Student Wall-Racing Quarterfinals Set for the 16th; 16 Schools Head to Kameido Second Wall

The student wall-racing federation announced on the 14th the matchups and schedule for the quarterfinals among the 16 schools that survived the third round. All eight matches will be held on the 16th at Kameido Second Wall. Toyosu Technical, undefeated through five matches this season, previously reported, will face Shinonome Jitsugyo, last autumn's runner-up, which eliminated Tatsumi Metropolitan High in the third round.

Federation officials said three of the eight matches pit schools that have previously met at national tournaments. "Strong schools ending up against each other at this stage is just how the bracket fell," an official said. Tatsumi Metropolitan, the only first-time entrant to reach the third round, previously reported, was eliminated there, leaving no debut schools in the quarterfinal field.

The federation also said on the 16th it was finalizing plans to expand the temporary bleacher seating first installed on the 13th, previously reported, beyond its original 200 seats. "Based on the response on day one, we want to add as many seats as we reasonably can," an official said.

The eight quarterfinal winners advance to the semifinals, with the final set for November at the same Kameido Second Wall, previously reported. The federation reiterated its stated commitment to "holding both safety and competition together, right to the end."