KC, CC sweep schoolboy football awards
Manning Cup champions Kingston College (KC) and daCosta Cup champions Clarendon College were the toast of the ISSA Schoolboy Football Awards Ceremony at the Terra Nova Hotel yesterday.
The ceremony brought the curtains down on an exciting season that saw only Clarendon College winning more than one senior schoolboy football trophy.
Kingston College, who were coached by Ludlow Bernard, ended a 32-year drought when they defeated rivals St George’s College 3-2 in a glorious final that had fans on the edge of their seats up until the final minute of the match. In addition to taking home the Manning Cup trophy, KC were also voted the Most Attacking team after scoring a total of 69 goals and also the best defensive team after they conceded a mere eight goals in the tournament. They were also Group B winners.
Their captain Caseam Priestly was voted the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Manning Cup for his leadership on and off the field as well as his displays on the pitch.
Manning Cup runners-up St’ George’s College were the most disciplined team and their striker Damani Harris, who scored five goals after the first round of the competition, was the Golden Boot Winner for the urban area competition.
Marcovich Brown of St Catherine High scored the most goals in the Manning Cup as he bagged a total of 18, most of which came in the first round of the competition.
Hydel High are celebrating 25 years of existence and claimed their first schoolboy football trophy when they took home the Walker Cup.
In the daCosta Cup, Clarendon College, who managed to win the Ben Francis Cup in 2017, took it a step further by taking home the coveted daCosta Cup title when they defeated Cornwall College in the final, despite playing most of the final with just 10 players.
Their winning coach Lenworth Hyde also won the title as a schoolboy.
Clarendon College were also the most attacking daCosta Cup team with a total of 65 goals and the Best Defensive team after they conceded only five goals. They also topped Group H in the first round.
Nicque Daley won the Golden Boot in the daCosta Cup, scoring 12 goals after the first round of the competition. His captain Lamar Walker was the tournament MVP and it was he who scored the winner against Cornwall College in a battle of the CCs.
The high scorers in the daCosta Cup were Ronaldo Webster of St Elizabeth Technical High School and Nicque Daley, both of whom tallied 21 goals overall.
Clarendon College defeated Kingston College 1-0 to win the Olivier Shield.
The losing daCosta Cup finalists Cornwall College did not finish the season empty-handed as they became the first rural area school to win the Champions Cup.
Charlemont High, who are celebrating their 40th anniversary, did so in style by taking the Ben Francis Cup, their first-ever senior schoolboy football title.
It was announced at the awards ceremony that the Champions Cup will have a title sponsor for the 2019 season as KFC has decided to take over full sponsorship of the premier KO competition.
