Glenmuir High overcame a two-goal deficit to defeat Frome Technical 4-3 in a thrilling Group A quarterfinal clash that will be remembered as one of the most exciting matches of the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Wata daCosta Cup season.

It was an intense display of grit, determination, and skill by Glenmuir as they battled back from 3-1 down, with prolific scorer Orane Watson netting a hat-trick to see them to victory in May Pen, Clarendon, on Saturday.

Watson’s goals, which came in the 47th, 64th, and 79th, extended his remarkable tally to 27 goals so far this season, while Conroy Nicely (18th) got the other. Wayne Mullings (10th), Stevaughn Spence (22nd), and Clinton Beckford (43rd) got Frome Technical’s goals.

With the win, Glenmuir took charge of the group on three points, two points ahead of St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) and McGrath, who played out a 1-1 stalemate in the other fixture.

Glenmuir’s Andrew Peart praised his players’ fighting spirit.

“That is the key thing; you have to know how to win in multiple ways and being two goals down, I must say it was a job very well done by the boys overall.

“However, I thought the first half we allowed Spence too much freedom down our left channel because when they won the ball, they played direct and that was the biggest adjustments we made second half and then we secured possession of the ball a little more and those two things propelled us to the win,” Peart said in a post-game interview.

Frome Technical came into the match ready to prove their mettle and quickly displayed their attacking prowess and found the go-ahead goal when captain Mullings expertly converted a freekick from just outside the 18-yard box.

Glenmuir belatedly got into their stride and were back on leveled terms eight minutes later when O’neil Headly’s well-weighted corner kick was nicely headed home by an unmarked Nicely at the far post.

However, Glenmuir’s celebration was short-lived as the talented and classy Spence restored Frome Technical’s lead with a well-struck breathtaking freekick from well over 25 yards out that had custodian Justin Murray beaten all ends up.

After registering his 20th goal of the season, Spence played provider with a dazzling turn and pass off to Beckford, who finished with aplomb to add to Glenmuir’s woes, as Frome Technical went to the break 3-1 up.

However, Glenmuir’s squad refused to play dead and quickly cut the deficit two minutes into the resumption when Watson fired home.

The standout player, sporting the number nine jersey, ignited the comeback with a relentless drive and pulled Glenmuir level with a composed penalty conversion.

A heavy downpour then added to the drama, but rather than dampen the intensity, the rain only seemed to fuel Glenmuir’s resolve and Watson inevitably sealed his hat-trick and, by extension, the comeback when he lashed home from another weighted pass from Headly.

Spence almost made things interesting for Frome Technical at the end but Murray left his line well to deny the effort in time added.

Frome Technical’s Head coach, Cleighton Stephens, was disappointed with the loss, which he believes resulted from a lapse in concentration.

“I would say it came down to a lack of concentration because as you saw most of the goals that Glenmuir scored we basically didn’t use our head in the game so basically our mistakes cost us the game. We just didn’t adjust fast enough to the conditions when the rain came and we ended up paying for it,” Stephens said.

Saturday’s Results

Garvey Maceo 2, Central High 2

Glenmuir 4, Frome Technical 3

McGrath High 1, STETHS 1

Kemps Hill High and Ocho Rios registered the widest margin of victory to kick start the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Wata daCosta Cup round of 16, as both secured 5-0 scorelines over Alphansus Davis High and Happy Grove, respectively, on Saturday.

The win by Kemps Hill saw them take pole position in Zone One ahead of Garvey Maceo and St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS), who played out a 1-1 stalemate. Alphansus Davis is the early cellar dweller.

Ocho Rios’ win also put them tops in Zone Three ahead of the in-form Glenmuir High, who were 4-0 winners over Dinthill Technical.

Meanwhile, reigning champions Clarendon College were held to a 1-1 stalemate by Frome Technical in Zone 2. That result allowed Munro College to grab early pole in the zone after they registered a  4-1 win over Cornwall College.

Saturday’s results

Frome Tech 1, Clarendon College 1

Kemps Hill 5, Alphansus Davis High 0

STETHS 1, Garvey Maceo 1

Happy Grove 0, Ocho Rios High 5

Munro College 4, Cornwall College 1

McGrath High 3, Denbigh High 2

Central High 3, Manchester High 1

Glenmuir High 4, Dinthill Technical 0

McGrath High became the fourth school to win the ISSA/Wata Ben Francis knockout title since the change in format, as they edged Frome Technical 1-0 in a lively final at the National Stadium on Saturday.

