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By George Katongole
Paorinher SS – U17 Group Stage ResultsPaorinher SS 3-0 Kisiita Modern SSPaorinher SS 1-1 St Kaggwa BushenyiPaorinher SS 1-0 Mulusa Academy
Every matchday in Gulu ends with a special ritual for Paorinher Secondary School. Players and officials gather around a mobile phone to make a video call to the man they affectionately call their “father,” Raymond Okot.
Watching from the United Kingdom, where he works as an urban planner, Okot has followed every moment with pride as the school he helped establish continues to exceed expectations at the ongoing 2026 Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) Ball Games II.
Every victory is celebrated across three locations—Gulu City, Patongo in Agago District, and the United Kingdom—highlighting a remarkable journey that has transformed a community initiative into one of the championship’s biggest success stories.
That inspiring journey reached another milestone on Sunday evening when Paorinher SS defeated Mulusa Academy 1-0 to secure qualification to the knockout stage of the Under-17 Boys’ Football Championship in the school’s maiden appearance at the national games.
The Agago District side, which officially opened as a secondary school earlier this year, has accumulated seven points from three matches, finishing top of their group on goal difference ahead of Monday’s final group encounter against Jinja Progressive Academy (JIPRA).
Paorinher announced their arrival in style with an impressive 3-0 victory over Kisiita Modern Secondary School, courtesy of goals from John Ocaya, George Otim, and James Oneka.
They followed up with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against western Uganda football powerhouse St Kaggwa Bushenyi, where Jacob Kilama scored the crucial equaliser.
Against Mulusa Academy at the Daniel Comboni Vocational School Grounds, Kilama once again proved decisive, tapping home just before halftime after sustained pressure to hand Paorinher another memorable victory.
Team Chief Executive Ashraf Munyaga described qualification from the group stage as another historic achievement for the young institution.
“There are many people back home in Patongo who believe in the dream of this team, and qualifying from the group stage is worth celebrating. It is another first for us,” Munyaga said.
The achievement is a testament to a football development programme that has been years in the making. Long before the establishment of the secondary school, Paorinher had already built a reputation for identifying and nurturing football talent in Northern Uganda.
The project first gained national recognition during the 2022 FUFA Odilo Cup, where its primary school team finished runners-up after narrowly losing 5-4 on penalties to Rays of Grace Junior School.
Although they fell short of the title, striker Joseph Langol emerged as the tournament’s top scorer before earning a move to Quality High School Buikwe and later Jinja Progressive Academy. Langol subsequently became part of Uganda’s historic Under-17 national team that secured qualification for the country’s maiden FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Munyaga believes the team’s success has been built on discipline, commitment, and an unwavering work ethic.
“It is already a privilege for us to be here. Our team is built on hard work, discipline and aggressive football, and we shall continue approaching every game with that mentality,” he added.
Regardless of the outcome against JIPRA, Paorinher have already secured a place in the Round of 32, where they are expected to face either Ibun Baz Secondary School or Lira Town College. Victory there would set up a potentially challenging Round of 16 tie against either Seroma Christian High School or Buddo Secondary School.
Behind the football success lies PAORINHER (Patongo Orphan Infants Health Rehabilitation Centre), a community initiative established in 2007 to care for children orphaned by the conflict in Northern Uganda.
What began as a refuge providing shelter, food, healthcare, and HIV support has since evolved into a comprehensive centre for education, agriculture, youth empowerment, and sports development.
Through its Sports Academy, PAORINHER uses football as a tool to teach discipline, leadership, teamwork, and responsibility, while creating educational opportunities for vulnerable children across the Acholi and Lango sub-regions.
For a secondary school that has only been in existence for a few months, reaching the knockout stage at its first-ever USSSA Ball Games II is another remarkable chapter in a journey that began nearly two decades ago with one mission—to transform lives through education and sport.
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