St Catherine High will enter the round of 16 of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Digicel Manning Cup on a high after they topped Zone G with a 1-0 win over many-time champions St George’s College at Winchester Park on Friday.
Romaine Walters got the solitary strike in the 28th minute to ensure his team ended the first round unbeaten on 22 points with 30 goals to their credit. Interestingly, it was Walters’ first goal of the season and a welcome one at this point of the campaign.
St George’s College, who were suffering their first loss of the season, ended second on 19 points and, as a result, will be grouped with reigning champions Mona High for the second round.
Holy Trinity (seven points), Norman Manley (four points), and Papine (three points) were the teams in Zone G.
Donovan Lofters, St Catherine’s assistant coach, was delighted with his team’s showing.
“It was a spirited performance; playing against St George’s College at home was always going to be difficult, but kudos to our keeper; he kept us in the game, and we are happy to have him. It was a game of moments; we got off a number of chances and we took one of ours, so we are grateful, and this is good for our confidence going forward,” Lofters said in a post-game interview.
St Catherine dominated proceedings for the first 20 minutes, as they were more enterprising and also more threatening in open play.
After close shaves and half-chances, they inevitably broke the deadlock when a corner kick was headed back across in the path of Walters, who released a fairly tame effort that eluded St George’s goalkeeper Jordan Knight, who made a lazy attempt at a save.
St George’s College eventually settled into their game and went close through Matthew Spence, who pulled the trigger from point blank range, but Omarion Brown, who was impressive in goal for St Catherine, stuck out the right hand to deny him.
Minutes later, Brown, diving full stretch to his left, again came up big to keep out Shaquan Clarke’s shot from a distance.
Though the second half failed to produce a goal, it wasn’t for a lack of trying from both teams, particularly St George’s College, who created numerous half chances, which they failed to make count due to faulty shooting and more decent glove work by Brown.
St Catherine had their best chance to add to their tally in the 88th, when substitute Terray Harvey somehow skied an effort from close range.
Neville ‘Bertis’ Bell believes they could have won the contest, but for Brown’s brilliance between the sticks.
“I thought we deserved something from the game, but we didn’t score, and we gave up a goal that we shouldn’t have given up, but Omarion Brown kept them in the game. Congratulations to them and congrats to him; he was amazing. I loved the game; I thought it was a good schoolboy game, and we wanted to win or at least get a point, but we are good because we are in the second round,” Bell noted.
Defending champions Mona High extended their unbeaten run to four games in the 2024 ISSA Manning Cup on Saturday.
They secured a 3-0 victory over Charlie Smith High to move to 12 points from a possible 12 atop Zone B.
Jonathan Grant remain second in Zone B, three points behind Mona after a 1-0 win over Tarrant High.
The day’s other Zone B game saw Waterford High get their first points of the season with a massive 9-0 win over Gaynstead High.
Kingston College still hold the lead in Zone C on goal difference over Penwood after a 5-0 win over Campion College.
KC now has 10 points from four games with a goal difference of 25, 11 more than Penwood who also have 10 points after a 1-0 win over Jose Marti.
In the day’s lone Zone G encounter, St. George’s College and St. Catherine High played out a 0-0 draw.
Saturday’s action across six games in the ISSA Manning Cup was truly spectacular, producing 52 goals including a brutal 18-0 victory for Kingston College over Cumberland High at Stadium East to make up for their opening 2-2 draw with Penwood High on matchday one.
DeShawn Byfield and Kajay Fletcher split eight goals between them for the North Street school.
Demario Daley and Kamaul Patterson also had prolific days in front of goal, each securing hat-tricks as KC moved to the top of Zone C with four points and a goal difference of 18.
Jamaica College were also in a dominant mood on Saturday, blanking Ascot High 11-0 to move to w=two wins in as many games in Zone F.
Papine High were also victim of a ruthless beating on Saturday, 10-0 at the hand of St. George’s College at Papine.
STGC takes sole leadership of Zone G ahead of St. Catherine High opened their season with a 4-0 victory against Holy Trinity after being awarded the points for their first fixture versus Norman Manley.
Excelsior High defeated Bridgeport High 7-1 as they prepared for their encounter against Jamaica College in Zone F.