Dante Anderson's 32nd-minute strike was enough to get the Linstead-based team over the line, and saw them join Charlemont, BB Coke and Edwin Allen as first-time champions.

Winning coach Jermaine Thomas was over the moon about his team’s accomplishment.

"I am happy and elated because we worked really hard for this. I also want to take time out to say rest in peace to Gibbs “Gibbo” Williams, he was an important part of my life and the reason why I went to college, so I wish he was here to witness this moment,” Thomas said.

“But congrats to the boys, they played well, we have been playing well all season, the last game we lost was to Christiana in the Round of 16, and we haven’t lost since then. So, I must commend the boys and the entire school community for the support,” he added.

It was a closely contested affair in which both teams threatened in open play and had their fair share of opportunities to break the deadlock.

McGrath went closest in the 32^nd when a well-taken David Hutchinson freekick, was equally well-saved by Oral Davis diving full stretch to his right, in Frome Technical’s goal.

Frome responded soon after but Dwayne Watt’s shot from close range, was parried by Joel Davis, in goal for McGrath, as they remained scoreless at the break.

However, McGrath eventually found what turned out to be the match-winning goal five minutes into the resumption when Devone Davis picked up possession and played a pass off to Anderson, who applied a tidy finish, beating Oral Davis at his near post.

It was end-to-end action from there with McGrath looking to add to their tally, while Frome Technical pressed for the elusive equaliser. In fact, the Westmoreland-based team showed more in the attacking third in the latter stages, as they used the wide channels to good effect to provide services inside the danger area.

The tactic almost bore fruit in 74^th when Akeem Kongal’s weighted cross was met by Jamaro Grant, who rose above defenders, but the effort was brilliantly cleared off the line by defender Isaac Mason to keep his team’s lead intact, and they saw off Frome from there.

Frome Technical’s Head coach Cleighton Stevens was gracious in defeat.

"First I have to say congratulations to McGrath on their victory, my boys put up a good fight, but it just wasn't our day. It was still a successful season and we just have to build on it going forward,” he said. 

Zone B action in the ISSA/WATA DaCosta Cup saw Rusea’s and Frome Technical both secure wins on Wednesday.

Former champions Rusea’s maintained their perfect record after five games with a 4-0 home win over Cambridge High while Frome secured a comfortable 7-0 win over Merlene Ottey to move to nine points from four games in second.

In Zone A, Cornwall College moved to 13 points from their five outings with a 2-0 win over St. James High at Jarrett Park. Irwin High are close behind them in second with 11 points from five games as well after their own 2-0 win over Maldon at home. Spot Valley and Green Pond played out a 1-1 draw in the zone’s other game.

In Zone C, William Knibb secured a massive 8-0 win over Discovery Bay while Browns Town beat Ferncourt 7-1. William Knibb are currently third in the Zone with nine points from five games, one behind York Castle and three behind zone leaders, Cedric Titus. York Castle lost 2-4 to Ocho Rios on Tuesday while Cedric Titus beat Aubuthnott Gallimore 10-2.

STETHS moved to 13 points from five games in Zone E after a massive 9-1 win over Sydney Pagon. Munro College trail the former champions by two points after securing a 7-0 win over Roger Clarke on Tuesday. Elsewhere in the zone, Lacovia and Maggotty played out a 1-1 draw.

In a pair of Zone I clashes, St, Mary High got the better of St. Mary Tech 3-2 while Wycliffe Martin High secured a 5-0 win over Carron Hall High. Wycliffe Martin and St. Mary High are currently fourth and fifth in the zone with seven and six points, respectively. Tacky High (13 points from five games), Annotto Bay (12 points from five games) and Horace Clarke (10 points from four games) occupy the top three spots.

Morant Bay High maintained their perfect record in Zone K after four games with a 4-2 win over Robert Lightbourne.

Defending champions Garvey Maceo will continue their quest for back-to-back ISSA/Digicel daCosta Cup titles after advancing to the quarterfinal round after a 10-0 home hammering of DeCarteret College in the second leg of their second-round fixture on Tuesday. Overall, they won the tie 15-0 after a 5-0 first leg win at Brooks Park on October 21.

With 32 teams advancing to the second round of the daCosta Cup, the teams played two leg knockout fixtures to determine the 16 teams to take part in the quarterfinal round. The quarterfinal round will involve four four-team groups with the winners advancing to the semi-finals.

