The 11th edition of the Milo Schools’ Under-18 Football tournament will come to a close today, Sunday April 27, but not before defending Champions Chase’s Academic Foundation and last year’s third-place finishers Dolphin Secondary have a go at each other.
Neeiaz Baksh, forward of Chase’s Academy, and Captain Brian Brower of Dolphin Secondary took a photo opportunity with the Championship Trophy
Each team has advanced to the final on a contrasting win in the semis: Dolphin downing West Ruimveldt in a comfortable 3-1 win, while Chase’s, the defending champions, had to work a little harder, overcoming Waramuri Secondary 7-6 only on penalty kicks.
The grand final having been set, Kemron Pellew, Captain of Chase’s Academic Foundation, while discussing their tense semifinal, has expressing confidence in retaining their title.
A glimpse of what to expect in the Milo 2025 final tonight
Pellew said, “First of all, it was a very good game; it was different from (what) we (had) expected. It was very difficult…went straight down to penalties. We had some unfortunate decisions made, but we had to fight, and we did what we had to do.”
He added, “There was no conversation really; we just had to win. That’s it!” He was speaking about their conversations after regular time had ended with the game locked on 3-3.
“There were a little nerves there; but, I mean, this is Chase, and we always fight and we have to win.”
The defender went on to share this about today’s final: “We expect it to be competitive! Very competitive! But still, this is Chase; and we will fight and we will try to win, or we will win!”
Meanwhile, the challengers, Dolphin Secondary, are high on confidence. Captain Brian Brower, in expressing their expectations for the final and what a win would mean to him, has said, “Well, I thought that we didn’t really perform at our best, but we win the game, and that’s what matter most.”
Brower, the Dolphin team’s goalkeeper, shared about the semifinal, “Our Coach just told us, ‘Just play, and see how the team is playing, and in the second half we’ll know how to work.’ That’s what we do, and we win the game. Well, we very happy to be in the finals. The expectation is a win, and bring it home for Dolphin like I said the last time.”
Expressing what the championship would mean to him, Brower said, “To me, it’s a big improvement; because we usually come to the semifinals and lose and have to play third place. This is my first time going into the finals with Dolphin and my last year for school football, and I want to win it.”
The Milo U18 final is scheduled for 19:00hrs today at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground on Carifesta Avenue. The third-place playoff between West Ruimveldt and Waramuri Secondary would precede that game at 17:00hrs.
The teams are competing for a $300,000 grand prize.