St. Andrew Technical High School held firm and showed resilience as they defeated Calabar High 1-0 at The Boys Town football field in Zone D.
Many-time champions Jamaica College (JC) and St George’s College kicked off their Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association/Digicel Manning Cup campaigns in a positive manner as they blanked Pembroke Hall and Holy Trinity High School 9-0 and 2-0, respectively, on Tuesday.
Jamaica College were led by striker Giovannie Taylor, who scored in the fifth, 45th and 80th minutes. Nashordo Gibbs (39th and 64th) had a brace, while Javaun Mills (72nd), Dujoni Thompson (78th), and substitutes Jamone Howell (87th) and Keshaun-Lee Chin (90th) got the others in the lopsided affair that pleased head coach Davion Ferguson.
“You always want to start with a win because nine goals in any game is a big win, and that was what we wanted to do. The performance, in some parts, I think, was good, but we want to continue to improve and try as best as possible to focus on ourselves and not really look outside, as the external is out of our control,” Ferguson said.
“The aim is to give of our best ever year, so once we give our best, wherever that takes us, we will be satisfied. Our players have matured well, and so I think they will have a really good season,” he added.
Meanwhile, Matthew Spence (10th) and Payton Larmond (61st) did the damage for St George’s College in their comfortable win over neighbours Holy Trinity at Winchester Park.
Assistant coach Marcel Gayle is also anticipating more improvements from his North Street-based team as the season progresses.
“Kudos to the guys; I thought they played well, but I thought we could have been a little more assertive in the final third. We created a lot of opportunities but we needed to be a bit more patient. Nevertheless, the objective was met with three points and the clean sheet,” said Gayle.
Tuesday’s results
Hydel 9, Ardenne 0
Clan Carthy 0, Eltham 5
Ascot 1, Bridgeport 0
St George’s College 2, Holy Trinity 0
Norman Manley 0, St Catherine 3 (St Catherine awarded win as Norman Manley was deemed to have forfeited the game as a result of an unprepared pitch)
Wednesday’s fixtures
Kingston Technical vs Camperdown
Calabar vs Haile Selassie
Vauxhall vs STATHS
*All games are scheduled for 3:30pm
A host of Jamaican schools will line up in the final of the High School Boys Championships of America 4x100m final, as they successfully navigated the qualifiers on day two of the 128th Penn Relays at the Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Friday.
Leading the qualifiers was the Excelsior quartet of Ryeem Walker, Damor Miller, Malike Nugent and Lennon Green, which clocked a brisk 40.62 seconds to top their heat.
They will be joined by local rivals Kingston College (41.30s), St Jago (41.35s), St George’s College (41.42s), Calabar High (41.70s) and Jamaica College (41.73s), and Wolmer’s Boys (41.84s). The other two lanes in the medal event will be occupied by Washington DC-based Archbishop John Carroll (41.49s) and Virginia-based West Springfield (41.77s).
Meanwhile, the High School Boys International final, also scheduled for Saturday, will see six Jamaican schools going up against those from Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines and The Bahamas, respectively.
St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) headlines that field, after they posted the fastest qualifying time of 42.26s, followed by Cornwall College (42.53s) and the Bahamian school Queens College (42.61s). St Benedict’s, of out the twin island republic, and Munro College, both clocked 42.83s, while St Vincent Grammar (43.11s), Petersfield (43.14s), St Catherine (43.26s) and Vere Technical (43.55s), are the other qualifiers.
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.
Kingston College and Wolmer’s Girls assumed pole position on the boys’ and girls’ standings at the Anthrick Corporate Area Championships, after an exciting opening day of action at Jamaica College’s Ashenheim Stadium on Friday.
The curtains fittingly came down on the day with the much-anticipated 100 metres, where three records were broken, two by Wolmer’s Girls representatives Natrece East and Tiana Marshall in Classes three and two respectively.
It was those performances that assisted in pushing the Heroes Circle girls to the summit on 150 points, three ahead of defending champions Excelsior on 147, with Immaculate High (133 points), The Queen’s School (77 points) and St Andrew High (61 points), complete the top five heading into Saturday’s final day.
