THE BATTLE BEGINS Western teams ready for daCosta Cup
The three most successful schoolboy football teams in western Jamaica have declared their readiness for the 2018 ISSA/Wisynco daCosta Cup, which is set to kick off on Saturday.
Defending champions Rusea’s High School will be battling Green Island High School at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall in the opening match, and according to Rusea’s Vassell Reynolds, their objective is to defend their title with a fairly young squad.
“We recognise that it’s going to be difficult,” said Reynolds, whose team has won 11 daCosta and four Ben Francis cup titles.
“As the defending champion, everybody wants to beat you, so we have to be twice as prepared as before. The long-term objective is to defend the title, but we just want to take it game by game. The first objective is to get out of the zone,” said Reynolds.
Dr Dean Weatherly, whose Cornwall College won 12 daCosta and seven Ben Francis cup titles, said his team’s first objective is to reach the second round of the daCosta Cup.
“Preparation is up to par and we are ready for our (first) game on Monday. We will be using these preliminary-round games as preparation for the rest of the season as well as to tweak the team going forward,” said Weatherly.
Coach of St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), Omar ‘Rambo’ Wedderburn, said his team is in high spirits as they chase a sixth hold on the daCosta Cup.
STETHS has gone two seasons without any form of silverware.
“We are ready, as usual. The only thing we are sorry about is that we are not the ones kicking it off on Saturday because we are very optimistic about this year. The players are in the mood and the right vibe and just cannot wait until Monday to do what they love,” said Wedderburn.
SATURDAY’S GAME
Rusea’s vs Green Island at Catherine Hall. Knocalva vs Little London at Knockalva. Manning’s vs Belmont Mannings. at Cedric Titus vs Morrison at Cedric Titus. Spot Valley vs Holland at Spot Valley. Herbert William Knibb vs Mushett at William Knibb. STETHS vs Sydney Pagon at STETHS. Munro vs Newell at Munro. Maggotty vs Lacovia Appleton Sports Club. at