SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — The first finalists in the ISSA/Lime daCosta Cup schoolboys’ football competition will be decided this afternoon at the St Elizabeth Technical High Sports Complex, starting at 3:00 pm and it will be decided between two schools that have managed to defy the odds, former champions Garvey Maceo High and Frome Technical.

The second semi-finals will be played tomorrow at Jarrett Park when St Elizabeth Technical meets Port Antonio High, also starting at 3:00 pm. The winners will meet in next weekend’s final to be played at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

Garvey Maceo, winners in 2007 and semi-finalists two years later, only emerged as a contender in the last few weeks, while Frome Technical have used up more life lines than is usual.

Frome, who won in 2003 and were losing finalists in 2006, only qualified for the Inter-zone as a lucky loser, one of two best third-placed teams, then scraped through the Inter-zone round on goal difference and the quarter-finals, thanks to a last-minute goal in their final game.

Marvin Quarrie, coach of the Frome team that were losing semi-finalists last year, told the Jamaica Observer this week, the close call at the end of the first round has matured his players and got them to wake up.

“We were given a lifeline,” he admitted after advancing as one of the two best third-place teams. “We understand that we have to take full advantage of it,” Quarrie said.

Frome started the season well and were in charge of Zone B in the first round before dropping seven points over a four-game stretch and dropped out of the top two for good.

Despite dominating their first-round game against Rusea’s High in Lucea, they drew 0-0, won against Irwin High but then lost back-to-back games to Green Island and Rusea’s.

Luckily, their 16 points from eight games gave them a second chance and they made full use of it edging Glenmuir High and Paul Bogle on goal difference in the Inter-zone after all three teams finished on six points. Last Saturday’s Jahmarley Brissett’s last gasp-goal in their 1-0 win over out-of-contention Marcus Garvey gave them the second place in their quarter-final group and a place in the semi-finals.

Since advancing past the first round, Quarrie said the players have developed a “belief in themselves and have started working hard and are motivated”.

It is this motivation and hard work he said that will give his team the edge in today’s game. “The players are looking comfortable, we have no major injury worries and we think we are ready for this game,” he said.

Hainley Glashen, the coach of the Garvey Maceo team, readily accepts that this team is not as good as the team that won the rural area double in 2007, but hastened to add they can win the title.

“We can go all the way, no doubt about that, this team is well rounded and we are strong in every area,” he said.

Ishmael Currie, the team captain and former Under-17 national representative who is in his fourth season of daCosta Cup and two other players, will return to the team after missing Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Muschett High.