The stage is set for another thrilling chapter of schoolboy football as the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Champions Cup draw, conducted at SportsMax Studios on Tuesday, revealed a series of captivating matchups.

Chief among the fixtures to kick off this weekend’s quarterfinal round is the clash between reigning champions Glenmuir High and former champions Kingston College, as the tournament, which brings together the best from the Manning Cup and daCosta Cup competitions, promises fierce battles and a showcase of young talent.

Glenmuir High have been in impeccable form this season and are high-riding favourites to go all the way in the daCosta Cup. To begin their Champions Cup defence against Kingston College (KC) will certainly test their mettle, but they have so far displayed that they possess enough quality to overcome any challenge.

According to assistant coach Johnoy Chambers, Glenmuir, now making their fourth Champions Cup appearance, are riding high on years of developmental work.

“What we are doing at Glenmuir is just continuing the hard work we’ve been doing for the past three to four years. Being here is very important to us because the school strives to be the best both on and off the field," said Chambers.

Kingston College, a nine-time participant and winner in 2019, brings a legacy of dominance and is hungry to reclaim their place at the summit of schoolboy football.

In a historic clash, Ocho Rios High will make their second Champions Cup bow against debutants St Catherine High. Ocho Rios have been in good knick this season and will aim to continue that run of form, but St Catherine, under the stewardship of veteran coach Anthony Patrick, are determined to make an impact.

Patrick, a two-time Manning Cup-winning coach with Bridgeport, expressed pride in his team’s achievement. 

“It’s a joy for me to have a team here. We’ve been building well from preseason, and it’s now coming out on the field. We are going to give it our best shot," Patrick declared.

In another interesting clash, Hydel High will mark their fourth appearance in the Champions Cup when they face Garvey Maceo, who are no strangers to the tournament with six appearances.

Hydel, known for their resolute defence and quick transitions, will be eager to stamp their authority on the competition. However, Garvey Maceo are seasoned campaigners, and their current crop of players will look to rise to the occasion in this encounter. 

Meanwhile, Jamaica College (JC), a nine-time participant and 2022 Champions Cup winners, are peaking at the right time and, as such, will start favourites in their encounter against McGrath High, the reigning Ben Francis Cup champions.

Jamaica College’s decorated history speaks for itself, and members of Davion Ferguson’s current unit are seasoned in high-stakes matches. Still, they will be relying on tactical discipline to continue their rich history, while McGrath, buoyed by their recent cup triumph, will look to continue their upward trajectory.

Champions Cup Fixtures

Hydel High vs Garvey Maceo

Ocho Rios High vs St Catherine High

Jamaica College vs McGrath High

Glenmuir High vs Kingston College 

Hydel High successfully defended their Championship of America 4x400m title on day two of the 128^th Penn Relays at the Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Friday.

The quartet of Alliah Baker, Jody-Ann Daley, Nastassia Fletcher and Abigail Campbell combined to run 3:34.78 to win ahead of Bullis School (3:35.17) and Union Catholic (3:41.75).

Hydel captain Alliah Baker reacted to her second gold medal of the meet.

“I am not shocked but I’m very excited. This is my last year and I’m very happy to finish my last year with two gold medals,” she said.

Hydel have now won this event three straight times and five times in the last six years.

Hydel High, Wolmer’s Girls, St. Jago High, Edwin Allen High, Holmwood Technical and St. Mary High all secured spots in the Championship of America High School Girls 4x100m final on day one of the 2024 Penn Relays at franklin Field in Philadelphia.

Hydel’s team of Alliah Baker, Shania Myers, Shemonique Hazle and Juwonna Whitehorne combined to run 45.99 to win heat 13 and advance with the fastest time overall.

Holmwood Technical (Regina Bailey, Kiara Meikle, Sadeena Holder, Monique Proudlove) combined to run 46.38 and advance as winners of the ninth heat ahead of St. Mary High (Akeeliah Barnes, Kaliesha Bell, Shagay Sheppy, Tianna Rhoomes) who also made it through with 46.46.

St. Jago High (Rae-Annia Williams, Kryshell Hoolong, Seanagaye Leslie, Tamara Bailey) with 46.55, Edwin Allen (Trezeguet Taylor, Theianna-Lee Terrelonge, Jounee Armstrong, Shanique Cassanova) with 46.59 and Wolmer’s Girls (Mikayla Gardner, Tianna Marshall, Natrece East, Abigayle Wolfe) with 46.72 will also be in Friday’s final.

