Wolmer’s Boys and Mannings High celebrated double delight, as they were crowned ISSA Burger King Under-14 and Under-16 All-island champions after beating St Elizabeth Technical High (STETHS) and Jamaica College 4-1 and 2-0 in their respective encounters at Stadium East on Saturday.
Jayden Douglas (14th) opened the scoring for Wolmer’s Boys, before Rohan Sharpe helped himself to a hat-trick in the 21st, 35+2 and 50th, which propelled Wolmer’s Boys to victory. Eckoney Robinson (44th) got STETHS consolation, in the 70-minute contest.
Winning coach Haron Martin was delighted that his Heroes Circle team secured a second title for the season, after taking the urban area crown.
“I am happy and elated. It has been a long season with a lot of sacrifices, so it is great that we end with two trophies. Words can’t explain the true feeling, this only motivates me and of course the boys going forward,” he said in a post-game interview.
Meanwhile, goals Dainton Williams (48th) and Jarvis Maylor (53rd) were enough to get Mannings past Jamaica College in the 80-minute Under-16 showpiece.
After playing out a goalless first half in which Jamaica College squandered numerous chances, Mannings proved strongest in the second half and broke the deadlock when Williams fired home from close range.
Maylor added another five minutes later with a comfortable finish. Try as they did, Jamaica College had no response, and had to settle for the runner-up position.
Mannings Head coach Everton Tomlinson welcomed the double triumph as a step in the right direction for the Westmoreland-based school.
“I am very delighted, and I want to take this opportunity to big up everyone who supported and believed in the programme. I must commend the players also on their performance, I understand the Jamaica College programme, so it was a matter of how we countered their strengths that resulted in this victory. So, this is just a step in the right direction as we continue to build,” Tomlinson noted.
Arnett Gardens Head coach Xavier Gilbert expressed delight about his team’s dominant showing against Vere United, as they gave football enthusiasts a glimpse of the depth of their squad with a 2-0 win in Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League action on Monday night.
Rushane Thompson (32nd) and Jaheim Thomas (72nd) were on target for the “Junglists”, who despite being without a few of their regular starters due to red card suspensions, extended their unbeaten run across three games.
The win moved Arnett Gardens up to 14 points in second position, five behind reigning champions and leaders Mount Pleasant, and one ahead of third-placed Tivoli Gardens, who registered a 3-2 win over Treasure Beach in the feature game of the double-header at Stadium East.
This is much to the delight of Gilbert, who was hoping to keep their chasing rivals at bay.
"I am very happy with the way we executed, the table is really tight between second and sixth, so it was important for us to get the three points and inch up the table a little bit. So, it's a welcome one, especially knowing that Tivoli Gardens is also playing and if they win, they are right behind us," Gilbert said in a post-match interview.
"Another important component was the fact that players stepped up, we try to ensure that we have a balanced squad so when persons miss out, others can bridge the gap, so I am really pleased with the guys that came in and got the job done. That's the mentality that we want, it is something we have been trying to do to ensure everybody is competing for their spot and that is exactly what they are doing," he added.
Arnett dominated from the start, as they were showed more enterprise in their build ups, and also produced some colorful plays in patches. But it wasn’t until two minutes after the half-hour mark that the inevitably found the go-ahead goal when Thompson arrived to finish off Shai Smith’s pass across the face of goal.
Warner Brown almost added a second in the latter stages of the first half, but his right-footed effort on the break, was kept out by the outstretched leg of Roje Williams, in goal for Vere United.
Though they continued to boss possession and created numerous half chances, Arnett Gardens had to wait until late in the second half to extend their lead, when poor defending followed by an error by Williams who left his line, allowed Thomas to finish into an empty net from close range, after Warner Brown's effort came back off the crossbar.
Vere United tried to play and created a few half chances of their own but couldn't make them count, and succumbed to their third defeat of the season, which left them eighth in the standing on eight points.
Vere United's assistant coach Jermaine Douglas was left disappointed.
"We never got off the mark in terms of attack and the second goal that we conceded, we were just getting into the game, we lapsed and got caught on the transition and it was really unfortunate that we conceded at that time. But we weren't productive in the final third and at the end of the day if you're not scoring goals or not being dangerous in front of goal, we can't win games, so we have some mental work to do," Douglas noted.
