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Carenage and Diamond Vale Government Schools emerged as the primary forces of the West Tuesday (March 10), as the Milo Port-of-Spain and Environs Zonal Games began at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, Port-of-Spain.
In the West A division, Carenage Boys Government and Carenage Girls Government swept the team titles with 106 and 111 points respectively, fending off a spirited challenge from rival, Maraval RC. This double victory marked a significant milestone for the coastal village, as it was the first time in several years that both the Carenage girls and boys have stood atop the podium together as champions.
Meanwhile, Diamond Vale Government reaffirmed its historic status in the West B division by capturing both the boys and girls champion school trophies, tallying an impressive 157 points in the boys’ category and 110 in the girls’. The victory for Diamond Vale was particularly notable as their main rival, defending champion Patna River Estate Government, did not participate in this year’s edition. In their absence, the Diamond Vale charge was led by veteran physical education teacher Glenda Miller. After a brief period in early retirement, Miller returned to maintain a winning tradition that the school has held since 1978. Her athletes responded in kind, with Tae’han Joseph (15) and Khalisah Ryan (13) dominating the Under-13 category.
In West A, the rivalry between Carenage and Maraval RC lived up to the pre-game hype. Maraval’s Kaseem Duvernay, currently the top-ranked U-13 boy in the nation, delivered on the track to earn 15 points and the Victor Ludorum title. However, the depth of the Carenage roster proved insurmountable. Antonio Lewis and Malaysia Geetooah were the anchors for Carenage in the 13-15 age group, both earning 15 points to ensure their schools stayed at the top of the standings.
Watching the proceedings with keen interest was Kester Quow, the new manager at Nestlé Trinidad.
Alongside the musical accompaniment of the Fire Service band, Quow’s support helped ensure the 37th edition of the Games remained a prestigious highlight for the Port-of-Spain and Environs Education District.
Carenage Girls teacher Abeyola Akowe was ecstatic to see her team repeat their championship success and share the glory with the boys’ team.
“I am very happy about the girls’ performance, very proud. Our hard work has paid off,” Akowe said. “They were able to stay focused and committed to the job at hand and success was the reward. We want to give thanks to God also, for being with us and keeping us on course; without God, nothing is possible.”
Akowe also took a moment to recognise the spirit of the competition and the efforts of their rivals, saying: “I want to congratulate the other schools, Dunross, Maraval RC, Paramin, all of the other schools that participated in the Games, even the teams from West B for making this 37th edition of the games such a success.”
The day began with a display of discipline and pageantry as the schools competed in the March Past. Paramin RC took the honours for West A, while La Puerta Government claimed the title for West B. Other notable individual winners included Jude Lok Jack of Dunross Preparatory and Miracle Scott of Maraval RC in the West A U-9 division, and Raheem Williams of La Puerta Government in the West B U-9 category.
As the West Zonal Games conclude, the focus shifts toward the rest of the week. The East Zonal Games gets underway this morning with 32 schools in the hunt for glory. The momentum continues tomorrow with the Central Zonal Games, which stands as the largest session of the week with 44 schools scheduled to compete. This intensive week of youth athletics will come to a close on March 17 when 38 schools meet for the North Zonal Games to decide the final champions of the district.
Honour roll
West A
March Past: Paramin RC
Champion School (Boys): Carenage Boys 106
Champion School (Girls): Carenage Girls 111
U-9
Victor Ludorum: Jude Lok Jack (Dunross Prep) 10
Victrix Ludorum: Miracle Scott (Maraval RC) 10
U-11
Victor Ludorum: Joel Diaz (Point Cumana RC) 15
Victrix Ludorum: Cassidy Browne (Carenage Girls) 10
U-13
Victor Ludorum: Kaseem Duverney (Maraval RC) 15
Victrix Ludorum: Janiah Job (Paramin RC) 8
13-15 age-group:
Victor Ludorum: Antonio Lewis (Carenage Boys) 15
Victrix Ludorum: Malaysia Geetooah (Carenage Girls) 15
West B
March Past: La Puerta Government
Champion School (Boys): Diamond Vale Government 157
Champion School (Girls): Diamond Vale Government 110
U-9:
Victor Ludorum: Raheem Williams (La Puerta Government) 12
Victrix Ludorum: Zoey Nile (Diamond Vale) 12
U-11:
Victor Ludorum: Jalamir Christian (Diamond Vale) 15
Victrix Ludorum: Amirah Greene (Crystal Stream) 13
U-13:
Victor Ludorum: Tae’han Joseph (Diamond Vale) 15
Victrix Ludorum: Khalisah Ryan (Diamond Vale) 13
13-15 age-group:
Victor Ludorum: Jaden Caraperro (CSG) 15
Victrix Ludorum: Khemaya Cumberbatch (La Puerta) 17
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