Hydel are defending champions in the event.

Aided by a superior squad with depth across events and classes, Kingston College expectedly retained their boys’ title, while Edwin Allen turned back the challenge from Hydel High to reclaim the girls’ crown, as the curtains came down on the 113^th staging of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium on Saturday.

Kingston College were always favoured to cop the Mortimer Geddes trophy for a third-straight year and they did so with consummate ease to make it their 35th overall lien on the coveted prize.

The North Street-based purples, who led from day one of the five-day spectacle, fittingly closed the show with victory in the 4x400m relay open to end with a tally of 335 points. They finished 57 points ahead of closest rivals Jamaica College (278 points), with Calabar (194 points), Excelsior (122 points) and St Jago (111.50 points), completing the top five.

Meanwhile, it was sweet redemption for Edwin Allen, who had their eight-year unbeaten run snapped by Hydel in last year’s nail-biting battle in which they were separated by two points.

Like Kingston College, Edwin Allen were also expected to take the girls’ title back to their Frankfield, Clarendon base for a 10th time overall, but dethroned champions Hydel kept things interesting throughout, and lacked the venom to upstage their rivals on this occasion.

The Michael Dyke-coached Edwin Allen amassed 335.50 points to finish nine and a half points ahead of Hydel High, who ended on 326 points after they closed the show with victory in the 4x400m. St Jago (171 points), Holmwood Technical (149 points) and Wolmer’s Girls (128.50 points) round out the top five.

Newly minted Class one girls’ 100m champion Alliah Baker of Hydel and boys’ Class one 400m champion Marcinho Rose, both threw down the gauntlet for what is to come in the 200m finals, as they were superb in qualifying on Friday’s third day of the 113th ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium.

Baker, who is relishing the opportunity to sprint, after being asked to take up the mantle by Head coach Corey Bennett, cruised to a time of 24.27 seconds and seems poised to complete the double.

She will have the likes of Bridgeport High’s Brittney McCormack (24.49s); Titchfield’s Chevauna Grant (24.49s); Mickayla Gardener (24.02s) of Wolmer’s Girls; St Catherine High’s Kaycian Johnson (24.64s); St Elizabeth Technical’s Shanque Williams (24.71s); Edwin Allen’s Jounee Armstrong (24.50s) and Trezeguet Taylor (24.71) to contend with in the final.

Kingston College’s Rose laid down comfortable 20.70 seconds to set the tone for the boys’ Class one event. The other finalists are Gary Card (21.17s) of Wolmer’s Boys; KC’s Amal Glasgow (21.26s); Lacovia’s Rosean Smith (21.52s); Vere Technical’s Omar James (21.57s); Raheem Pinnock (21.76s) of St Jago; Munro College’s Romario Hines (21.59s) and Rhaeim Allyson (21.62s) of Clarendon College.

In the girls’ Class two event, medal favourites, Shanoya Douglas (23.53s) of Muschett High; Sabrina Dockery (24.41s) of Lacovia High and 100m champion Theianna-Lee Terrelonge (23.95s) of Edwin Allen, safely progressed to the final.

They will be joined by Hydel High’s Jody-Ann Daley (24.45s) and Shemonique Hazel (24.67s); Shevi-Anne Shim (24.69s) of Immaculate Conception and St Mary High’s Tianna Rhoomes (24.74s).

Johan-Romaldo Smythe (21.31s) of Muschett High was the standard bearer for the boys’ Class two qualifiers, followed by Wiliam Knibb’s Jabari Matheson (21.77s); Kingston College’s Joshua Grant (22.06s); Antwone Bygrave (22.01s) of St George’s College and Jamaica College’s Malique Dennis (22.16s). Calabar’s Byron Walker (22.28s); Campion College’s Nasir McMorris (22.46s) and Ian Baker (22.05s) of St Catherine High (22.05), will look to challenge Smythe for the top spot.

