Super Final!
Holy Trinity High and Jamaica College will contest the final of the inaugural LIME Super Cup following 1-0 and 3-1 victories over Wolmer’s Boys and St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), respectively, at the National Stadium yesterday.
The Corporate Area teams continued their dominance of the LIME Super Cup and will contest next Saturday’s final at Sabina Park for a chance to take home the $1-million bounty.
An 11th-minute strike from Joel Sterling was enough to give Holy Trinity a 1-0 upset win over their more fancied rivals, Wolmer’s Boys, and continued their ‘Cinderella’ run in the competition.
Holy Trinity, who occupy a section on North Street made popular by Kingston College and St George’s College, but is officially listed at 18 George Headley Drive, opposite Sabina Park, are writing their own history.
They qualified for the inaugural tournament by advancing as the eighth and final team, being the best second-placed urban team.
They had defeated Clarendon College 4-3 on penalties before sending home another Clarendon team, Garvey Maceo, 4-0. Garvey Maceo ended with eight players in the quarter-final after indiscipline set in.
Holy Trinity, the least fancied of the teams, will be contesting their first final, and deservedly so. After taking an early lead, they never lost their composure despite the relentless efforts from Jaheel Hyde, Cory Bennett and company for Wolmer’s, as they held the lead fairly comfortably in the long run.
The outstanding goalkeeper Antonio Millington, defenders Renardo Nelson, Shevan Dallas, Jevon Miller and company held their nerves and are on course to write a new chapter in their school’s history.
It was also sweet revenge for the Devon Anderson-coached team, which finished second in Group E behind Wolmer’s Boys, who defeated them 1-0 and 4-0.
Anderson was not surprised.
“It was a hard-fought game from both sides and the never-say-die mentality again from Holy Trinity. We failed to lay down. They are a very committed bunch of players. I am proud of the boys,” beamed Anderson.
“We were confident coming into this game. We did some work, we watched some tapes of Wolmer’s play and we came out here and countered that. Credit to the boys,” added Anderson.
“Our ultimate goal is to win the cup. That’s my satisfaction.”
Although Anderson didn’t want to reveal which team he wanted to meet in the final, he got the impressive JC, which easily brushed aside STETHS 3-1.
JC, the all-island champions, continued their dominance over rural champions STETHS, having defeated them 3-0 and 2-0 last season to lift the Olivier Shield, and yesterday was no different.
National Under-20 player Junior Flemmings opened the scoring for JC in the 26th minute after National Under-17 striker Donovan Dawkins was pulled down in the penalty box.
Five minutes later, Dawkins should have added his name to the scoresheet, but his powerful drive from just outside the box crashed against the crossbar.
The Miguel Coley-coached JC were rampant with Dawkins in the middle being flanked by the marauding pair of Flemmings and Raffique Bryan.
But it was the tall midfielder Sheldon McKoy who headed home a Flemmings corner to make it 2-0 in the 38th minute before Rushane McClymont pulled one back for STETHS with a low free kick in the 76th minute.
Substitute Oquin Robinson tapped home from a flick-on to seal the win in the 86th minute.
Overwhelming favourites JC remain on course to lift all four trophies this season and Coley said that’s something they pride themselves for.
“Not only to reach the final, we want to win, because I thought we performed very well and we worked very hard and very smart, especially in the second half when STETHS came out very sprightly,” reasoned Coley, who is also the assistant national head coach to Winfred Schaefer.
Meanwhile, one lucky patron won US$2,000 after he twice showed quick fingers in being the first person to add LIME credit to his phone inside the National Stadium at yesterday’s double-header.
With approximately 15,000 patrons making it to the venue, they were not short on entertainment as MC Pretty Boy Floyd had them going before Ding Dong and Beenie Man made special appearances and had the crowd in a frenzy.
All roads lead to Sabina Park next Saturday where underdogs and the crowd favourites Holy Trinity will try to create history by bringing down JC and secure that million-dollar pay day.