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Mona ready to shift gears in quarter-finals
November 08, 2024
Following delays in the ISSA Manning Cup schedule due to Tropical Storm Rafael, the teams have made their final preparations to contest the final eight of the schoolboy competition, with a spot in the semi-finals on the line.
The quarter-final round is slated to kick off today and will be played across two groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals, as well as qualifying for the ISSA Champions Cup.
The bottom two teams from each group will, however, contest the second round of the ISSA Walker Cup knockout competition.
Defending champions Mona High will headline today's fixtures as they take on fierce rivals and former champions Jamaica College (JC) at Stadium East in the first game of a doubleheader.
Both are yet to be defeated this season and will be looking to win.
Kyle Butler, coach for Mona High, said his players are ready for the contest, as they enter another phase of their title defence.
"We have gears that we keep going into, not just on the pitch, but mentally as well," said Butler.
"We're definitely going into the final eight of the competition and into the next round with the same intentions that we've had before, which is to get all three points from every game."
Another coach whose team enters the quarter-finals full of confidence is St Catherine High's Anthony Patrick.
Patrick has overseen a momentous change at St Catherine, which enters the quarterfinals with an unbeaten record.
They topped their first round group, having dismissed early season rivals St George's College, and also topped their second round group which included perennial title challengers JC.
Patrick said their record this season is a major boost to their confidence, as they are set to take on Campion College at Spanish Town Prison Oval.
"The players are very upbeat and confident," he said, after topping their second-round group. "We're definitely confident.
"Winning the zone was very important and that is a major morale booster for us heading into the next round."
However, Campion will not be an easy opponent as they have shown much quality this season.
Newton Sterling, head coach of Campion, said while the school community is excited about their first quarter-finals appearance in decades, the players are still focused on their task and taking the competition one game at a time.
"Nothing has changed for us. I like to win and I don't enter anything to lose," he said. "We came with the mindset knowing people will also doubt Campion when it comes to sports. We came with the expectation of doing great things and we're seeing signs of it, so we're not going to stop."