Matchweek Eight results
Molynes United 0, Lime Hall 0
Montego Bay United 3, Portmore United 2
Mount Pleasant 0, Waterhouse 0
Arnett Gardens 2, Vere United 0
Tivoli Gardens 3, Treasure Beach 2
Harbour View vs Dunbeholden (postponed)
Humble Lion vs Cavalier (postponed)
Both Jerome Waite of Tivoli Gardens and Portmore United’s Head coach Phillip Williams took heart from their team’s performance and remain optimistic about returning to winning ways, following a lukewarm goalless Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League encounter at Stadium East on Monday.
It was a contest in which Waite and his Tivoli Gardens unit would have felt more hard done, as they dominated proceedings to an extent and created the best of chances. They were particularly good in the first half, as lead striker Justin Dunn and a few others got some decent attempts on target but were denied by some high-quality saves by Tyrone Williams, in goal for Portmore United.
There was very little to write home about at the top of the resumption, as tempers flared more often than shots on goal, with the best effort of that stanza coming in the 79th minute. That was when Portmore United’s Akeem Mullings drove a left-footer from a distance, but the effort was kept out by Tivoli’s custodian Nicholas Clarke.
With the point, Tivoli Gardens recovered somewhat from their recent 0-1 loss to Mount Pleasant, and inched up to 10 points in fifth position, while third-placed Portmore United, on 11 points, extended their unbeaten run across five games.
Both coaches felt their respective teams entertained spectators, but in the same breath, alluded to the need for improvements, if they are to challenge for the title at the backend of the season.
"Congrats to both teams, it was really an entertaining game, and we have to give credit to the Portmore United goalkeeper. He just reminded me some years ago we called him into the national Under-20 setup but due to his agent, he didn't turn up. What he did today (Monday) made the difference but all being well, we are happy with the point," Waite said in a post-match interview.
"We also have a lot of positives to take from the game, the high-level concentration, defensive organization and we continue to create opportunities offensively, but I think we need to click a little more in the midfield to strike a real balance, but we continue to work," he added.
Meanwhile, Williams felt his team displayed their usual heart and passion.
"It was a game that was lacking goals but in terms of entertainment it was there, the commitment was also there for goals, and it is just unfortunate that we didn’t get one.
“This is the Premier League so it's important that we always assess our opponents and make the necessary adjustments to give ourselves a chance. It's still a work in progress with this squad and it is going to take some amount of luck, consistency and quality to really challenge for the title and we just have to put it all together,” Williams reasoned.
Matchweek Seven Results
Lime Hall 1, Vere United 4
Dunbeholden FC 2, Molynes United 1
Montego Bay United 1, Mount Pleasant FA 2
Waterhouse FC 0, Humble Lion 1
Tivoli Gardens 0, Portmore United 0
Cavalier vs Arnett Gardens (Postponed due to Caribbean Cup)
Treasure Beach vs Harbour View (Postponed due to Caribbean Cup)
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
Clarendon College are All-Island schoolboy football champions for the sixth time after producing a stunning 3-0 win over Jamaica College in the Olivier Shield at Stadium East on Wednesday.
The Chapleton based school, who won their tenth daCosta Cup earlier in December with a 3-0 triumph over Central High at STETHS, took the lead in the 20th minute when Marques Reid capitalized on an error from JC goalkeeper Rassico Rose to slot home his 10th goal of the season.
Centre-back Devonti Hodges made it 2-0 just two minutes later with a thunderous strike from outside the penalty area.
With six minutes left, Keheim Dixon put the final nail in JC’s coffin with his 17th goal of the season to secure the title, their first 2019.
Kingston College dethroned rivals Jamaica College to claim their 16th Manning Cup title.
After playing out a 1-1 draw in regulation, Kingston College held their nerve to secure a 5-4 penalty shootout victory in the game at Stadium East.
Kingston College took the lead in the 29th minute through talisman Christopher Pearson who gave them the advantage with a calm finish.
Jamaica College got their equalizer with a 43rd-minute free-kick from captain Duncan McKenzie.
The game ended 1-1 after 90 minutes which sent the game to penalties.
Kingston College captain Jemone Barclay stepped up to slot home KC’s first penalty.
Romaine Blake followed suit for Jamaica College to make it 1-1.
Carrick Stewart of KC and Michael Graham of JC then both scored to make it 2-2.
KC’s goal-scorer on the day, Christopher Pearson, then stepped up to kick the third penalty but was the first casualty as his penalty was saved by JC goalkeeper Denzel Smith.