On the boys’ side, Kingston College, on 146 points, opened up a 25-point gap on rivals Calabar, on 121 points, with Jamaica College in third on 109 points. Excelsior (56 points) and Wolmer’s Boys (52 points) occupy the other top five positions.
Earlier, East gave the 100m series an explosive start when she stopped the clock in a new meet record of 11.67s to top the girls’ Class three event. Immaculate’s Kayla Johnson (11.93s) and Tashika Thompson (12.43s) of Excelsior, were second and third respectively.
Marshall, also of Wolmer’s Girls then topped the girls’ Class two event in a meet record of 11.94s, in a negative 1.3 metres per second wind reading. Tashay Faulkner (12.32s) of Alpha Academy was second, with Immaculate’s Shevi-Anne Shim (12.33s) in third.
The Wolmer’s Girls sweep of the top three classes was completed by Mickayla Gardener, who successfully defended her Class one title and secured her ninth Corporate Area Championship medal. She recovered from a stumbling start to win in 12.21s, ahead of Excelsior’s Sharlla Whittaker (12.56s) and Abigail Watt (12.56s) of St Andrew High.
Meanwhile, Mario Ross of Wolmer’s Boys, became the first Class three athlete to clock a sub-11 time at the championship, when he stopped the clock in a meet record 10.99s. His time ran in a negative 1.1 wind reading, saw him finish ahead of Kingston College’s Orandy Campbell (11.41s) and Naethan Bryan (11.42s) of St George’s College.
The soft-spoken Ross expressed surprise at the time.
“I am very surprised that I ran that fast because I have been trying hard to get there since the start of the season and it wasn’t happening. But my teammates believed in me and told me I could do it and I finally did it, so I am happy,” he said shortly after catching his breath.
The boys’ Class two event was won by Excelsior’s Malike Nugent, who clocked a personal best 10.75s in a negative 1.2 wind speed. Nugent upset his more fancied rivals Nyrone Wade (10.79s) of Kingston College, and Tyreece Foreman (10.90s) of St George’s College.
Finally, Kingston College’s Yourie Clarke, signalled a return to form, as he clocked a personal best-equalling 10.55s to win the boys’ Class one 100m, ahead of Calabar’s Shaquane Gordon (10.59s), who is contesting his first year in the class. Damor Miller (10.63s) of Excelsior, was third.
NB: Action of Saturday’s final day of the Corporate Area Championships will be live on SportsMax and the SportsMax App.
Mona High School will contest their first ever ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup final after they downed their more fancied rivals St George’s College 2-1 in a keenly contested semi-final encounter at Sabina Park on Friday.
The dynamic duo of Romarion Thomas (39th) and Denzel McKenzie (56th), got the job done for the Craig Butler-coached team, which had over the past two seasons placed the competition on notice in terms of their improved quality and, by extension, ambitions to stop all that came before them.
In fact, it was an 42nd-minute own-goal by Mona High’s goalkeeper Ackeem Bernard that placed St George’s College on the scoresheet, and that Butler said spoke to their defensive fortitude, particularly in the second half.
Mona will meet the winner of the second semi-final between Kingston College and Hydel High.
“It should be a staple for any intelligent team, you have to have that component in your artillery, and we used it well. The boys played out their hearts and we are totally elated, the boys put in a lot of hard work and to get there (in the final), I am really happy for them,” an emotional Butler said in a post-game interview.
Following a stellar performance against Clarendon College in the Champions Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday, expectations would have been high that a repeat of that effort, would be good enough to put St George’s College into a long overdue final.
However, Mona with the fresher legs, used it to good effect, as they started brightest and caused a few early problems for St George’s defence, but failed to capitalise on the half chances.
It was not until the backend of the half that the deadlock was eventually broken when a long diagonal ball found Thomas, who made no mistakes from close range for his ninth goal of the season.
St George’s College pulled level three minutes later when Zabir Taylor was allowed time and space at the top of the 18-yard box to pick a spot and curl a right-footed effort that came off the crossbar and then off Bernard on its way in, to keep the game evenly poised 1-1 at the break.
Much like they did at the start, Mona were again more spirited at the top of the resumption, and regained the lead 11 minutes in, when McKenzie drove home a thumping right-footed freekick from inside the arc, and D’Jone Davis in goal for St George’s College, had no chance.
