Cory Williams punched the turbo button, and Gonzalez did not hesitate to respond. It was an all-out sprint to the finish line, with Williams ultimately defending his title for back-to-back championships. Back on the bike for the Road Championship is the Women’s category, Kaya Cattouse and her return was spectacular. She secured the title, reminding everyone that she still has what it takes.

 

Kaya Cattouse, Winner, National Road Championship

“The race really was reminder why I step back for the most part since the start of the year. This is the first federation race I ride since January and the fact that I think I want to give the upcoming cyclists some room to grow, because lining up automatic the race dah what fight for second place because when you come out there and working hard is only right you execute. I think slowly I will start to make my exit because the competition is  no longer there and I would like to help the upcoming cyclist; pass on the knowledge I have gained.”

 

So, Cattouse’s exit, at least from local races in this category, is imminent, unless something changes with the number of elite women riders training and competition. From cycling action, we take you to the Capital City for the revenge match of the season. The Capital City Kings took on Cayo Western Ballaz. Here are some highlights from the overtime thriller.

 

Western Ballaz led by as many as seven at the end of the first quarter, with twenty-one points to their opponent’s fourteen and they were able to maintain that lead throughout the entire first half. We are going to fast-forward to the final quarter. The tides had turned for the Kings and they were in the lead by eight points entering the fourth and final quarter. Here we are in the last four minutes of this one, down by one-point, Western Ballaz Jahiem Ciego goes to the free-throw after being fouled in the act of shooting. He makes both free throws and the Ballaz take the lead by one point, eighty to seventy-nine points ballgame.

 

Jahiem Ciego slipped under the rim but Darnell Oden there to clean up and further extend the lead. Oden again big on the inside, a five-point lead for the Ballaz with three and a half on the clock. Clutch three from Jayden Lopez to tie the game at eighty-four. One minute left on the clock, it’s an eighty-eight to eighty-seven ball game, Ballers down. Alrik Nicholas finds the opening and drives to the rim and gets the clutch bucket. Ballers up by one. Kings in position. John Kelly tried to go up over Nicholas and draw the foul. A chance to tie the game or take the lead with forty-six seconds on the clock. Kelly catches the first and misses the second, sending it into overtime at eight-nine points apiece.

 

The Kings scored twelve points in overtime, while holding the Ballers to nine. It was a successful revenge match for the Kings, winning the game with one hundred and one points. Ballers finished with ninety-eight.

 

And finally, this Saturday saw heavy rainfall over Belize City, but that did not stop the Anthony Mahler Youth Football Tournament and its eager young participants to hit the football pitch. In one of the matches, Blazing Strikers took on Tut Bay United and brought them down one goal to nothing. Jahlee Goff scored that goal for Blazing Strikers. Ladyville Rising Stars took down Ebony Lake in similar fashion, one goal to nothing. Justin Magana was the loan goal scorer for Ladyville Rising Stars. Well folks, that is all we have for you in tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday. Catch you in the next one.