Meanwhile, Natrece East of Wolmer’s Girls’ will look to defend her Class three title, after she clocked 24.15s in qualifying. She will face the likes of Immaculate Conception’s Kimberly Wright (24.48s); St Jago’s Shannia Campbell (25.30s) and Trecia-Ann Grant (25.07s); Edwin Allen’s Kerelle Etienne (24.86s); Port Antonio’s Kevina Bourne (25.04s); St Mary High’s Kaliesha Bell (24.72s) and Hydel’s Sashana Johnson (24.79s).

Jamaica College’s Oneil Lawrence clocked 22.54 seconds to register the fastest qualifying time of the boys’ Class three 200m. He will line up against Mario Ross (22.67s) and Deandre Myers (23.31s) of Wolmer’s Boys’; Calabar’s Ched Brown (22.85s); Denbigh High’s Rayvon Black (22.99s); Andre Boyd of St Jago (23.11s); Edwin Allen’s Taheem Thompson (23.24s) and Kingston College’s Jason Pitter (23.29s).

Finally, Hydel High’s Teixiera Johnson is another athlete seeking to complete the double, as she headlines qualifiers through to the girls’ Class four event.

Johnson ran a time of 25.23 seconds, and she will be joined by her teammate Tyecia McDonald (25.46s); Jadeanne Patterson (26.03s) of Alphansus Davis; Holmwood Technical’s Aliona Crawford (26.20s); Maggotty High’s Kerian Jarrett (26.06s); Mick-Kayla Gardener (26.09s) of Wolmer’s Girls; Edwin Allen’s Makaila McDonald (26.26s) and Convent of Mercy Alpha’s Imani Crawford (26.33s).

The final is scheduled for Saturday evening.

A few athletes will be aiming to complete the middle distance double in their respective classes after they easily navigated the 800m semi-finals on day four of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium on Friday.

Among them are Jamaica College’s Samuel Creary, Alikay Reynolds of Alphansus Davis and Abigail Campbell of Hydel High.

Campbell, who won the girls’ Class one 400m title, clocked an easy 2:18.60 to book her spot in the 800m final, along with the Edwin Allen pair of Monique Stewart (2:17.70) and Rickeisha Simms (2:16.18). Carlene Temple (2:16.26) and Allecia Johnson (2:19.07) of Alphansus Davis; Holmwood Technical’s Cindy Rose (2:16.64); Kitania Headley (2:17.05) of St Catherine and St Andrew’s Rihanna Gayle (2:19.31), also progressed.

The boys’ Class one finalists include Maggotty’s Yoshane Bowen (1:57.88); Jaquan Coke (1:59.82) of Kingston College; Kemario Bygrave (2:00.41) of Jamaica College; Port Antonio’s Ainsley Brown (1:57.91) and Joaqueem Miller (1:59.86) of St Elizabeth Technical.

Holmwood Technical’s Jovi Rose headlines the girls’ Class two qualifiers with a time of 2:16.33, and she will be joined by Horecia Love (2:18.12) of Edwin Allen High; Shavanecia Griffiths (2:18.22) and Chennai Jarrett (2:17.29) of St Elizabeth Technical; St Mary’s College’s Latanya Dixon (2:18.33); St Jago’s Kededra Coombs (2:18.80); Andrene Peart (2:18.47) of Holmwood Technical and Sydney Pagon’s Denae Hodges (2:23.27).

Creary, who won the 1,500m title and Nahashon Ruto of Kingston College are expected to battle it out for the boys’ Class two title after both easily progressed to the medal event. Creary clocked 1:58.38 in semi-final two and Ruto stopped the clock in 2:00.32 in the other semi-final.

They will be joined by Delano Brown (2:00.85) of St Elizabeth Technical, Rushanne James (2:00.69) of Clarendon College, St Mary High’s (2:00.75), Jayden Brown (2:01.42) of Maggotty High, Shemar Green (2:00.92) of Jamaica College and Albert Town’s Clevaughn Genius (2:01.41).

Alphansus Davis’ Reynolds, the girls’ 1,500m Class three champion, easily booked her spot in the 800m showpiece with a time of 2:16.51. The Edwin Allen pair of Denique Palmer (2:18.29) and Kevongaye Fowler (2:19.91); Shameika Dennis (2:21.24) of St Elizabeth Technical; Tabbrel Williams (2:20.67) of Alphansus Davis; St Mary High’s Dallia Fairweather (2:18.81); Hydel’s Sackeela Whilby (2:21.59) and Manchester High’s Vennesha Pommels (2:22.44), will seek to upstage Reynolds in the finals.

