Perfect defending champions draw fearless Manning's

Western Bureau:

Defending ISSA Champions Cup winners Kingston College (KC) are set to face the Manning's School in one of four quarterfinal matches that will mark the resumption of the schoolboy football season next Wednesday.

The matchups that will see the four semi-finalists of the Manning Cup (best of the urban area) facing the daCosta Cup (best of the rural area) semi-finalists were decided in yesterday evening’s draw carried live on SportsMax.

The other seeded urban area team, Jamaica College, which won the inaugural title in 2014, will battle Garvey Maceo.

2019’s beaten finalist Clarendon College will face Charlie Smith High, and Dinthill Technical take on St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS).

The quarterfinals are set to be played at two venues, featuring two double-headers.

At St Elizabeth Technical High School’s playing field, Dinthill Technical plays the opener against STATHS at 1 p.m., and Kingston College will do battle with Manning's at 3 p.m.

On the other side of the island at the Stadium East Field, the 1 p.m. game will feature Jamaica College and Garvey Maceo, and at 3 p.m., Clarendon College go up against Charlie Smith.

DISAPPOINTMENT

While it didn’t come as a surprise, given that we are seeing a spike in COVID-19 positive cases in what could be a fourth wave, football fans were left somewhat disappointed yesterday as the Government maintained its stance on no spectators for the restart of the season.

Captain of the KC team, Jamone Barkley, said that after the draw, his team was looking forward to playing some good football.

“Yes, we are comfortable with where we are as a team. However, we want to remain focused and play some good football. The fans are not allowed to come to the game, so we want to put on a show for the fans, and most importantly, try to win,” Barkley said.

“There is no pressure (on us to deliver the title). We are working with the instructions of the coaches, and as long as we do that, we should be okay,” he added.

Everton Tomlinson, coach of Manning's, said drawing a high-flying KC, who boast a perfect win record, is a good challenge for them as they are prepared to play any team the season throws in front of them.

“It was anticipated based on how things finished, so when I saw the draw, I took it as a good challenge. All teams at this point of the competition are quality teams, and KC as defending champions will want to defend their title, so we don’t expect it to be easy,” Tomlinson said.

“We never think about which team we will play. If you want to be champions, you have to beat champion teams, and the fact that we got KC, we just have to prepare for them,” he added.

Tomlinson admitted that winning the daCosta Cup has been his team’s focus from the start of the season, but making a mark on the Champions Cup would be a delightful addition to those goals.

sports@gleanerjm.com

Champions Cup Draw

Dinthill Technical vs STATHS – STETHS @1 p.m.

Kingston College vs The Mannings School – STETHS @3pm

Jamaica College vs Garvey Maceo – Stadium East @1 p.m.

Clarendon College vs Charlie Smith – Stadium East @3 p.m.