Kingston College (KC), Excelsior High, and St Catherine High secured their places in the quarterfinals of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup after earning back-to-back wins in the round of 16 on Tuesday.
Sixteen-time champions KC overcame an early setback to defeat Wolmer’s 3-1 in the first match of a doubleheader at Stadium East, following their previous 6-1 victory over last year’s runners-up, Hydel High.
Despite conceding an own goal by Christano Myers in the second minute, KC rallied with second-half goals from Matrim Martin (75th), Shareef Ricketts (77th), and Deshawn Byfield (84th), solidifying their top position in Group 3 with six points. Hydel responded to their opening loss by edging St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) 1-0 at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex, moving to second place in the group standings.
STATHS and Wolmer’s head into Friday’s final round of matches level on one point each, with 1987 champions STATHS holding third place on goal difference.
KC’s coach, Vassell Reynolds, praised his team’s resilience, stating, “Winning our first two games was always part of the plan. We really wanted to lift our standard of play for this round because we knew it would be more challenging, so I asked the boys for improvements, as this is what is required, and I thought they achieved that in these two games so far.”
Wolmer’s coach, Jerome Waite, acknowledged his team’s efforts, noting that “a couple of errors cost us as they allowed KC back into the game,” but added that they still have one game left to play.
Seven-time champions Excelsior secured a quarterfinal place with a 2-0 win over Tivoli in a Group 2 top-of-the-table clash at Stadium East, moving them to the top of the standings with six points. Tivoli, who had led the group on goal difference, dropped to second with three points. Eltham High also climbed to three points, sitting third after a 3-0 victory over Jonathan Grant High at GC Foster College in Spanish Town.
Eltham and Tivoli will now face off on Saturday to decide who will join Excelsior from the group in the quarterfinals.
St Catherine High secured their quarterfinal place with a 3-1 win at Calabar High, leading Group 4 with six points. They are two points ahead of Jamaica College (JC), who sit in second after a decisive 5-0 home victory over Charlie Smith High at the Ashenheim Stadium.
Calabar hold third place with one point, while Charlie Smith High are in fourth, yet to earn a point from their two matches.
In Group 1, reigning champions Mona High edged past Campion College 2-1 in the first match at the Ashenheim Stadium, bringing them within reach of a quarterfinal berth. The win takes Mona to six points, three clear of second-place Campion and St George’s College, who are tied on three points each.
Mona conclude their round of 16 fixtures against St George’s College on Friday, while Campion face bottom-place St Jago High.
The top two teams from each of the four groups will advance to the quarterfinals.
Tuesday’s resultsKingston College 3, Wolmer’s 1Hydel 1, STATHS 0Mona 2, Campion College 1St Catherine 3, Calabar 1Eltham 3, Jonathan Grant 0St George’s College 1, St Jago 0Jamaica College 5, Charlie Smith 0Excelsior 2, Tivoli Gardens 0
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