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Ocho Rios High focus on survival in daCosta Cup
November 08, 2024
Veron Peterkin, coach of Ocho Rios High School, says it is a dog-eat-dog time at this stage of the ISSA/WATA daCosta Cup football competition, as his team gets ready to tackle Munro College in the opening game of the quarter-finals at Munro College at 3 p.m.
Friday's clash is the first of four quarter-finals, with the other three matches are scheduled to take place tomorrow afternoon.
Ocho Rios are in the quarter-finals for the first time, while Munro, the many-time champions, are seeking their first title in decades.
Despite entering virgin territory, Peterkin says his team has no fear. Runners-up in Group 3, Ocho Rios showed resilience in their last game by clawing their way from being two goals down to draw with Dinthill Technical on Saturday at Drax Hall.
"We are not worried about any history; we are trying to create our own history. We can't worry about who won the championship or who never won it. Our thing is to just do our best and leave the rest," he said.
"The absolute truth is, it is dog-eat-dog time, so I basically want the three points. We know we have two other Clarendon teams to face, so if we can get it early, we'll take it. If not, we take the draw and move on," Peterkin stated of the clash against the St Elizabeth-based team.
"We know it is the quarter-finals, so it is a tough time. However, our plan remains the same, and that is to just play to our strengths."
Both daCosta Cup and Manning Cup matches were forced into postponement on Tuesday owing to rains associated with Tropical Storm Rafael.
Munro, who were Group 2 winners in the round of 16, are favourites to win the first game and Kemar Ricketts, the team's coach, said he needs his players to stay focused.
"I want them to not be sidetracked by the opponents. Many times I have said it, that every game is like a final for us. Basically, we are at the stage where all opponents are good, so we don't expect anything less from Ocho Rios. We expect them to come and to go hard, but we also expect to do the same," Ricketts said.
Commenting on the delay, Ricketts says it hasn't affected Munro.
"The push back didn't affect our games at all. We managed to put some sessions in, so it doesn't change anything for us, we are still on course. I have been managing them well in terms of keeping them focused, both physically and mentally," he noted.
Munro are on a quest to break a 60-year championship drought. They will need all cards on deck for this surprise package Ocho Rios team.
For Saturday's games, an anticipated matchup in Clarendon is Glenmuir High School hosting an undefeated Frome Technical High at Glenmuir High School.
Andrew Peart, coach of Glenmuir, said it is important that the team takes advantage of their home games.
"In the previous rounds, our ambition has always been to top the group that we are in, so we can guarantee at least two home games in the upcoming round. This is another step for us, and we always try to win our home games," Peart said.
"We try to have a deep, clear look at what the opponents do. Sometimes you are not privy to see them play live or (on) video, so that can sometimes prevent challenges when preparing.
"What is important is to maintain our identity as much as possible, while considering the strengths of the opponents and also areas that you figure you can exploit," Peart added.
Meanwhile, Cleighton Stephens, the coach of Frome, said this matchup will be their hardest all season.
"Glenmuir is the team to beat. My players know what is coming. We played them in preseason. We have to mentally and physically prepare to beat them, so we have to just go out there hard and fight for the win. It is not going to be easy," Stephens said.
