Triumphant KC already eyeing 36th Champs title
Published:Tuesday | March 26, 2024 | 12:10 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
If Kingston College’s (KC) 2024 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ Championship victory celebration yesterday was anything to go by, the all- boys school will be pulling out all the stops to extend the record for most ever titles during their centennial next year.
This would make it four in a row for the North Street-based high school.
KC Principal Dave Myrie, during celebratory devotions yesterday, just 48 hours after hoisting the Mortimer Geddes Trophy inside the National Stadium, began conditioning the minds of the school’s stakeholders to prepare for a 36th Champs title during their 100th year in 2025.
“I’m going to be talking to Mr James (Frank James – CEO Grace Foods Domestic) afterwards to see whether or not we can strike a deal to get some more Grace foods to use during the background and build up to Champs for next year, because for our 100th anniversary, we need to put that quality in and have as much quality food,” Myrie said, getting the on-the-spot guarantee from James before he could finish.
Head coach Leford Grant, who also addressed the jubilant gathering, was in agreement.
Grant, also a KC old boy, said that next year, for the 100th, they have to redouble their efforts.
“We have to ensure we bring back the trophy to North Street because they are coming for it. Come out and support us. I know the sun is hot but it is worth it ... . We will see you all back here next year with the 36th trophy,” Grant said.
KC track team co-captain Antwon Walkin, in sparking a light amid the gathering, told the supporters that KC has the best fans in the entire world and they were the driving force behind the athletes at Champs.
“Next year is the school’s 100 anniversary, it will be our 36th championship. To get to 36 we need your help ... we need the help of old boys, past students, we need the help of companies as great and as big as GraceKennedy,” Walkin said.
While not wasting time, he also invited students interested in joining the team, who think they have what it takes, to show up for tryouts over the next several weeks.
“We need the best team possible for the 36th title on our 100th anniversary,” he said.
Myrie also used his address to remind the stakeholders at North Street that it was a competitor’s bragging video, which went viral a few years ago, that ignited the KC team to do their best at the annual championships and they have kept defending their title since.
“A couple years ago, unfortunately we lost the championship by five or 10 points… . There was a video by the school that won, in fact the video said, they were talking about KC, that we lost and said ‘Dem Dead! They’ll never see this trophy again.’ I called the principal, concerned, and said, ‘Hey, I saw your video ... . I said to him ‘What you have done, you have woken up KC because KC don’t take anything like that and don’t respond ...’ . From that day ‘til now, they have not seen the trophy again,” Myrie said.
He asked for all hands on deck, particularly because of the stakes in their 100th year.
“Understand this, next year is KC’s 100th anniversary. We’ll be 100 years old next year. Now, every team you know want to beat KC for our 100th year. And they planning already, even people who should be giving support to us, they planning with other people how they gonna beat us. We as KC, we have to plan as well that we not going to lose it either. And so we gonna work hard. Head coach has already started to talk to me about it because we must retain our crown next year,” Myrie said.
On Saturday, KC ended the five-day championship amassing 335 points ahead of Jamaica College (278), Calabar High (194) and Excelsior High (122).