_{Photo: Kinich Ajau boys to represent at Mundo Maya U17 championships}

by William Ysaguirre

ORANGE WALK TOWN, Sun. Sept. 8, 2024

The Kinich Ajau team will represent the Jewel at the Mundo Maya Under-17 Pok-ta-Pok championships, organized by the Central American Association of the Ancestral Maya Ball Game – Pok-ta-Pok, to be hosted by El Salvador in late November. The Kinich Ajau boys eliminated their arch rivals, the Ek-Balam U-17 team, in the qualifying eliminations match at the Philip Alvarez Park in Orange Walk Town on Sunday afternoon, September 8.

The Ek Balam boys were simply overwhelmed by Kinich Ajau, who have been in training for a year and a half—starting before Belize hosted the 5th World Cup last year. Abiel Chi, Aiden Andrades, Kris Cawich, Erick Cawich, Kaden Cruz, Adlai Novelo and Jasmar Magana tallied 62 points in the first half, and 49 points in the second period, but were also penalized 12 points for fouls and finished with a 99-point score.

The Ek Balam boys are the junior team of the 3-time Mundo Maya world champions, Ek Balam of Yo Creek, but are still learning the game. Ek Balam’s Armando Chirinos, Joe Novelo, Jose Silva, Reghan Sosa, Romaldo Camara, Edward Cowo and Jesus Chan, Jr. only scored 5 points in the first period, but lost 12 points on fouls, finishing in the deficit with a -7 points score. They scored 15 points in the second period, but lost 11 points on fouls, to finish the match in the deficit with a -3 score.

The Kinich Ajau senior men’s team will represent Belize at the 6th Mundo Maya Pok-ta-Pok World Cup in Honduras next year.