With that, his 11th goal of the season, McKenzie and company seemed content with the lead and dropped deep into their quarters where they were defiant in keeping their North Street-based opponents at bay and seal the historic feat.
For Neville “Bertis” Bell, his team was somewhat a shadow of itself when compared to their Champions Cup showing. Still, he took heart from their accomplishments this season when compared to last season, which ironically also ended with quarterfinal defeat to Mona High.
“It is always tough to lose any game, whether it is a semi-final or not, but we just didn’t do enough. But I am very proud of these kids, we did one better than last year, last year we ended fifth…never made the semi-final or the Champions Cup, so hopefully next year we will do even better. But congrats to Mona, they worked hard, and I wish them and the other finalist good luck,” Bell said.
Reigning daCosta Cup champions Clarendon College remain on course to secure a coveted treble, as they came from behind to down a gritty St George’s College 3-1 in a pulsating ISSA Champions Cup quarterfinal encounter at the National Stadium on Tuesday.
Justin Hayles (12th), Keheim Dixon (84th) and Tedane Williams (90+5), got the job done for Clarendon College after Jindu Powell gave St George’s College an eighth-minute lead.
Clarendon College will square off against Hydel High in one semi-final encounter, while Kingston College and Glenmuir will lock horns in the other. Kingston College earlier edged Dinthill Technical 3-2, while Glenmuir and Hydel were 1-0 and 4-2 winners over Mona High and Garvey Maceo respectively.
Both teams started spiritedly with St George’s College getting off the first warning shot and Clarendon College responded soon after. In fact, Clarendon College should have gone ahead at that point, but Deandrae Gallimore his effort High and wide from deep inside the 18-yard box.
Given the tempo at which both teams started, it was almost clear that the small turnout inside the grandstand would not have to wait long for the go-ahead goal, and it fell to St George’s College in fine style.
After Zabir Taylor was taken down to the left of the 18-yard box, Malique Lorraine delivered a delicate chip from the set-play and Powell rose above defenders to head home.
But Clarendon College pulled level four minutes later when Hayles finished off a rebound from Dixon's long-range effort that was blocked by Jaedon Thompson, in goal for St George’s College.
From there, both teams cancelled out each other in the middle of the park, as they failed to create any meaningful chances at that point.
It wasn't until the backend of the half that Clarendon College once again surged forward and Christopher Hull should I put them ahead, but instead hit his right-footed effort over the crossbar from just inside the 18-yard box, as the score remained 1-1 at the break.
The second half started just like the first with St George’s College again on the front foot, as they enjoyed a good passage of play, and breached Clarendon College's defence a few times but failed to capitalise.
Their first fell in the 65th to Adrian Reid, who got on the end of Taylor's cross but his right-footer at the fat post was charged down by two defenders.
Reid was at it again 11 minutes later with his shot from a distance by parried by Roshae Burrell, in goal for Clarendon College, on that occasion.
After absorbing consistent pressure, Clarendon College regained the ascendancy when Dixon followed up and finished off a rebound when Daniel Clarke’s shot from a distance was blocked by Thompson.
And with St George’s College pushing high in their bid for the equalizer, the Chapelton-based team helped themselves to another on a well-worked counterattack orchestrated by Dixon and ended with Williams tucking away from close range, seconds before the final whistle.
Winning coach Lenworth “Teacha” Hyde was delighted with the outcome.
"It was just a match up where the better team would win on the day. It was exciting and both teams put out there all and I must lift my hats to St George’s College for a hard-fought game. I told my players to be relentless and I must lift my hats to them as well, they did well and we just hope we can continue playing this brand of football and hopefully win one of these trophies,” Hyde said.
His counterpart Neville “Bertis” Bell took heart from his team’s display, as he conceded that they were beaten by a quality opponent.
"I give thanks because I thought it was a wonderful schoolboy football game. Clarendon College is a quality team and I thought we matched them well and I am proud of these guys. I don't think anyone thought we would be here at this stage of the competition, but we are here, and we have shown that we deserve to be here. We got beaten by a good team and I can live with that,” Bell noted.