Joining Garvey Maceo in Group 1 of the quarterfinal round will be Central High, Christiana High and Manchester High. Central advanced after beating Irwin High (Zone A winners in the preliminary round) 4-1 on aggregate. Christiana came out on the right side of a dogfight with Happy Grove, prevailing 4-3 on aggregate while Manchester beat B.B Coke 3-1 over two legs.

Group 2 will be contested by Cornwall College (Zone A runners up), Dinthill Technical (Zone K winners), Paul Bogle (Zone L winners) and William Knibb (Zone C winners). Cornwall College got to the quarters after beating Vere Technical 5-3 on penalties after the teams were deadlocked at 3-3 after two legs. Dinthill Technical now have 12 wins from as many games in this year’s daCosta Cup after 4-1 and 4-0 wins over Browns Town to advance. Paul Bogle beat Cedric Titus 2-0 on aggregate while William Knibb beat Petersfield 1-0 over two legs.

Clarendon College (Zone H winners), Frome Technical (Zone B winners), Rusea’s (Zone B runners up) and York Castle (Zone I winners) make up Group 3. Clarendon College hammered St. Mary Technical 12-1 on aggregate. Frome are still unbeaten this season after 3-0 and 3-1 wins over Titchfield, Rusea’s enjoyed a pair of 2-0 wins over Belair High and York Castle put seven past Seaforth over two legs without conceding.

Group 4 will be occupied by Edwin Allen (Zone H runners up), STETHS (Zone E winners), Manning’s (Zone D winners) and Glenmuir (Zone M winners). The second round saw STETHS secure a narrow 2-1 aggregate win over Holmwood, Edwin Allen beat McGrath 3-0, Manning’s get past Charlemont 4-2 and Glenmuir beat Tacky 10-1.

The quarterfinals get underway on Saturday.

Dinthill Technical will have the distinction of being the only team in the 2022 daCosta Cup to advance to the next round on the back of a perfect group stage record thanks to a 4-0 home victory over McGrath High on Friday.

With 30 points from 10 games, Dinthill can celebrate their progression to the next round as winners of Zone K. McGrath ended with 21 points and will advance alongside Dinthill while Charlemont finished two points behind McGrath in third.

Frome Technical and Rusea’s will advance from Zone B. Frome won the zone with 22 points from eight games while Rusea’s finished three points behind them in second. The teams played out a 0-0 draw at Frome on Saturday.

William Knibb hammered Herbert Morrison 10-0 at home on Saturday to confirm their progression as Zone C winners with 22 points from eight games. Cedric Titus finished second with 16 points from eight games despite a 0-2 home loss against Spot Valley, who finished five points behind in third.

Manning’s and Petersfield played out a 0-0 draw on Saturday and will both advance from Zone D. Manning’s amassed 24 points from their 10 games to advance as zone winners while Petersfield ended their preliminary round campaign with 20 points from 10 outings.

STETHS finished the preliminary round with nine wins and one loss to finish with 27 points and win Zone E. Their final game saw them beat Munro College 2-0 at home on Saturday. B.B Coke, who entered their last game needing a win to confirm their passage to the next round, beat Maggotty 3-1 to secure their spot with 19 points, three more than Munro in third, from their 10 games.

Manchester secured their spot as Zone F winners with a 2-1 win over DeCarteret College at Kirkvine on Saturday. They ended with 25 points from their 10 games. Belair High will also advance after a 4-0 away win over Mt. St. Joseph, leaving them three points behind the leaders and three ahead of DeCarteret in third.

Zone G was extremely close as Christiana and Holmwood both finished with 15 points, one point ahead of Mile Gully in third. Christiana entered a Friday clash with Holmwood three points behind their opponents and got a 2-1 home win to end up as zone winners by two on goal difference.

Clarendon College and Edwin Allen played out a 1-1 draw at Edwin Allen on Saturday as both confirmed their progression from Zone H. Clarendon College won the zone with 22 points from eight games while Edwin Allen ended seven points behind their opponents in second.

York Castle was already confirmed as Zone I winners before a 5-1 win over Marcus Garvey at Drax Hall on Thursday. They ended the group stage with 22 points from eight games. Browns Town entered their game with Ocho Rios on Thursday needing a point to join York Castle in the next round and got it thanks to a goalless draw. They finished with 12 points, one more than Oracabessa in third.

