William Knibb registered win number four on the trot in Zone D of the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Wata daCosta Cup as they blanked Cedric Titus 3-0 in a lopsided Trelawny derby at the parish’s stadium on Saturday.

Joshua Walker (36th), Jaheem Brown (50th), and Seron Williams (68th) propelled Dewight Jeremiah’s side to another three points as they remain in pole position ahead of Spot Valley, who also made it four-in-four as they blanked Muschett High 3-0 in the curtain-raiser of the double-header.

Both William Knibb and Spot Valley are on maximum 12 points, but the former continues to lead the way by virtue of a superior goal difference. Cedric Titus sit third on six points, and Discovery Bay is fourth on three points, while Muschett and Holland are yet to get on the board.

Jeremiah praised the performance of his youthful squad, which continues to grow with every game.

“The average age of the team is 14.5, but I think we learned from our last game against Discovery Bay that we had to be more creative when teams sit deep. The first goal epitomises what we did in training; we wanted all five vertical zones to be occupied when we attacked, and we had that in terms of the link up play, but the commitment that the boys showed today (Saturday) is above everything that we did, and that resulted in the clean sheet,” the tactician shared.

“Seron Williams is our second-string goalkeeper that we converted into a striker, and I think him and Jaheem Brown are just hugely technical. Joshua Walker also has an immense work rate; I played him at right back last season, and I am just teaching him to understand positional play in the middle of the park, and he soaks up everything,” he added.

Though William Knibb dominated proceedings, it was Cedric Titus that started more spiritedly as captain Terron Eccleston went on a break in the 25^th minute and was taken out by a defender at the edge of the 18-yard box. However, the resulting freekick amounted to nothing.

Eccleston again threatened three minutes later as he found space deep inside William Knibb’s quarters for a right-footed effort that just rolled wide of the left upright.

Having heeded the warnings, William Knibb launched a few attacks of their own, the first coming in the 36th when Walker finished from close range after getting on the end of a decent through pass from Koran Henriques to break the deadlock.

William Knibb should have doubled the lead in the 41st when Cedric Titus’ custodian Anthony Riley failed to gather the ball cleanly, but Prince Bernard somehow failed to convert from point blank range.

Still, with a 1-0 lead in their favour at the break, William Knibb were not disheartened and maintained their momentum on the resumption. They eventually doubled the lead five minutes in courtesy of Brown’s ferocious right-footed freekick from just over 20 yards out that had Riley beaten all ends up.

Williams pushed the game beyond Cedric Titus’ reach when Walker placed the ball perfectly into his path for a firm right-footed drive that left the hapless Riley flat-footed.

William Knibb should have had a fourth in the 76th as Riley again spilled the ball. However, Williams effort came back off the crossbar.

Cedric Titus fought on as Eccleston was sent through on goal, but their hopes of pulling one back were dashed as Camoy Phillips, in goal for William Knibb, left his line well to avert the danger.

Wade Crawford, Cedric Titus’ head coach, felt his team was lacking in all departments.

“We started the game slow and I think the game got away from us midway through the first half. It boils down to inexperience and the youngsters are learning the game; we are not as deep as we were last year so we definitely will be getting better but we need to work a little harder on our finishing. So it’s a work in progress,” he stated.

Saturday’s Results

St James High 1, Cornwall College 2

Frome vs Rusea’s (Rained out)

Grange Hill 2, Little London 1

Spot Valley 3, Muschett High 0

William Knibb 3, Cedric Titus 0

Munro 1, STETHS 1

Belair 5, Manchester High 1

May Day 2, deCarteret College 1

Mile Gully 1, Holmwood 2

Central High 1, Clarendon College 0

Garvey Maceo 2, Old Harbour 3

Kemps Hill 2, Porus 0

McGrath 1, Dinthill 1

Ocho Rios 7, York Castle 0

U.S. Elite International and National Education Trust have come together to recognize Kingston College, Edwin Allen High and Muschett High for their outstanding performances at the recently concluded ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships held at the National Stadium in Kingston.

The three schools were selected as recipients of the 2024 Honorary Legacy Scholarships during a ceremony held at the Ministry of Education on Wednesday.

U.S. Elite International is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in the United States, whose mission is to support low-income and at-risk students through the college matriculation process, provide mentorship through their collegiate studies and help them graduate college debt-free.

The 2024 Honorary Legacy Scholarships recognize the winners of the 2024 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys' and Girls' Athletics Championships, also known as "CHAMPS," and will be awarded as follows:

The Hubert Lawrence Legacy Scholarship for Champion Boys' School valued at J$309,000.

Hubert Lawrence was a renowned journalist, veteran, and world-class track and field analyst, whose monumental contribution to the sport is evidenced through his coverage of major track and field championships locally and internationally.

The John Messam Legacy Scholarship for Champion Girls' School also valued at J$309,000.

John Messam was an information technology professional but was most renowned for his valuable contribution to track and field, laying the foundations for hurdles in the country.

The Vilma Charlton Legacy Scholarship for Top Emerging School valued at J$154,500.

Vilma Charlton is a retired university lecturer and renowned track and field Olympian. She was the first woman to receive an athletic scholarship to Pepperdine University, USA, where she was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Each selected institution will receive an award banner that must be displayed in the institution for at least one year after receiving the scholarship.

 “It is with these scholarship awards that we help to carry on the legacies of the lives of these people into the next generation,” said Keishia Thorpe, Vice President and Liaison Programme Director at U.S. Elite International at the handover ceremony.

“The students we serve are students whose stories represent our own and we are honored to work alongside the National Education Trust (NET) to make sure that schools in Jamaica that are working with these students have an opportunity to advance in wither the athletic or academic field,” she added.

National Education Trust Limited (NET) is a Registered Charitable Organization and a Government of Jamaica agency that mobilizes financial and quality resource investments for the education sector.

NET also implements infrastructure development projects for educational institutions in Jamaica to achieve greater levels of access to education and learning.

The relationship between U.S. Elite International and the National Education Trust (NET) began a year ago when the leaders of the organization, Dr. Treisha Thorpe and Keishia Thorpe, adopted both Excelsior High and Primary Schools to provide funds to help advance their technology and infrastructure projects.

The sponsorship, which is US$10,000 per annum for 2 years, is shared equally between the two schools and is facilitated by NET.

This year, U.S. Elite International, through its "Making Champions Project" Initiative, embarks on providing Legacy Scholarships, a single monetary allotment that will be awarded to selected institutions each year.

This initiative aims to empower schools to more efficiently support their students and prepare them for college by giving them the resources to enhance the quality of the academic and sports programmes they offer.

The group believes that by doing so, it will in turn, make it easier for students and, by extension, athletes to use their gifts and talents as a passport to higher education.

U.S. Elite and its partnering agencies will determine the criteria for these awards each year, but the stipulation that the products and funds be used to advance the academic and sports programmes offered by these institutions will main resolute.

Notwithstanding, the scholarship shall not be used for infrastructure or non-related sports equipment and will be administered through the National Education Trust (NET).