Meanwhile, Jamaica College’s Cavel Nooks, the boys’ Class three 1,500m champion, will start as a favourite in the final 800 metres, as he won his semi-final in 2:02.65.

Also securing a lane in the final are Camron Williams (2:05.97), also of Jamaica College Titchfield High’s Ratieo Walters (2:07.08); Sydney Pagon’s Luke Plummer (2:06.55); Calabar’s Obrian Clarke (2:09.79); Excelsior’s Keniel Daniels (2:10.06); St Elizabeth Technical’s Renento Alexander (2:07.57) and Nathaniel Thomas of Denbigh High (2:11.43).

The finals are scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

There were no mishaps in the exciting 4X100m relays on Thursday’s third day of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships, as all the main protagonists safely executed their baton exchanges to secure spots in the medal event at the National Stadium.

Calabar High anchored by Shaquane Gordon clocked the fastest time of 40.53s in the boys’ Class one qualifiers, with Excelsior (40.70s), Kingston College (40.70s), St Jago (41.02s), Jamaica College (40.98s), Herbert Morrison (41.03), Wolmer’s Boys (41.06s) and St George’s College (41.07s), also progressing.

In the girls’ Class one qualifiers, Wolmer’s Girls laid down the marker with a 45.40s-clocking, followed by Edwin Allen (45.73s), Hydel (45.57s) and Holmwood Technical (46.05s). St Catherine (46.31s), Manchester High (47.50s), St Jago (47.43s) and St Mary High (47.64s), complete the finalists.

The boys’ Class two qualifiers were led by Excelsior High, who clocked a fast 41.13s, while Calabar (41.38s), Kingston College (41.85s) and Jamaica College (42.44s), also booked their spot in the final. St Catherine (42.35s), St George’s College (42.55s), Manchester High (43.03s) and Petersfield (43.13s), are the other finalists.

Edwin Allen were fastest through from Class two, as the quartet of Kellyann Carr, Shanique Cassanova, Marria Crossfield and Renecia Edwards won their heat in 46.20s. They will be joined in the final by Hydel (46.59s), Immaculate Conception (47.03s), Excelsior (47.16s), Holmwood Technical (47.23s), Manchester High (47.45s) St Catherine High (47.49s) and Vere Technical (47.58s).

Jamaica College headline qualifiers through to the boys’ Class three event. They won their heat in 43.71s, and they will be joined by Kingston College (43.87s), Calabar (44.11s), St Elizabeth Technical (44.97s), Wolmer’s Boys (44.23s), St George’s College (44.23s), Edwin Allen (44.87s) and Herbert Morrison (46.00s), in the final.

In the girls’ Class three event, St Jago High quartet of Rihanna Anderson, Adora Campbell, Shannia Campbell and Trecia-Ann Grant, clocked the fastest qualifying time of 46.35 seconds. Edwin Allen High (46.71s), Hydel High (46.96s), Immaculate Conception (46.62s), Holmwood Technical (47.19s), Convent of Mercy Alpha (47.49s), Wolmer’s Girls’ (47.49s) and St Mary High (47.36), round out the top eight.

Meanwhile, Hydel High’s quartet of Teixiera Johnson, Gianna Blake, Amelia Hacker and Shaneil Henry were fastest through to the girls’ Class four final. They clocked 48.10 seconds, and they will be joined by Edwin Allen High (48:40s), Holmwood Technical (48.58s), St Jago High (49.31s), St Andrew High (49.65s), Convent of Mercy Alpha (49.10s), Wolmer’s Girls (49.44s) and St Catherine High (49.69s) in the final.

The 4X100m relay finals are scheduled for Saturday evening.

Excelsior High’s Damor Miller and Hydel High’s Alliah Baker won the respective Class One boys and girls 100m titles on day two of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston on Wednesday.

Miller, who before Wednesday had never medaled at ‘champs’, produced a personal best 10.31 to take gold ahead of Calabar’s Khamani Gordon (10.37) and KC’s Yourie Lawrence-Clarke (10.45).

Hydel tasted success in the girls Class One final through their captain Baker who joined the club as one of the few ‘champs’ athletes to win medals in the 100m, 200m and 400m by running a big personal best 11.34 to win ahead of Edwin Allen’s Jounee Armstrong (11.52) and Wolmer’s Girls’ Mickayla Gardener (11.59).