Zone J was the closest as the top four teams all ended up within two points of each other. Tacky won the zone with 17 points while St. Mary Tech had the same number of points in second, trailing by three on goal difference. Horace Clarke finished a point behind them while Annotto Bay ended two points adrift. Saturday saw Tacky and Horace Clarke play out a 1-1 draw at Horace Clarke while St. Mary Tech beat Wycliffe Martin 2-0 at Wycliffe Martin and Annotto Bay beat St. Mary High 1-0 at the Highgate Community Center.

Paul Bogle finished with 24 points from 10 games to win Zone L after a 2-1 away win over Yallahs on Thursday. They will be joined in the next round by Seaforth who ended with 21 points after a 6-1 win over St. Thomas Technical at the Eastern Banana Complex, also on Thursday.

Glenmuir beat Central High 2-0 at home on Saturday to confirm their status as winners of Zone M, finishing with 19 points. Central ended up second, three points behind Glenmuir while Denbigh ended u a distant third with 10 points after a 2-1 win over Old Harbour at the Port Esquivel Sports Club.

Defending champions Garvey Maceo will advance as Zone N winners after a 3-0 home win over Winston Jones on Saturday. They ended up with 22 points from their eight games, six points more than second-placed Vere Technical who booked their spot in the next round with a 5-0 home win over Foga Road.

Happy Grove and Titchfield both ended with 12 points from six games to advance from Zone O. Happy Grove won the zone by two on goal difference thanks to a 4-1 win over Fair Prospect at Fair Prospect while Titchfield got a 2-0 win over Port Antonio at Carder Park.

2003 champions Frome Technical went to Merlene Ottey and won 8-0 to remain unbeaten atop Zone B of the ISSA/Digicel DaCosta Cup on Wednesday.

Frome, who also beat Green Island 5-1 on Monday, lead the zone with 15 points from their five games and have scored 32 goals while conceding only one. 11-time champions Rusea’s also have 15 points but have played one more match than Frome. They secured a 3-0 home win against Hopewell.

Zone A leaders Irwin High got their third consecutive draw, 1-1 with Maldon at home to move to 15 points from their seven outings, five points more than Green Pond in second. 12-time champions Cornwall College got a vital 2-1 win over Green Pond at Green Pond on Tuesday to close the gap between the two to just one point. Wednesday’s other zone clash saw St. James High record a 3-2 victory over Anchovy at Jarrett Park.

William Knibb now has four wins from four games to lead Zone C after a 3-0 win over Spot Valley at Spot Valley. Wednesday’s other zone game saw Herbert Morrison secure a 1-0 home win over Muschett. Cedric Titus is second in the zone and also have four wins out of four after a 5-0 win over Muschett on Monday.

Lacovia beat Munro College 1-0 at home in Zone E. Lacovia now have nine points from eight games for fourth in the zone while Munro are still second with 11 points but are now ten adrift of leaders STETHS who won their seventh match out of seven, 2-0 over Maggotty at Maggotty on Tuesday. B.B Coke also beat Sydney Pagon 3-1 at home on Tuesday and are now a single point behind Munro in third.

Belair High took over the lead in Zone F thanks to a 1-0 home win over Manchester to move to 15 points from six games, two points ahead of their opponents in second. DeCarteret College are now just one point behind Manchester in third after a 2-0 win over Bellefield at Bellefield while Mt. St. Joseph beat May Day 3-0 at home in the other zone game.

Clarendon College beat Kellits 5-1 at home for their fifth win in as many games to stretch their lead in Zone H. Edwin Allen and Lennon High played out a 0-0 draw at Lennon and are currently second and third in the zone on eight and seven points, respectively.

Vere Technical hammered Winston Jones 10-0 to move to the top of Zone N with 10 points after four games. Defending champions Garvey Maceo also have 10 points thanks to a 4-1 away win against Kemps Hill. They also beat Foga Road 3-1 at home on Monday.

In Zone O, Happy Grove hammered Fair Prospect 6-0 at Hector’s River to move to lead with eight points from four games. Titchfield also have eight points from four thanks to a 1-1 draw with Port Antonio at Carder Park.

In Zone J, Tacky moved to 15 points from seven games after a 1-1 draw with St. Mary Tech at Richmond Farm, maintaining a five-point lead over St. Mary High who beat Horace Clarke 1-0 at Horace Clarke on Tuesday. Wednesday’s other zone game saw Wycliffe Martin lose 2-3 at home to Annotto Bay High.

Central High moved to the top of Zone M with a 5-0 win over Tacius Golding at the Port Esquivel Sports Club. They now have 12 points from five games, three more than Glenmuir who have also played two less games. Glenmuir beat Old Harbour 2-0 at home on Monday.

