There will be all to play for at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground on Carifesta Avenue this evening when four schools battle for two available spots in the Digicel Schools Football tournament’s national championship final, slated for this Sunday.
Of the four schools set to compete today: Waramuri Top Primary, Carmel Secondary, D.C. Caesar Fox (Waramadong) Secondary and St. Ignatius Secondary, one is set to etch its name in history as new first-time champions.
First on the cards this evening is a clash between D.C. Caesar Fox Secondary of Region 7 and Georgetown’s Carmel Secondary at 17:00hrs.
While Waramadong has proven their mettle by emerging as regional champions, Carmel upset the Georgetown Champions, Dolphin Secondary, in the quarterfinals, proving they are a silent assassin.
A glimpse of what to expect in today’s semifinals
On Waramadong’s end, Bevon Jones, Captain Bruce Williams and Anthonio Isaacs will be a trio to look out for, but Carmel have magicians of their own in Ian Daniels and Shem James.
“At the beginning of the match, it was really tough, the other team had the control of the ball, but with positive minds, we had confidence that we would win this game. So, we had to work together as a team, and that’s how we’re successful,” Waramadong Captain Bruce Williams shared about their quarterfinal win.
Quizzed about their semifinal opponent, Williams responded, “Well, they have played good against the other schools, but I know we can do our best. I want to wish them good luck as our opposition, but we’re going to try our best and be successful, hopefully.
“It’s going to mean a lot to my school, because they have supported us; our teachers, our coaches, even our colleagues, our parents also,” Williams went on to add about what a victory would mean to his school.
Carmel’s Ian Daniels expressed similar sentiments about his team going all the way in the tournament, stating, “Carmel Secondary School never win a Digicel competition before, and we always want to reach there.”
When asked about their upset of the Georgetown champions, Daniels shared, “Well, coming into the game, we know it was a difficult match. As a team, in training we spoke before: just come out and play our football how we know how to play, and come out victorious again.
“The team strong, they have good communication with each other, and we will work on that in training,” the Carmel player went on to state.
He further added about what Carmel needed to work on for today’s game, “Mostly, the team need to work on their discipline and little bit more communication.”
Meanwhile, at 19:00hrs, Region 9 Champions St. Ignatius Secondary will come up against Waramuri Top, who are making the most of their wildcard opportunity.
Characters like the St. Ignatius Akon Albert, Romel Ernest and Morgan Taruma and Waramuri’s Zundel Abrams and Bruce Vincent will be the ones to look out for tonight.
In a chat with this publication, St. Ignatius Captain Reyaz Williams said about today’s game, “We have a plan what we always work with, hence we’re going according to that.”
He went on to add about the significance of the team’s performance thus far, “St. Ignatius never been back here where we reach now, we never been here in the last few years. So, it’s like setting history. It will mean a lot to our school and to our Region.”
On the other hand, Waramuri Top were over the moon after defeating Santa Rosa Secondary, who pipped them on penalty shots in the Regional tournament.
“We performed to our best, and we played very well. I think this is a great win for us,” Waramuri Captain Odell Holmes shared about the quarterfinal win. “We are very proud. I’m very proud of the guys, they put in all of their effort,” he added.
Holmes went on to state, “I am very confident we will make it to the finals and take home the trophy.”
The Digicel Final is scheduled for Sunday, August 13th. (Jemima Holmes)