Captain Duncan McKenzie then scored for JC to make it 3-2 in the shootout.
KC’s Romario Campbell, who was put on at the end of added time specifically take a penalty, scored to make it 3-3.
JC’s Giovanni Mitto then stepped up to try and make it 4-3 but blasted his penalty over the bar.
Louis Watson then scored to make it 4-3 to KC.
JC’s Tarick Ximines scored to make it 4-4 and take it to sudden death before KC’s Demario McCarthy scored for KC to make it 5-4.
The match was decided when Jaheem Fraser’s penalty was saved by KC goalkeeper David Martin.
KC secured their 16th hold on the Manning Cup and a date with daCosta Cup champions Garvey Maceo in the Olivier Shield.
St. Catherine High secured back-to-back Walker Cup titles with a 1-0 win over Kingston Technical in the final at Stadium East on Saturday.
Despite what the final score suggests, it was a dominant display from St. Catherine who came close to opening the scoring in the 5th minute when Dwight Gentles hit the crossbar with a left-footed strike.
They once again found themselves unlucky when a right-footed shot from Jevin Parkinson cannoned off the left upright in the 57th minute. Their persistence was eventually rewarded when they took the lead with the only goal of the game, a well-placed 89th-minute header from substitute Dillion Richards.
In 2019, Clarendon College suffered a heart-breaking 1-0 loss to Kingston College in the final of the ISSA Champions Cup.
Three years later, the Chapleton-based school have gone one better after scoring a 1-0 win over Dinthill Technical at Stadium East to win the ISSA Champions Cup.
In a back-and-forth affair, both teams traded chances throughout the first half before the deadlock was finally broken in the second half when a deflected shot from Jaheim Rose found its way to the feet of Kaheem Dixon who slotted home the decisive goal in the 53rd minute.
Clarendon College are now the second rural-area school to win the Champions Cup joining Cornwall College who won the title in 2018.
Mona High and defending champions St. Catherine High will contest the 2022 Walker Cup final after securing semi-final wins at Stadium East today.
Mona High secured a comfortable 5-0 win over Kingston Technical to advance to the final.
Two long range strikes from Romario Thomas in the 27th and 44th minutes allowed Mona to go into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
In the second half, goals from Robinho Gordon in the 49th, Kenaldo Brown in the 54th, and Damoy Whitfield in the 73rd propelled the St. Andrew-based school to the final.
St. Catherine High beat Excelsior High 2-1 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw to progress to the final.
Javauney Simms gave Excelsior the lead in the 36th minute but St. Catherine equalized in the 46th minute through a brilliant strike from Nickyle Ellis.
The two teams then endured a ridiculous penalty shootout, which saw them miss their first six combined penalties before St. Catherine held their nerve and scored their last two to advance.
Mona will be looking for their first Walker Cup title, while St. Catherine will be looking to become back-to-back winners of the knockout competition.
For the first time since its inception, the final of the ISSA Champions Cup will be an all daCosta Cup affair.
Clarendon College will contest the final for the second straight edition as they dethroned defending champions Kingston College with a 2-0 win in their 1:00 pm encounter at Stadium East.
Clarendon College, who provided KC with their first loss in schoolboy football this season, took the lead through Keheim Dixon in the 86th minute and the win was all but secured after Christopher Hull finished off a brilliant passing move to double their lead in the 89th minute.
The Chapleton-based school avenged their 1-0 defeat to KC in the final of the Champions Cup in 2019.
Their opponents will be Dinthill Technical who secured a 5-4 penalty shootout over Jamaica College after playing out a 0-0 draw in the 3:15 pm game at Stadium East.
Both teams will be fighting for their first hold of title in the final, which will take place on Saturday, January 15 at 3:00 pm.
Schoolboy football action is gearing up to resume in the new year as the draw for the ISSA Champions Cup took place on Wednesday.
January 5th is the date schoolboy football fans will circle as defending champions Kingston College will begin their defence of their crown against Manning’s School at STETHS in a 3:00pm fixture.
At the same venue at 1:00pm, STATHS will do battle with Dinthill Technical.
Stadium East will host the other two quarterfinal matches on the day, with Charlie Smith locking horns with Clarendon College at 1:00pm and Jamaica College squaring off against Garvey Maceo at 3:00pm.
The winners will advance to the semi-finals to be played on Saturday, January 8th at either Stadium East or the National Stadium with the final scheduled to be played on January 15th.
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.
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