In more Tuesday results, Manning’s dropped their first points of the season with a 0-0 draw at Godfrey Stewart in Zone D. With 19 points from seven games, they now lead Petersfield, who drew 1-1 with Black River at Black River, by seven points. Godfrey Stewart sits third with nine points while Belmont Academy are now a point behind them in fourth after a 1-0 win over Grange Hill at the Llandilo Sports Complex.

Holmwood secured a 2-1 win over Alphansus Davis High at Brooks Park to maintain their lead in Zone G. They now have 13 points from five games, six points more than Christiana High who beat Alston 5-0 at Kirkvine. Christiana have played two games less than Holmwood.

York Castle took over the lead in Zone I thanks to a 2-0 win over Browns Town at the Mount Pleasant Academy. They now have 13 points in five games to lead Oracabessa, who played out a 1-1 draw with Ocho Rios at Drax Hall, by three points.

Dinthill Technical got their eighth win in as many games to maintain top spot in Zone K. They secured a 5-1 win over Enid Bennett at the Bybrook Sports Club to move to 24 points. McGrath High remain second on 18 points from eight games after a 1-0 win over Charlemont, who are third with 15 points. Ewarton beat Guys Hill 1-0 at the Ewarton Sports Complex in the other zone game on Tuesday.

Rusea’s, Frome Technical, Clarendon College and Dinthill Technical all secured massive wins on a goal-filled Saturday in the ISSA/Digicel daCosta Cup.

Dinthill were the biggest winners on the day, putting 10 past Enid Bennett without reply at home to move to a perfect nine points from three games and maintain their spot atop Zone K. In Saturday’s other Zone K matches, Charlemont got a 2-0 win over McGrath at home while Guys Hill beat Ewarton 2-0 at Tacky High.

At Clarendon College, the hosts opened their campaign with a 7-0 win over Kellits High. The early leaders in Zone H, however, are Edwin Allen High who got their second win in as many games with a 4-1 win over Lennon High at Lennon.

Rusea’s and Frome were both in dominant form in Zone B with 7-0 and 9-0 wins over Hopewell and Merlene Ottey, respectively. Rusea’s now have two wins from two games to lead the zone while that was the first game for Frome.

In a Zone M double header at Glenmuir High, the hosts got a 3-1 win over Denbigh shortly after Central High got by Tacius Golding 4-1.

In Zone O, Port Antonio secured a 5-0 win over Fair Prospect at Carder Park.

In Zone A, Green Pond scored a shock 2-1 win over Cornwall College to get their second win and move to the top of the zone. St. James High beat Anchovy 2-0 at Jarrett Park in the other Zone A fixture.

In an exciting Zone C encounter at Muschett High, the hosts suffered a 3-4 defeat at the hands of Herbert Morrison. William Knibb won their season opener 3-0 win over Spot Valley at home.

In Zone D, Manning’s moved to nine points from three games with a 3-1 win over Godfrey Stewart while, at the Crawford Sports Complex, Belmont Academy got on the win column 1-0 over Grange Hill.

STETHS also moved to three wins from as many games in Zone E with a 2-0 win over Maggotty at home. The other zone encounter saw Munro College get their second win with a 1-0 home triumph over Lacovia.

Both Zone G fixtures ended in stalemates. At Alphansus Davis High, the hosts played out a 1-1 draw with Holmwood Technical while Christiana and Alston drew 2-2 at Christiana.

In Zone I, Ocho Rios beat Oracabessa 3-2 at Clemhard’s Park while there were no goals between Browns Town and York Castle at Addison Park.

There were also nine matches played on Friday.

In Zone J, Horace Clarke secured a 3-1 win over St. Mary High at the Highgate Community Centre to move to seven points from three games and lead the zone. At the Westmoreland Oval, Annotto Bay beat Wycliffe Martin High 3-0 while Tacky and St. Mary Tech drew 2-2 at Tacky.

In Zone L, Paul Bogle moved to nine points from three games with a 3-1 win over Seaforth at York Oval. At Eastern Banana Complex, St. Thomas Tech got a 4-0 win over Robert Lightbourne while Yallahs beat Morant Bay 3-0 at Yallahs.

In Zone N, Vere Technical beat Kemps Hill 2-0 at home to move to six points from two games. Foga Road won their season opener 2-0 over Winston Jones at home.

In Friday’s only Zone O game, Titchfield and Happy Grove played out a 0-0 draw at Carder Park.

