Two-time national finalists, St. Francis Xavier Junior Seminary SHS, have secured a spot at the 2025 NSMQ Championship after winning their regional qualifier in the Upper West Region, though the victory came with mixed emotions.

They finished the contest with just 22 points, ahead of Lassia Tuolu SHS and Wa Senior High Technical School, who ended with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Despite the victory, the atmosphere in the Xavieran camp was far from celebratory.

Both contestants and supporters expressed clear disappointment with the low score, describing the performance as underwhelming given the school’s national pedigree.

“We are happy we made it through, but we are disappointed with the performance; we were expecting at least 40 points at the end of the contest. We will go back, regroup, and return, hoping to make a bigger impact at the nationals,” Walter Kpankpari, a contestant, said.

Once hailed as giants from the north after their impressive runs to the finals in 2012 and in 2014, St. Francis Xavier has in recent years struggled to replicate that dominance on the national stage.

Their recent performances have seen early exits, with their best performance in the last 10 years being the quarterfinals.

The team is now looking ahead to the national championship in October, hoping to rekindle their glory days and push further into the competition.