KC’s Nyrone Wade held his composure to run a personal best 10.43 to take gold in the boys Class Two final ahead of Excelsior’s Malike Nugent (10.52) and Herbert Morrison’s Tavaine Stewart (10.56).

The girls Class Two event saw event favorite Theianna-Lee Terrelonge recover from a poor start to produce a personal best 11.22 to win gold ahead of Lacovia’s Sabrina Dockery (11.36) and St. Jago’s Briana Campbell (11.48).

Dockery also joined the club of athletes to win ‘champs’ medals in the 100m, 200m and 400m.

Mario Ross continued his excellent form this season with a brilliant personal best 10.88 to win boys Class Three gold ahead of Calabar’s fast-finishing Ched Brown (10.90) and St. George’s College’s Naethan Bryan (11.02).

Natrece East of Wolmer’s Girls rebounded from silver last year to claim gold this year in the girls Class Three final in a personal best 11.42. St. Jago’s Adora Campbell was second in 11.52 while Edwin Allen’s Kerelle Etienne was third in 11.73.

Hydel’s Teixiera Johnson won a drama-filled Class Four final in 11.87 ahead of Mick-Kayla Gardener of Wolmer’s Girls (12.27) and pre-event favorite Rihanna Scott of Ferncourt High (12.31).

The drama started just before the race when Scott pulled up with an injury while warming up before eventually taking her place in the field and eventually securing bronze.

Hydel High, Kingston College and Calabar High are all equal on nine points after action in Group A of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup on Saturday.

Hydel defeated former champions Charlie Smith 1-0 to secure their third win in as many games. They are currently leading the group on goal difference having scored 15 goals and not conceded any.

Kingston College, who opened their campaign with a 0-4 loss to Hydel, hammered Penwood 14-0 to get their third win in a row in second while Calabar handed Camperdown their third consecutive defeat with a 5-2 score-line.

Elsewhere, Mona High got their fourth win in as many games in Group E with a 2-1 win over St. Catherine High.

Former champions Kingston College and Calabar continued their upward trend in Group A of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup, as both registered 2-0 and 3-0 victories over Camperdown and Charlie Smith respectively at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Wednesday.

Both Kingston College and Calabar, who lost their opening contests, have rebounded nicely with these being their second win on the trot in a competitive group that is expected to go down to the wire for the top two positions.

In the opening contest, Alex Hislop (fourth) and Kelvin Brown (65^th) got the job done for Kingston College over Camperdown, while Javel Watson (20^th), Fitzroy McLeod (79^th) and Kimani Thompson (90+2), were on target for Calabar in the feature encounter.

With the win, both Calabar and Kingston College moved to six points, along with leader Hydel, who hammered Penwood 10-0 in their fixture. Charlie Smith remains in fourth on three points, with Camperdown and Penwood yet to put a point on the board.

After Hislop fired Kingston College in front, the tempo of the young North Street-based team dropped significantly but picked up when the game resumed from a short break due to severe weather conditions.

Kingston College should have added a second from the penalty spot, but Dejuan Green tried to be too fancy and hit the 12-yard kick wide, as the score remained 1-0 at the break.

The purples continued their dominant show on the resumption and though Camperdown tried to play their game, the failed to really trouble Dominic Robinson in goal for Kingston College.

Vassell Reynolds’s side eventually added to their tally when Brown waltzed his way around three defenders before finishing a right-footer with aplomb to seal the win.

Though not impressed, Reynolds welcomed the improved second half display and, by extension, the win.

“I think we rose to the occasion; it is still a work in progress, but the youngsters are learning very quickly. I am pretty satisfied with how they recovered from the first half. I thought the break helped us really, we were giving away possession of the ball and we lacked the composure in the first half, but they came out and equipped themselves in the second half,” Reynolds said in his post-game assessment.

His counterpart Lebert Halliman cited indiscipline for his team’s defeat, their second of the season. They also have against Hydel in which they are down 0-5 to be completed.

“Indiscipline is why I took off my captain because he wasn’t playing his role. But overall, I think the team did well, it’s a young team and a long season, so it’s a learning process for them,” Halliman said.

The feature contest was much more eventful, as both Charlie Smith and Calabar were evenly matched for the most parts.