Action continues Monday with four games. Sydney Pagon will battle B.B Coke at home in Zone E.

The other three matches will be in Zone L as Morant Bay and Paul Bogle will square off at Morant Bay, Seaforth battle Robert Lightbourne at Seaforth and Yallahs will host St. Thomas Tech.

Edwin Allen High and St. Elizabeth Technical will contest the final of the Ben Francis Cup Knockout after winning their respective semi-final fixtures on Tuesday.

The double-header at STETHS saw Edwin Allen secure a comfortable 4-0 victory over Manchester High in the opening fixture and the host school pulling out a 1-0 win over Frome Technical in the second.

The final will be played at STETHS on Friday, January 21.

The hosts will be looking to secure their seventh Ben Francis Cup while Edwin Allen will be seeking their first.

Clarendon College became the fourth and final team to advance to the semi-finals of the 2021 DaCosta Cup football competition on Tuesday after recording a 3-1 win over McGrath High at St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) to finish with a perfect nine points from their three games in Zone 4.

Both DaCosta Cup semi-finals will be played at 3:00 pm on January 12 with Dinthill Technical taking on Mannings High School at the Montego Bay Sports Complex while Garvey Maceo will do battle with Clarendon College at STETHS.

Meanwhile, Manchester High beat Cornwall College 2-1 at Green Pond in Tuesday’s other Zone 4 encounter to finish second in the zone with six points and advance to the Ben Francis Cup Knockout.

Manchester High and Cornwall College join Edwin Allen, Christiana High, Munro College, Vere Technical, STETHS and Frome Technical in the Ben Francis Cup.

In a matter of weeks, St. Andrew Technical have gone from being out of the Manning Cup to being in the semi-finals.

After originally finishing fourth in Group B behind Camperdown, Tivoli and Excelsior, they advanced to the quarterfinal round as a second-placed team after Camperdown and Tivoli were disqualified from the competition for using ineligible players.

On Friday at Jamaica College, they played out a 1-1 draw with Mona High to advance from Group 1 along with defending champions Jamaica College to the last four of the competition.

JC finished with a perfect nine points from three games with a 3-1 win over St. Catherine at Stadium East.

On Saturday, Kingston College (KC) secured the top spot in Group 2 with a 2-0 win over Excelsior also at Jamaica College.

Charlie Smith beat Kingston Technical4-1 in the other Group 2 game to advance alongside KC.

KC will play STATHS in one semi-final and JC will play Charlie Smith in the other.

Meanwhile, Mona, Excelsior, Kingston Technical and St. Catherine High will contest the Walker Cup.

In the daCosta Cup, Dinthill Technical and The Mannings School advanced to the semi-finals on Friday.

Dinthill won Zone 1 after beating Edwin Allen 1-0 at Drax Hall, their third win in as many games.

Christiana beat William Knibb 3-2 in the other Zone 1 match at Drax Hall.

Mannings played to a 1-1 draw with Munro College at STETHS to finish with seven points from their three matches and win Zone 2.

Vere Technical and Happy Grove played a seven-goal thriller in the other Zone 2 game at STETHS on the day, with the former prevailing 4-3.

On Saturday, Garvey Maceo pulled off something special to get into the semi-finals.

Entering their final match against St. Thomas Technical at Kirkvine, trailing STETHS by three goals on goal difference, Garvey Maceo produced a massive 12-0 victory over St Thomas Technical to win Zone 3 and advance.

STETHS tried their best with a 6-0 win over Frome Technical at home but it wasn’t enough.

Garvey Maceo and STETHS both finished with seven points but Garvey Maceo’s massive win meant they ended with a goal difference of +16 whereas STETHS, with a big win of their own, ended up with a goal difference of +11.

Edwin Allen, Christiana, Munro College, Vere Technical, STETHS and Frome, as second and third-placed finishers from the respective groups,  have all qualified for the Ben Francis Cup.

The final two qualifiers as well as the final DaCosta Cup semi-finalists will be determined after rescheduled Zone-4 games on Tuesday when Clarendon College play McGrath High and Manchester High and Cornwall College meet.

Kingston College is now the only team in schoolboy football this season to have a 100 per cent win record after beating Kingston Technical 3-0 for their second straight win as quarterfinal-round action in Manning Cup on Wednesday.

KC now leads Group 2 with six points from their two games.

Trailing Kingston College with three points from two games is Excelsior High School, which suffered a 2-1 defeat to Charlie Smith High that was getting their first win of the round.