Last season’s beaten finalists Kingston College will kick start their ISSA Champions Cup campaign against Dinthill Technical in the first game of a double-header at the National Stadium on Saturday.
With last year's champions Jamaica College failing to make the cut, the all-island knockout tournament title is up for grabs, and it is left to be seen if it will remain in the urban area, or if a rural area team will be crowned this year.
Both Kingston College and Dinthill, booked their passaged to the all-island knockout tournament after securing semi-final berths in the Digicel-sponsored Manning Cup and Wata-sponsored daCosta Cup respectively.
The two are set to meet at 3:00pm, before reigning daCosta Cup champions Clarendon College cross swords with St George’s College at 5:00pm.
Details of the first round was revealed during a draw at the national Stadium on Tuesday.
Aside from the two games in Kingston, two other games will take place at the St Elizabeth Technical Sports Complex in Santa Cruz.
There, Hydel High will face Garvey Maceo High in the first game of a double-header, while Mona High takes on Glenmuir High in the second match. Those games are scheduled for 2:00pm and 4:15pm respectively.
The winners will advance to the semi-finals, set for next week Wednesday at the National Stadium.
A new champion will be crowned in this year’s ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup, as St George’s College denied defending champions Jamaica College a spot in the semi-final for the first time since 2012, after they played out a 1-1 stalemate in their decisive Group two quarterfinal encounter at Ashenheim Stadium on Saturday.
St George’s College entered the contest needing only a point and did enough to ensure they got in when Brian Burkett converted a 45+3-minute penalty. Though Jamaica College pulled on back through substitute Jayd Johnson (59th), stout defending, coupled with some excellent glove work by D’Jone Davis, in goal for St George’s College, broke the hearts of their Old Hope Road-based counterparts.
With the point, St George’s College finished second on five points, two behind group winners Hydel High, who were 3-1 winners over Tivoli High in their fixture at the Spanish Town Prison Oval.
Both St George’s College and Hydel will next face Mona High and Kingston College respectively in the semi-final, with all four teams also set to represent the urban area in the all-island Champions Cup knockout tournament.
Meanwhile, Jamaica College, who ended third on three points, it is on to the consolation Walker Cup knockout tournament, along with the pointless Tivoli, who are defending champions.
Marcel Gayle, assistant coach of many-time champions St George’s College was delighted by the outcome, which he credited to the work done by goalkeeper Davis, in particular.
“I must say credit to Jamaica College, they are a very quality team, fought hard, and it is something that we were prepared for. It was a case of defence versus attack and we defended stoutly, credit must be given to D’Jone in goal, he was fantastic and I think he made the difference for us today,” Gayle said in a post-game interview.
With 53 titles between them, the clash between Jamaica College and Jamaica College was always expected to be a humdinger affair and it didn’t disappoint.
The games started at a good tempo with both teams going at each other in end-to-end action. Jamaica College gradually gained the ascendancy, as they showed more enterprise in attack which resulted in numerous squandered chances.
They should have opened the scoring in the 11th minute when Jabarie Howell was left unmarked deep inside the 18-yard box, but his shot kept out by Davis.
A minute later Jamoy Dennis produced a tidy run down the right channel and played a pass inside to Amarlie King, who couldn’t sort his feet out in time to get a shot on target.
Jamaica College again went close in the 24th when Malachi Sterling combined with King on a counterattack, but the latter again muffed his effort.
The “Dark Blues” of Old Hope Road, thought they had the go-ahead goal on the half-hour mark, but the goal was flagged offside.
As St George’s College struggled to break free, Jamaica College was again denied by Davis, who left his line well to block Tahir Lawrence’s stinging shot from point blank range, in the 35th minute.
Just when it seemed like the teams would go into the break goalless, the “Light Blues” of North Street found the lead against the run of play when Burkett converted from the penalty spot, after Zabir Taylor was felled inside the area by Javaun Mills.
Having paid for their profligacy, Jamaica College now requiring two goals to progress, again came out pressing on the resumption and pulled level 14 minutes in. This, as Johnson got in behind defenders and applied a tidy finish beyond Davis from an angle.
The Davion Ferguson-coached Jamaica College continued to create chances in their push for the winner. The best of those came in the latter stages when Johnson’s freekick was blocked by Davis and three players converged on the rebound but none could convert in time added.
