THE coaches of St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) and Clarendon College — two of the biggest names in schoolboy football in Jamaica — are urging caution as they meet in this afternoon’s final of the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association/Wata Ben Francis Cup.

Kick-off time is scheduled for 3:00 at the National Stadium.

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The two powerhouses have combined to win 10 of the 40 times the competition has been contested, with STETHS winning six straight between 2010 and 2015, while Clarendon College won the last of their four titles in 2017.

Neither team was expected to be playing for the Ben Francis Cup at the start of the season but both coaches say they are looking forward to the final with the hopes of taking home silverware.

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STETHS will be seeking a record-equalling seventh hold on the Ben Francis Cup, which would be their first title since the 2015 season when they took the rural area double.

Clarendon College are coming off a 2023 season in which they dominated, winning the prestigious daCosta Cup and all-island Olivier Shield, and reaching the final of the Champions Cup.

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Clarendon College Head Coach Lenworth Hyde said winning the Ben Francis would be a good end to the season and kickstart their preparation for next season.

Since being knocked out of the daCosta Cup this season, Hyde said a decision had been taken to integrate the younger players in the team. He told the Jamaica Observer they are “excited at the opportunity to play for a trophy”.

Hyde added: “This is another chance for us to win a title, and the Ben Francis Cup was the first title we won when I started coaching at Clarendon College.”

He said he is aware of the difficulty his young players will face against a STETHS team that has got better as the season progressed.

“We are confident, and we hope they allow the moment — playing in the National Stadium — to get to them, and they have to enjoy themselves,” Hyde said.

Clarendon College has not had it easy getting to the final, beating three other Clarendon-based schools — Kemps Hill High, Central High and Denbigh High — along the way.

STETHS Head Coach Omar Wedderburn said he wants his team to show “discipline” as well as “respect for the opponent — but they must also show they want to win”.

He continued: “[We are] confident [but] not overly confident; we are 90 minutes away from winning a title or to end the season without a title.”

STETHS entered the competition at the quarter-final stage during which they edged Cornwall College in penalty shoot-out. They then got the better of a good Frome Technical team 3-2 in the semi-finals.

— Paul A Reid