Kingston Technical have yet to register a point after losing their first two games.

In Group 1 play on Tuesday, defending champions Jamaica College became the first team to advance to the semi-finals with a hard-fought 5-3 triumph over ST Andrew Technical High School (STATHS).

JC remains atop of the group with six points from their two games ahead of STATHS on three and Mona, also on three, after their crucial 2-0 win over St. Catherine High.

STATHS and Mona will do battle to see who joins JC in the semis.

Over in the DaCosta Cup, Dinthill Technical and Edwin Allen both got wins in Zone 1 action on Tuesday to set up a winner-take-all game to decide which of the two will advance to the semi-finals.

Dinthill defeated William Knibb 3-0 while Edwin Allen comfortably got by Christiana High 4-0 in a double-header at Manchester High.

Dinthill and Edwin Allen now both have six points from two matches with Dinthill currently ahead with a goal difference of 7 to 6 for Edwin Allen.

Mannings got their second win in Zone 2 with a 6-0 thrashing of Happy Grove at Drax Hall to remain atop the zone with six points from two games, two points ahead of Munro College, which outscored Vere Technical 4-3 and now have four points.

Happy Grove currently sits third with one point while Vere is fourth with none.

This is another scenario where the winner of the match between Mannings and Munro will advance to the semi-finals.

On Wednesday, Garvey Maceo and St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) played to a 2-2 draw at Kirkvine while Frome hammered St. Thomas Technical 9-2 at Drax Hall in Zone 3 action.

This was Garvey Maceo’s first draw this season after winning their first eight matches.

STETHS and Garvey Maceo both have four points after two games with STETHS leading the zone on goal-difference of five against two for Garvey Maceo.

Frome is third with three points and St. Thomas Technical are fourth with none.

STETHS will play Frome in their final match while Garvey Maceo will play St. Thomas Technical.

At Manchester High, Clarendon College got a 2-0 win over Manchester to get their second straight win in Zone 4 and move to six points.

 The two teams that only got into the quarterfinal round of the Manning cup because Camperdown High and Tivoli Gardens were disqualified, won their opening matches of the Manning Cup quarter-finals.

Excelsior and STATHS had originally finished third and fourth in Group B of the Manning Cup preliminary round but advanced after Camperdown and Tivoli were disqualified from the tournament for using ineligible players.

STATHS won their Group 1 opener 4-1 over St. Catherine High on Friday while Excelsior High beat Kingston Technical 3-1 in their Group 2 opener on Saturday.

Jamaica College beat Mona High 2-0 in the other Group 1 match on Friday and Kingston College got by Charlie Smith 3-0 in the other Group 2 match on Saturday.

The quarter-final round of the DaCosta Cup also got underway on Saturday with Dinthill Technical blanking Christiana High 4-0. Meanwhile, Edwin Allen beat William Knibb 2-0 in the second Zone 1 game on the day.

Mannings were the only Zone 2 winners Saturday, beating Vere Technical 3-2.

Munro College, which have struggled for form played to a 1-1 draw with Happy Grove in the other Zone game on the day.

Munro entered that game on the back of two straight losses in their Zone C playoff games against Lacovia and B.B. Coke.

In Zone 3, Garvey Maceo continued their fantastic form this season by beating Frome 2-0 while STETHS easily got past St. Thomas Technical 6-1.

Elsewhere, defending champions Clarendon College and Manchester High got wins in Zone 4 action.

Clarendon College defeated Cornwall College 2-1 while Manchester High ran out 4-0 winners over McGrath High.

Quarterfinal action in both competitions resumes on Tuesday.

The sixteen teams to advance to the quarterfinal round of the DaCosta Cup were confirmed as zone play ended on Tuesday.

The teams will be divided into four groups of four.

Each team will play three matches and the winners of each group will advance to the semi-finals of the competition.

Group 1 will have William Knibb, Dinthill Technical, Christiana High and Edwin Allen.

Mannings, Happy Grove High, Munro College and Vere Technical make up Group 2.

Group 3 will see STETHS, Garvey Maceo, Frome Technical and St. Thomas Technical do battle while Group 4 is made up of Manchester High, Clarendon College, Cornwall College and McGrath High.

Quarterfinal round play in the DaCosta Cup kicks off on Saturday, December 11.

Wednesday was an action-packed day of schoolboy football across the island.