That basically summed up Jamaica College’s Day, and Ferguson was left bitterly disappointed.
“We came out here today with a plan, we created enough chances to win the game and we just didn’t put them away. We’ve had some issues up to and it showed here today. St George’s came here with a resilient spirit, and they deserve to go through, so congratulations to them,” he said.
Saturday’s results
St George’s College 1, Jamaica College 1
Hydel High 3, Tivoli High 1
Semi-Final Matchups
Mona High vs St George's College
Hydel High vs Kingston College
Reigning champions Jamaica College revived their chances of a successful title defence, while Kingston College made a big statement, as both registered victories in their respective ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup quarterfinal encounters at Stadium East field on Tuesday.
Davion Ferguson’s Jamaica College, who lost their first contest to Hydel High, returned to winning ways with a 2-1 win over reigning Walker Cup champions Tivoli High in Group Two.
Elsewhere in the group, many-time champions St George’s College came from behind to secure a 1-1 stalemate with Hydel at the Ashenheim Stadium.
With those results, St George’s College remain atop the group on four points, same as Hydel but with a slightly better goal difference. Jamaica College occupies third position on three points, with Tivoli Gardens now out of contention for a semi-final berth.
In Group Two, Jaheim McLean’s all-important goal lifted Kingston College to a 1-0 win over perennial rivals St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) in a clash which was a repeat of last year’s semi-finals.
It was another lively clash between the two that could have gone either way, but Mclean’s 18th-minute strike proved the difference, as Mona High and St Catherine high played out a 1-1 stalemate in the other group fixture.
The win saw the North Street-based Kingston College to the summit of the group on four points, one ahead of STATHS, while Mona (two points) and St Catherine (one point), remain in contention heading into Friday’s final round of games.
In the feature contest at Stadium East, Kingston College fired the first warning shot through Demario Dailey, who attempted an acrobatic finish that just went wide of the target.
STATHS settled into their rhythm and controlled the tempo of the game from there on, as they created a few half chances of their own which they failed to make count.
The Bumper Hall-based team was caught napping when a quickly taken freekick found McLean open and the player sporting the number 10 jersey had a decent first touch and an even better finish to send the North Street fans into a frenzy.
Though Kingston College led the contest, STATHS looked the more dominant outfit and the Phillip Williams-coached team almost pulled level on the stroke of halftime. A delightful strike from Alexavier Gooden from about 40 yards out rattled the underside of the crossbar and bounced on the goal line.
STATHS maintained the momentum on the resumption and should have pulled level three minutes in, but Andre Salmon went for power instead of accuracy from deep inside the 18-yard box. He was left annoyed by his poor decision.
With Kingston College content on sitting back, STATHS again went close in the 70th minute. Taraine Hall found time and space inside the final third for a stinging left-footed effort that was well saved by Malique Williams diving to his left.
The famed purples, much like they did at the start, had the last attack of the game, but Dailey’s effort from a distance came off the upright.
Winning coach Vassell Reynolds praised his young charges for their execution.
“I am very proud. It was a tough game, we knew it was going to come down to the last 20 minutes, so we relied on fitness. I believe we are a lot fitter than we think, so kudos to the boys they have been working very hard and I think it was a masterful performance from them,” Reynolds said in a post-game interview.
His counterpart Williams also felt his team gave a good showing.
“It was a good performance, we turned off one time and we got punished, but apart from that, the guys displayed some good football. This is a setback because it makes the last game (against Mona) a little tougher, but we have to go and do what we have to do,” he noted.
Tuesday’s results
Group One
Mona 1, St Catherine 1
Kingston College 1, STATHS 0
Group Two
Jamaica College 2, Tivoli High 1
St George’s College 1, Hydel High 1
Friday’s fixtures
Group One
STATHS vs Mona
Kingston College vs St Catherine
Group Two
Hydel High vs Tivoli High
Jamaica College vs St George’s College
Last year’s beaten finalist St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS), former champions St George’s College and the highly-touted Hydel High, all registered wins to kick start the quarterfinals of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup on Saturday.
The Phillip Williams-coached STATHS continued their rich vein of form with a 2-0 win over Anthony Patrick's St Catherine High in their Group One encounter at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.