Both displayed individual flair and some colorful plays in patches, but it was Calabar that proved the most clinical in the end.

The Andrew Price-conditioned Calabar opened the scoring in the 20^th minute when an unmarked Watson, easily headed home at close range from a Jaheim Rankine cross.

They almost doubled the lead 12 minutes later, as Sheridan Wilson’s stinging right-footed shot from a distance had Deonte Gary, in goal for Charlie Smith beaten, but the effort came back off the crossbar.

With no changes to the scoreline at the break, Charlie Smith showed more purpose on the resumption in their hunt for the equalizer. However, they not only found themselves with a numerical disadvantage when they lost Gary to straight red in the 61^st minute for stomping on an opponent, but they also found themselves with a two-goal deficit to make up.

This, as Anthony McDonald’s weighted free kick found McLeod, who made no mistakes.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, Thompson rubbed salt on an already wounded Charlie Smith with an easy close range finish in time added.

Wednesday’s results

Zone A

Kingston College 2, Camperdown 0

Charlie Smith 0, Calabar 3

Penwood 0, Hydel High 10

Zone B

Meadowbrook 3, Cumberland 2

Jamaica College 3, Spanish Town 0

Zone D

Excelsior 7, Cedar Grove 1

Bridgeport 2, Clan Carthy 1

Zone E

St Catherine 7, Edith Dalton James 0

Innswood 2, Holy Trinity 0

Mona 9, St Mary’s College 1

Hydel High confirmed their status as serious title contenders for this season’s ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup title with a stunning 4-0 win over 16-time winners Kingston College at Royal Lakes on Tuesday.

Elsewhere in Zone A, Calabar opened their campaign with a 1-0 win over Penwood.

In Zone B, Kingston Technical secured a 3-1 win over Cumberland while Spanish Town and Meadowbrook played out a 2-2 draw at the Spanish Town Prison Oval.

STATHS were the second biggest winners on the day with a 6-0 drubbing of Bridgeport in Zone D action. Also in Zone D, Excelsior beat Clan Carthy 3-0 while Tarrant secured a 2-1 win over Cedar Grove.

Edith Dalton James were the day’s biggest winners with a 7-0 score line over St. Mary’s College while St. Catherine High beat Innswood 3-0 in Zone E action.

In Zone G, Wolmer’s Boys beat Donald Quarrie 6-1.

With some at least two of his star athletes matriculating to college this fall, Hydel High School Head Coach Corey Bennett will be hard-pressed to fill those massive shoes when the new high school track season rolls around.

 However, he is optimistic he can find his next set of starlets from within remaining members of team that won their first girls title at the ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships in Jamaica earlier this month.

Over the past few seasons, Hydel High School has seen a number of their top athletes matriculate to colleges in the United States or have gone pro. Athletes like Oneka Wilson, Shardia and Shadae Lawrence, Charokee Young and others have gone on to further their studies, testament to the school’s emphasis on finding balance between academics and athletics.

Meanwhile, others like Commonwealth Games silver medallist and NACAC Champion Shiann Salmon and Ashanti Moore have gone pro. Young subsequently chose to forego her college eligibility to sign a professional contract last summer.

In 2022, Hydel lost 2022 World U20 200m champion Brianna Lyston to Louisiana State University (LSU) on a scholarship and World U20 sprint hurdles champion and world record holder Kerrica Hill chose to go the professional route.

This coming fall, Alana Reid and Onieka McAnnuff will be the next to leave. Reid, who set a new championship and national junior record of 10.92 at Champs, will begin classes at the University of Oregon while McAnnuff, the talented 400m hurdler and team captain, will take up a scholarship to the University of Kentucky.

Losing them will undoubtedly have significant impact on Hydel’s ability to defend their historic Champs title but Bennett remains optimistic.

“When you have a world-record holder last year leaving prematurely and a record holder at Champs – Brianna and Kerrica leaving – it does set you back and that’s why we take the pressure of winning off the team,” he said.

“It’s just a matter of who else can we put out there that can excel. I thought we had some good performances (at Champs). I want to highlight Jody-Ann Daley, who won the 400m and the hurdles even when at one point she didn’t want to do the hurdles and I said ‘no, come on, you can do it’,” Bennett said.