In Manning Cup action, Kingston Technical recorded a clinical 3-0 win over Bridgeport at the Spanish Town Prison Oval to move back to the top of Group A with 12 points from five games, two points ahead of defending champions, Jamaica College.

Charlie Smith currently sits third in the group with nine points from their five games.

Group B may be the most exciting as there are five teams that have a chance to qualify for the quarterfinals alongside Camperdown, who have 16 points from their six games, with one match to play. Excelsior High School and Jonathan Grant both moved to 11 points from six games after defeating Jose Marti and Tivoli, respectively.

Excelsior beat Jose Marti 6-0 at Jamaica College and now sits second in the group on 11 points with a goal difference of 11 while Jonathan Grant won 1-0 over Tivoli Gardens at the Spanish Town Prison Oval to move to third on 11 points with a goal difference of three.

Tivoli is fourth in Group B with 10 points while STATHS, who scored a 6-0 win over Dunoon Technical at Stadium East on Wednesday, are fifth on nine points.

St. Jago High is sixth in the group with eight points.

Clan Carthy High beat Papine High 1-0 at Jamaica College in a battle of the two bottom teams in Group C.

Wednesday also saw the beginning of the quarterfinal round playoff fixtures for Zones C, F and G in the DaCosta Cup.

In Zone C, the doubleheader at STETHS saw Lacovia record the only win of the day with a 2-1 victory over Munro College.

STETHS and B.B Coke played out a 3-3 draw.

The top four teams in Zone C have now all played six matches with one more playoff fixture remaining.

STETHS lead Zone C with 13 points followed by Munro College with 12, Lacovia on 10. B.B. Coke has seven points.

Meanwhile, Garvey Maceo maintained their perfect record with a 4-0 win over Foga Road in their Zone F playoff fixture at Garvey Maceo.

In the other playoff fixture in Zone F at Vere, the hosts secured a 1-0 win over Old Harbour High.

Garvey Maceo and Vere have all but confirmed their progression to the quarterfinal round with 18 and 13 points, respectively, with each having one match left to play.

Old Harbour are third on seven points and Foga Road are fourth on six.

The first set of matches in the quarterfinal playoff round in Zone G saw Happy Grove get a 4-1 victory over Port Antonio High to ascend to the top of the zone on 10 points.

St. Thomas Tech had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Seaforth in the other playoff fixture in the zone and now sits second on nine points.

Port Antonio are third on seven points and Seaforth are fourth with four points.

In the regular zone matches from Wednesday; in the Zone-A double-header at William Knibb, Irwin High and St. James High emerged winners.

Irwin got by Spot Valley 3-0 while St. James beat Maldon 4-0.

All eight teams in Zone A have now played six matches with William Knibb at the top with 15 points closely followed by Cornwall College with 13 and Irwin with 12.

Irwin and Herbert Morrison both have 12 points but Irwin is ahead on goal difference.

Mannings High School remains atop of Zone B following a 4-0 win over Green Pond.

Green Island and Rusea’s High played to a 2-2 draw at Green Pond.

Frome secured a 4-0 victory over Petersfield at Llandilo Sports Complex in the other Zone B fixture.

Mannings lead the seven-team zone with 13 points from their five matches. Frome Technical, which has also played five matches is second on 12 while Petersfield currently sits third on seven.

In the Zone D double-header at Manchester High, Manchester and Christiana both got crucial wins over Bellefield High and DeCarteret College respectively.

Manchester High won 3-1 to move to 13 points from their five games with a goal difference of 23 to lead the seven-team zone.

Christiana High beat DeCarteret College 2-0 to also move to 13 points from five games, only trailing Manchester on goal difference.

Holmwood Technical is now third in Zone D with 10 points from five games after hammering Alston High 7-0 at Kirkvine in the third Zone D match on the day.

Dinthill Technical secured their spot in the quarterfinal round with a 2-0 win over St. Mary High in the first game of a Zone H double-header at Drax Hall.

Dinthill advances as the winners of Zone H with 16 points from their six games.

The second match of the double-header saw Brown’s Town secure a crucial 1-0 win over York Castle to keep alive their hopes of a quarterfinal round berth.

In the third Zone H match on the day, McGrath earned a vital 3-2 win over Ocho Rios High to set up an exciting final match-day that will determine who will join Dinthill as quarterfinalists.

Ocho Rios, Charlemont and McGrath all have eight points heading into their final matches, with Ocho Rios currently occupying second-place with a plus-eight goal difference.

Charlemont High lie third with a goal difference of +1 and McGrath are fourth with a goal difference of 0.