Honours shared in schoolboys’ all-star double-header

THE ALL-MANNING and All-daCosta teams shared the honours in their two-game playoff at the St Elizabeth Technical High (STETHS) Sports Complex on Saturday.

In the first game, the All-daCosta Scholastic team won 5-3 on penalties after the teams ended 1-1 after regulation time.

The All-Manning team ensured that they shared the spoils when they prevailed 7-6 on penalties after their game ended in a 1-1 draw.

All-Manning coach Keon Broderick said he was pleased with the team's performance.

"Based on the time the team had to prepare we knew that we would not have had the type of chemistry a normal team would have. Nonetheless, the boys went out there and demonstrated that they had good football abilities," said Broderick.

In the feature match, St Catherine High's Dwight Gentles opened the scoring for the All-Manning in the first third of the game which was divided into three 35-minute segments.

In the second segment which was played in pouring rain, the All-DaCosta team drew level from the boots of Kemps Hill High's Shemar Daley.

In the penalty shootout, the teams were perfect in the first five rounds, which forced a sudden death shootout.

Excelsior High's goalkeeper Jamari Gordon came out as the hero, making two saves for his team, making it a 7-6 win.

Despite the loss, Kiegan Mitchell, assistant coach of the All-daCosta team, was fairly satisfied with how his players acquitted themselves and he said with a little more luck, they could have won the game.

"All-Manning didnt make any changes in the first 35 minutes and we made five changes and that is probably why we conceded so early. It's not about us and winning but the students and them getting a chance for scouts to see them," said Mitchell.

The first game which was primarily played to expose the players to talent scouts from the United States in search of players for their universities was quite competitive.

All-Manning Scholastic took the lead through Jamaica College's Keshaun Lee-Chin in the 18th minute but All-daCosta Scholastic came roaring back to draw level when STETHS' Justin McPherson scored in the 20th minute. The game was also played in three segments.

Jack Smith, assistant coach at the University of the Cumberlands, was impressed with the level of talent on display.

"The levels were very high definitely a lot of talent on display. The first thing you think of in Jamaica is pace, athleticism and power. All that was showed today," said Smith.

"I have definitely seen what we were looking for. There is one player in mind that we are going to hopefully talk to, offer and hopefully get the ball rolling," Smith added, noting the player is Kemps Hill High's Shemar Daley.