“And Shemonique Hazle in the 200 when nobody gave her a chance, we believed. We are a small team about 34-members strong and we believe that no matter what, each one can go out there and give of their best and we delivered.

“Let’s hope that next year the girls will come inspired to give of themselves, train hard to be the best versions of themselves and with trust in God with the process.”

Bennett’s comments are in line with his over-arching philosophy of how to build strong teams with limited resources and personnel at Hydel. He revealed that with a four-member team in 2010, Hydel’s first year at Champs, they finished 11^th.

 For him, the focus has always been on quality than quantity.

“I am still going to build individuals. If I can make the individuals better, then ultimately the team will be better. I am not going to just go and throw persons into events just to win a championship. It is about being very individualistic and getting the best out of persons,” he said.

“Alliah Baker is our top high jumper. She high-jumped in Class IV and got a medal but she is a runner. We want to focus on where we think she will be better so we are not going to seek points, points will seek us. We want to maintain excellence in our girls.”

Alana Reid believes her performance at the 2023 ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships that concluded on Saturday, April 1, was the best possible way to end her high glittering school career.

Reid, who turned 18 in January, completed the sprint treble at Champs, winning the 100m in a record 10.92 and the 200m in 23.08 before leading Hydel High School to victory in the 4x100m relay. She became the first female high school athlete to break 11 seconds in the blue-riband sprint at the 113-year-old Jamaican high school championships while shattering the record of 11.13 that was held by sprint icon Veronica Campbell-Brown since 2001.

Speaking with Sportsmax.TV on Monday while the school celebrated it’s first-ever title at the championships, Reid said it was good to cap her high-school career the same way it began.

“In Class IV I won both the 100 and the 200m so coming back this year and repeating that is something that I have to be proud of,” she said.

“My coach has been there for me and my parents every step of the way, not to mention my teammates, so I just had to leave my mark and that’s what I did and I am pleased with my performance.”

Reid was not even born when Veronica Campbell-Brown set the previous record that had stood for more than two decades. She said a lot of hard work went into the performance last week Wednesday night that stunned the crowd at the National Stadium in Kingston.

“It has been sleepless nights, waking at 5:30 every morning for training. I had days when I felt like giving up but I had to look at the brighter things and know that God gives his battles to his strongest soldiers. So it was just for me to position myself to do what I know I am capable of doing and I did just that and I am honestly pleased with everything that came off,” she said.

In 2022, pundits and fans of Champs had anticipated that the clash between Reid’s former teammate Brianna Lyston, who is now at Louisiana State University (LSU) and World U20 Champion Tina Clayton, would have produced the first sub-11 time for girls at Champs.

However, the environmental conditions which were ideal before that race, suddenly changed and had the two high school stars running into a stiff headwind that negatively impacted their times. Notwithstanding, Reid said she felt she could do what Lyston and Clayton failed to do.

“When I was round the back (Stadium East), I held up 10 fingers (to Coach Corey Bennett) and he was like ‘I know you can do it’, so when I was running and I looked at the clock and saw 10.90, I’m like I know I could do it,” she said.

“It really gave me the drive to look on the brighter side of things and it’s just for me to continue working hard to improve that time.”

With several universities in the United States offering track scholarships, Reid will be studying Business Management at the University of Oregon this coming fall. The choice, she said, was simple.

“It feels like home. “It’s like a family. I know not many Jamaicans are there but it’s a place that feels like I am accepted and where I can grow and improve myself both in education and track and field,” she said.

“So, It’s just for me to go there and position myself to be the best there and know that anything I believe I can achieve.”

The ability to overcome adversity, hard work and a commitment to excellence led Hydel High School to their first-ever title at the 2023 ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships that concluded at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday, April 1.

After five days of intense competition, the Ferry-based academic institution scored 279 points to dethrone eight-time defending champion Edwin Allen by just two points.

As the team celebrated on Monday, Hydel High’s head girl and track team captain Oneika McAnnuff, delivered an emotional and inspiring speech to her fellow students that encapsulated the essence of the spirit that galvanized the 34-member team and propelled them to the historic achievement.

“The road to this victory was really bitter-sweet. In 2019, we lost champs by a mere seven points. It was a gut-wrenching feeling knowing all the hard work we had put in,” said McAnnuff, who will depart Hydel for the University of Kentucky this summer.

