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• Captain fantastic Dyllan John delivers as 10-man JC secure gritty Champions Cup quarterfinal win over McGrath

  Jamaica College (JC) displayed resilience and determination to book their spot in the ISSA Champions Cup semifinals, as they overcame early adversity to secure a 2-0 victory over McGrath High in a lukewarm quarterfinal encounter at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on Friday.

  Captain Dyllan John again proved heroic, scoring both goals for his team in the 60th and 90+2 to keep their triple crown ambitions alive, as they also have the Manning Cup semi-final to contest on Wednesday.

  Head coach Davion Ferguson praised his players fighting spirit in achieving their semi-final objective.

  “I think the referee made a very questionable call, but the boys didn’t drop their heads. At halftime we told them that this is what we have been working on, and they dug deep, pressed McGrath a little higher, and I think that’s what paid off for us at the end. So even though it was 11 versus 10, we were still even in the sense of our quality superiority, and we made it count in the second half,” Ferguson said in a post-game interview.

  His counterpart Jermaine Thomas also lauded his McGrath outfit despite their inability to capitalize on the numerical advantage.

  “I thought we played well; we just never scored. I thought we created several goal-scoring opportunities...easy ones, and we stopped them from playing through the channels and breaking the lines easy. So they were playing long balls for the entire game; it is just that we never scored the chances that we got,” Thomas said.

  The match began under dramatic circumstances as Jamaica College suffered a major setback in the 16th minute. Goalkeeper Taywane Lynch was shown a red card for what referee Christopher Mason deemed a handball, although replays and protests from Jamaica College suggested the ball had come off his chest while he was still inside his 18-yard box.

  Despite the controversy, Jamaica College were forced to play the remainder of the match with 10 men and relied on substitute goalkeeper Adriano Kitson to step into the breach.

  The numerical disadvantage did not deter the Old Hope Road boys, who reorganized defensively to keep McGrath at bay.

  Both teams created half-chances in the first half, but poor finishing, particularly from McGrath, and solid defending in parts by Jamaica College ensured the game remained goalless at the break.

  McGrath, sensing an opportunity to upset the favorites, started the second half brightly and should have broken the deadlock in the 53rd minute. However, Mason failed to pull the trigger from a promising position, and the chance went abegging.

  Four minutes later, Nashordo Gibbs tested Orlando Griffiths with a sharp effort at the near post, but the McGrath custodian was up to the task.

  John then took matters into his own hands and fired the “Dark Blues” in front at the hour mark. The talented player sporting the number seven jersey picked up possession in the attacking third, shook two defenders, and unleashed a precise right-footed strike into the far corner.

  Buoyed by the goal, Jamaica College grew in confidence, even with a man down, but McGrath continued to press, and Jimm Mitchell had his 78^th-minute effort deflected by Kitson.

  While McGrath threw everything forward in search of an equalizer, it left them vulnerable at the back, and Jamaica College capitalized as a well-timed through ball from Dontae Logan sent John racing clear, and the captain showed his class once more, slotting a composed finish past Griffiths to seal the victory.

• Reid’s double sends Ocho Rios High into ISSA Champions Cup semifinals

  Keanu Reid’s clinical brace fired Ocho Rios High into the ISSA Champions Cup semifinals as they secured a 2-0 victory over debutants St Catherine High in a keenly contested quarterfinal clash at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on Friday.

  Reid’s strikes (42nd and 56th) were the highlights of the win achieved through a disciplined defensive display and lethal counterattacks that ensured Ocho Rios’s first-ever semifinal appearance in the all-island knockout competition, as they left St Catherine High frustrated despite their dominance in possession.

  While pleased with his team’s win, Ocho Rios Head coach Veron Peterkin felt the overall performance could have been better, as he acknowledged that they were aided by St Catherine’s profligacy.

  “To be fair, St Catherine missed a couple of chances behind our backline, but we were fortunate that we took ours, and we missed some as well, but we have to give credit to them. Reid is a very good player; he should have scored a bit more, but at least he scored two that gave us the win. So we just have to keep him happy and healthy as we move forward,” Peterkin said in a post-game interview.

  St Catherine entered the game as slight favourites and started with intent, dominating the early exchanges. Dwight Gentles nearly gave them the lead in the opening minutes, forcing Ocho Rios goalkeeper Maleek Martin into a reflex save.

  Moments later, Ronaldo Stewart’s driving run sliced through the Ocho Rios defence, but his final effort rolled agonisingly wide of the upright.

  Despite numerous forays into the attacking third, St Catherine’s final product lacked precision, with Tevin Grey and Kadean Young both seeing goal-bound efforts thwarted by a resolute Ocho Rios defence and the ever-alert Martin.

  While St Catherine struggled to capitalize on their opportunities, Ocho Rios executed their game plan to perfection. Sitting deep and absorbing pressure, they waited patiently for their chance to counter.

  Their breakthrough eventually came in the 42nd minute, when Kaneil Brown slipped a perfectly weighted pass through to Reid, who dismissed the advancing Omarion Brown in goal for St Catherine and slotted in his 23rd goal of the season to give Ocho Rios a 1-0 lead at the break.

  St Catherine came out determined in the second half and pushed hard for an equaliser which they should have had nine minutes in. This, as Lavaughn Taylor delivered a dangerous cross to Gentles, whose effort sailed over the bar.

  Minutes later, Grey’s deft ball into the area found Gentles again, whose header was calmly held by Martin.

  Young came closest to leveling the score when his curling effort beat Martin but ricocheted off the upright, summing up St Catherine’s frustrations.

  Just as St Catherine began to pile on the pressure, Ocho Rios struck again. Reid broke free on another counterattack and outpaced a scrambling defence before slotting past a stranded Brown, who had ventured well outside his penalty area.

  The goal all but sealed St Catherine’s fate, and while they continued to press forward, their attempts became increasingly desperate. Young rattled the crossbar in added time in what was another cruel reminder of their missed chances throughout the match.

  Ocho Rios nearly added to their tally as Brown unleashed a stinging shot from just inside the 18-yard box that was equally well-saved by Omarion Brown, who took flight to his left.

  Rajaun Garrick went on another counter for Ocho Rios, but again Brown advanced well to deny them in time added.

  For St Catherine’s assistant coach, Donovan Lofters, the loss was a bitter pill to swallow, as he rued his team’s wastefulness in front of goal.

  “We should have led by three or four goals by halftime, but we kept missing easy chances. So if you don’t eat your dinner, someone will eat it for you, and kudos to Ocho Rios; they did eat it. We didn’t deliver today,” Lofters said.