Grove could live Dinnal’s dream
Published:Saturday | October 19, 2019 | 12:00 AMAkino Ming/Staff Reporter
After a shocking 2-1 win over fifth seed Annotto Bay High in the first leg of their second-round tie on Wednesday, Happy Grove High School (28th seed) are positioned to realise late coach Gary Dinnal’s dream of advancing beyond the second round of the ISSA/WATA DaCosta Cup.
The eastern Portland-based school could achieve the feat today when they play the St Mary-based school in the return leg of the tie at Westmoreland Oval in St Mary.
Dinnal, who guided the Grovians to their lone trip to the quarterfinals of the rural-area schoolboy football competition back in 2005, was preparing his boys for another deep run when he fell ill and died two weeks before the competition started.
FULFILLING A DESTINY
But his death has been serving as a source of motivation for boys from Hector’s River, Portland, and their new coach, Vincent Wallace, as they have beaten every team in Zone L for the first time since 2012 and handed Annotto Bay their first defeat of the season.
“We are using what happened as inspiration for the boys and the coaching because it is more than just playing now. It is like we are fulfilling a destiny,” Wallace, who served as Dinnal’s assistant for many years, said. “He wanted to go deep in the competition again, and we are just living his dream.
“I have learned a lot from him in terms of managing a team and how to approach each game, and I am using that. But we are more motivated than ever because we push each day knowing that we are doing it for him.”
Though they are entering today’s match, scheduled for 3 p.m., with a one-goal lead, Wallace knows better than to take Annotto Bay lightly.
The school from St Mary tallied 34 goals and conceded just six in their unblemished run in the first of the competition and have been ruthless at their home field, Westmoreland Oval, this season, the venue of the match today.
“We respect the team because we knew they were undefeated before we played them, and we also know that where we are going to play them is where they normally score their goals,” he said. “But having said that, we know ourselves, and we know what we are about, and we believe in ourselves.”
Annotto Bay’s stoppage-time goal on Wednesday at Carder Park in Port Antonio could prove vital as a 1-0 scoreline in their favour would see them advancing based on the away goal rule.
- Alston vs Anchovy at Manchester 1 p.m.
- Manchester vs St Thomas Tech at Manchester 3 p.m.
- Oracabessa vs Maggotty at Drax Hall 3 p.m.
- Cornwall College vs Munro at Cornwall 3 p.m.
- William Knibb vs Petersfield at Elleston Wakeland 3 p.m.
- Mannings vs Ocho Rios at Frome 1p.m.
- Frome vs Vere at Frome 3 p.m.
- Garvey Maceo vs Spalding at Juici Patties Park 1 p.m.
- Clarendon College vs Green Pond at Juici Patties Park 3 p.m.
- McGrath vs Rusea’s at Dinthill 1 p.m.
- Dinthill vs Central at Dinthill 3 p.m.
- B.B. Coke vs Lennon at STETHS 2 p.m.
- STETHS vs Brimmervale at STETHS 4p.m.
- Annotto Bay vs Happy Grove at Westmoreland Oval 3 p.m.
- Port Antonio vs Denbigh at Carder Park 3 p.m.
- Seaforth vs Cedric Titus at Paul Bogle 3 p.m.