“With the feeling coming so close to the victory that year sparked something among the team and for 2020 we worked tirelessly.”

That work was in vain as the onset of the pandemic caused Champs to be cancelled in 2020, which was a significant blow to the school and its athletes.

“The Covid-19 virus led to all sporting events being canceled for that year. 2021 was by far the hardest year for us both as a team and a school,” she said, adding that despite the setback they managed to rise above it all.

“After finally recovering from the damage Covid-19 had done to us something tragic happened. Our school’s head office caught fire and we lost everything inside. And as you can see we’re still trying to recover from those damages.

“2022 was a spectacular year for our track team we broke a total of five records at Champs that year.  We won five of six hurdles races (and) won the 4x4 for the fifth consecutive year.

“We had six persons on the national CARIFTA team and six persons on the World U20 team that went to Cali, Colombia. And our very own Mr. Corey Bennett was the head coach of both teams.

“Our 4x400m quartet of Alliah Baker, Oneika McAnnuff, Kerrica Hill and Brianna Lyston also went on to break the Penn Relays record that was held by Garriel White, Shiann Salmon, Ronesha and Charokee Young also of Hydel. So regardless of the fact that we placed second at Boys and Girls champs we accomplished a lot as a team.”

The hard work and sacrifice finally paid off in 2023 said McAnnuff, who won the 400m hurdles and won silver in the 400m during the championships.

“Now, many persons might ask what we did differently this year? Well the answer is found in Isaiah 40:31 that says, ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. We have been faithful and putting in all the work,” she said.

“Our coach has never put the pressure on us that we must win Champs but he believes that we must produce quality performances and we did just that. I must say the entire team did an excellent job and every single person that gave a point it made a difference.”

McAnnuff singled out one particular teammate, whose performance characterized the team’s resilience in the race to the title against the Edwin Allen juggernaut.

“I must talk to the performance of the championship from Kaydean Johnson. While competing in the 2000m steeplechase Kaydean fell over the last barrier and was passed by her competitor but instead of staying down she rises back up and sprinted to the line to claim victory for the team…that is the type of passion and guts that it took for us to take this championship,” she said.

“Many persons doubted our abilities even we ourselves sometimes felt a bit unsure but the unwavering support of all our coaches and support staff kept us grounded. It has been a long time coming and this victory just goes to show that delayed does not mean denied.”

Express Canteen, for the second year running, will be donating JMD$250,000 to help send Hydel to the 2023 Penn Relays set to run off from April 27-29. Hydel is sending an eight-member team to the relays this year.

Chairman of Express Canteen Ryan Foster made the announcement on Monday as Hydel High School celebrated their first title at ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships that concluded on Saturday, April 1.

In 2022, Hydel’s head coach Corey Bennett, revealed that the school faced financial challenges and was forced to cut members of the team they had planned to send to the Relays in Philadelphia. Express Canteen responded to the call for help and donated JMD$250,000 towards the venture.

At the celebrations at the school grounds in Ferry, St Catherine on Monday, company’s chairman Ryan Foster said they will be doing the same in 2023.

"Last year, Corey came to me for assistance to get the girls to the Penn Relays as there was an immediate shortfall being experienced. Most naturally, Express Canteen intervened and assisted them to attend the games,” said Foster, who is also Chairman of the Board of the Hydel Group of Schools.

“This year the need still exists and we are on board again to make this dream possible. My motto is "it is not how big you are as a company but is how big of a sacrifice you can make to make another person’s life better.

“The joy does not come in financial rewards but it is the many blessings that I have received over the course of my business. The Penn Relays is a staple and I believe Express Canteen will continue to support Hydel Girls, one of our key partners, to continue to excel. The support this year is $250,000."

For his part, Bennett, who is also Vice President of the Hydel Group of Schools, expressed his gratitude for the continued support.

“It is really special to get sponsorship from Express Canteen and it has come at such a good time when we try to expose our young athletes to international competition,” he said.

“It is a very timely gift to us because without these contributions we have no way to attending the Penn Relays and we are just thankful to Express Canteen that continues to invest in Jamaica’s youth through their sponsorship.”

Last year, Hydel High School broke their own Penn Relays record in the high school girls 4x400m relays when they set a time of 3:32.77. In doing so, they broke the record of 3:33.99 set in 2017.