OCHO Rios High School’s historic qualification for the semi-finals of the ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup football competition has been seen as “a win for St Ann” after they became the first school from the parish to get that far in the competition’s history.

Ocho Rios High ambushed high-riding Garvey Maceo High 2-0 in their final quarter-final Group B game at Drax Hall on Saturday, finishing at the top of the points tables and securing a place in the semi-finals of the daCosta Cup and a place in the first round of the ISSA Champions Cup competitions.

Reports from Drax Hall on Saturday were that players and coaches from other St Ann-based schools defied the poor weather to attend the game, and celebrated with the Ocho Rios team long after the final whistle.

Danny Beckford, the president of St Ann Football Association, and Veron Peterkin, coach of the Ocho Rios High team, echoed each other in separate interviews with the
Jamaica Observer on Sunday, saying the achievement was a big fillip for football in the parish.

Beckford, who has been president of St Ann FA for the last 20 years, pointed to the success of Mt Pleasant FA in winning the Jamaica Premier League — a first for any club from the parish — and the qualification of Lime Hall Academy for the Jamaica Premier League “with a team full of St Ann youth”, adding, “We are very proud of what this Ocho Rios team has done.”

Beckford said the celebrations spilled over into the communities as well. “Schoolboy football is the biggest thing in Jamaica, and it impacts every single football field in the country.”

He pointed out, “Ocho Rios High is a schoolboys’ team — it’s not a club or an academy as we have seen at other schools around the country — and we are proud of this, as education is still a priority there.”

Peterkin, who spent most of Sunday with close family members at a funeral, took time out to tell the Jamaica Observer, “This victory is not just for us alone, it is for all of St Ann.”

Pointing out that this group has been together for three years and had won the St Ann FA Division One, Peterkin said they have had to overcome hurdles all season long to get where they are today, “I am proud of these players and how they have performed and their development, and I know this will help to motivate us to try and do our best.”

Ocho Rios started the season well but were pegged back when they were docked six points for using an ineligible player in two games, though they still managed to win their zone.

Good team work and the prolific Keanu Reid would serve them well as, needing a draw in their final game of the round of 16 against Dinthill Technical at Drax Hall, they trailed 0-2 for quite a while before showing some late game magic.

Reid had cut the deficit late in the game, in the 75th minute, then got the equaliser in time added to advance ahead of the former two-time champions.

Reid would score again in their 1-1 draw at Munro College and also against Central High, setting up Saturday’s win over Garvey Maceo who had not lost in their previous 16 games dating back to mid-September, in the first round against Glenmuir High.

Garvey Maceo only needed a draw to win the group but despite losing, advanced to the semi-final, edging Munro College on goal difference after they had beaten Central High 3-1 in their game.

“We have faced hurdles all season,” Peterkin said, “but this showed the character of the players. We were confident coming into the season and we knew that if all went well, if the results came our way, we could go far.”

Principal Marvin Clowson said they were where they hoped to be when the season started, “For us, this is the moment that we have been working and praying for. We are elated, grateful, but humbled. It’s a euphoric experience for the entire school population, community, parish and the region,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Clowson said, “This is the beginning of what is to come; the writings are on the wall. Ocho Rios High is a force to be reckoned with and it is indeed a centre of excellence, [a] school of choice. We are on a mission to harness talents and develop individuals holistically; [and] we continue to stand tall as we represent the immediate and wider community.”

He said Team Manager Eyan Kean had predicted the team would do well this season, “In the latter part of August 2024…he said to me that, ‘Sir, this team is going to reach very far this season. And if it doesn’t happen this time around, it will take quite some time for us to reach our optimum.’ I believed every word he said, based on his hard work, discipline, and dedication to sporting activities and the school at large.”