In the other group contest played at Jamaica College’s Ashenheim Stadium, Vassell Reynold’s Kingston College came from behind to secure a 1-1 stalemate with the Craig Butler-conditioned Mona High.
With those results, STATHS occupy pole position on three points, with Kingston College and Mona High on a point each, as the battle for urban area schoolboy supremacy intensifies.
That said, Davion Ferguson’s reigning champions Jamaica College will have to play catch up in Group Two, as they were edged 1-0 by the Devon Anderson-coached Hydel in the feature contest at the Ashenheim Stadium.
Meanwhile, Neville “Bertis” Bell’s many-time champions St George’s College also brought their vein of form into play with a workmanlike 2-0 win over reigning Walker Cup champions Tivoli High, coached by Christopher Nicholas.
With the win, St George’s College head the group one three points with a one goal difference over Hydel, also on three points. The pointless Jamaica College and Tivoli High will have a chance to get on the board when they square off on Tuesday.
At the same time, St George’s College and Hydel will do battle, while in Group One, Mona High and St Catherine will lock horns with Kingston College and STATHS renewing their rivalry. The games are scheduled for Stadium East and Jamaica College.
Saturday’s results
Group One
STATHS 2, St Catherine 0
Mona High 1, Kingston College 1
Group Two
St George’s College 2, Tivoli High 0
Jamaica College 1, Hydel 0
Tuesday’s schedule
Group One
2:30pm: Mona High vs St Catherine @Jamaica College
4:30pm: Kingston College vs STATHS @ Stadium East
Group Two
2:30pm: Jamaica College vs Tivoli High @ Stadium East
4:30pm: St George’s College vs Hydel @ Jamaica College
STATHS and St. George’s College both secured wins to stay unbeaten in the Group stage of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup on Friday.
STATHS, who have already secured a spot in the next round, got by Cedar Grove 2-0 for their ninth win in as many games in Group D. Excelsior moved within nine points of STATHS in second with a 3-1 win over Bridgeport.
In Group F play, St. George’s moved to a perfect 24 points from eight games thanks to a 1-0 win over Waterford. Campion College moved within five points of the leaders in second after a 1-0 win of their own against Jose Marti while the day’s other group game saw Pembroke Hall and Ardenne play out a 2-2 draw.
Campion College all but confirmed their spot in the second round of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup competition, after clipping Ardenne High 1-0 in a lukewarm Group F contest at Winchester Park on Tuesday.
Nicholai Banton got the solitary strike courtesy of a fourth-minute penalty that ensured Campion College continued their positive run so far this season.
They remain second on 16 points, five points behind leaders St George’s College, who registered a handsome 8-2 win over third-placed Jose Marti (12 points). Fourth-placed Waterford moved up to 10 points, with a 3-0 win over cellar dwellers Pembroke Hall, who remain pointless.
While happy with the three points, Campion College’s Head coach Ashton Blankson was not entirely pleased with the performance.
This, as his team dominated possession with some colourful plays in patches but failed to really make their chances count.
In fact, Ardenne did find one of two openings from which they should have made Campion pay for their profligacy, but they too lacked composure in the final third.
“I am happy with the result, but a little disappointed with the performance. We have some young players getting used to being on TV and even in the Manning Cup, so we are proud of them, but they have some things to work on,” Blankson said in a post-game interview.
“We see players getting a lot more comfortable on the field, they are getting confident and sometimes a little bit too confident, but we are getting them to play a lot more football through our academy and it is now showing,” he added.
Ardenne’s Head coach Lloyd Terrelonge is expecting the experience and reconstruction of their football programme to come to the fore next season, as they are currently out of contention in fifth on three points.
“We have a good training programme and a good system now putting in play, so next year we will see the fruits of that,” Terrelonge declared.
Tuesday’s results
St George’s College 7, Jose Marti 2
Campion College 1, Ardenne 0
Jamaica College 8, Cumberland 1
Charlie Smith 5, Penwood 0
Calabar 1, Kingston College 1
Jonathan Grant 0, Haile Selassie 0
Camperdown 1, Hydel 4
Waterford 3, Pembroke Hall 0
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
