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FOLLOWING A perfect record in the first round, Anthony Patrick will continue to trust his youthful St Catherine High squad when they face off against Vauxhall High today in the SSA/WATA Manning Cup’s round of 16.
St Catherine will face Vauxhall in the first encounter of a double-header at the Waterhouse Stadium at 2 p.m. before Tivoli Gardens High take on St Andrew Technical High (STATHS) in the second match at 4:15.
The boys from St John’s Road have been enjoying a stellar campaign, finishing atop Zone D with a perfect record, and boast the second-best defensive record in the competition, having conceded only twice.
Patrick is hopeful that they can extend their perfect record against Vauxhall but said it would not be an easy contest as he expects stronger competition in the round of 16.
“It is very important to start off with a win,” he said.
“Every game is very importantm and three points are very important in this round.
“Two wins in this round, and you will surely go through to the next round, and you definitely want to start off on the right footing.”
He continued, “It’s not going to be an easy one - it’s going to be difficult - so hopefully, on the offensive, we will keep playing, and I can put all my trust on the defensive side.”
Their good form is made even more impressive as a number of St Catherine’s squad are under the age of 17, chief among them being 14-year-old Timothy Jones.
Patrick said his youngsters have made a strong showing in the first round, but their real test in schoolboy football will begin today.
“The Manning Cup really starts at this stage of the competition. When you look back over the years, this is where the tough part of the competition really steps up if you don’t have that quality,” he said.
“Hopefully, all the youngsters can keep working and continue giving their all for whatever comes at us this round.
“We just have to continue doing well with them and hope that we can continue to keep a very good and stern backline going into this round. They have been doing well, and I say kudos to them, and I applaud them,” he continued.
Also on the day, Excelsior High will take on Wolmer’s Boys’ in the first game of a double header at Stadium East.
The Eagles of Mountain View Road, who are yet to lose a game this season, will hope to topple the Wolmerians, who have already tasted defeat four times.
Wolmer’s, however, are expected to put up a fight as the maroon-clad boys have shown major improvement throughout the first round.
In the second game of the double -header, defending champions Kingston College (KC) will face Hydel High in a rematch of last year’s semi-finals.
KC are also unbeaten this season, with their only blemish coming from a scoreless draw against Tivoli last time out.
Hydel, on the other hand, advanced to the round of 16 as the best fourth-placed team and face a mammoth task following a topsy-turvy first round.
Jamaica College (JC) will also be in action at the Ashenheim Stadium as they face Eltham High in the second match of a double header.
In the earlier game, 2023 Manning Cup champions Mona High will take to the field against St Jago High.
In the final two games of the day, St George’s College (STGC) will play hosts to Charlie Smith High at Winchester Park, while Calabar High will welcome Campion College at their school field.
The top two teams from each group of the round of 16 will advance to the quarterfinals of the Manning Cup, while the remaining eight teams will contest the first round of the Walker Cup.
Today’s games
St Catherine vs Vauxhall at Waterhouse (2 p.m.)
Tivoli vs STATHS at Waterhouse (4:15 p.m.)
Excelsior vs Wolmers at Stadium East (2 p.m.)
KC vs Hydel at Stadium East (4:15 p.m.)
Mona vs St Jago at Ashenheim Stadium (2 p.m.)
JC vs Eltham at Ashenheim Stadium (4:15 p.m.)
STGC vs Charlie Smith at Winchester Park (3 p.m.)
Calabar vs Campion at Calabar (3 p.m.)
English (US) ·