The Dynamic Duo Sweep the Tournament

Hiraya Publication

FEBRUARY 4, 2026

High school students gathering in Cainta Badminton Court before the tournament.

File photo.

The dynamic duo of grade 10 student Ben Samaniego, and grade 8 student Sofie Dy, stand victorious in the Temple Hill high school badminton tournament that took place on November 21.

They faced many opponents during the tournament and participated in a total of 4 matches, remaining triumphant throughout both single elimination matches and round robins. While initially not performing as well especially in the earlier matches, they eventually found their footing during the round robin where they learned to coordinate better with each other.

However, their most anticipated match was against the duo of Jake Jalandoni and Pilar Garrido, who were among the favorites to win the tournament. Jake and Pilar dominated throughout the first minutes of the match. According to Ben, they devised a strategy where Ben would cover the back to receive smashes and Sofie would deal with the front to receive dropshots which proved to be effective as they overcame their opponents with a score of 21-19.

During an interview with Jake, he states that he was uncertain about winning due to the fatigue from previous matches, but was still eager to participate. He notes that he and Pilar needed to work on their coordination, but held firm in the belief that she was a good teammate who “guided us throughout the tournament”.

After a long and exhausting match, Ben and Sofie won due to a combination of their coordination, strategy, and perseverance. When asked about what it felt like to dominate the tournament, Ben responded by stating his shock about winning: “I wasn’t really expecting to win, but honestly it was extremely surprising. I have never won any sports tournament in my life as far as I can remember, but I guess it was a really great win. I don’t think I would have won without Sofie, that’s for sure.”