ExxonMobil U14 tournament: Chase, PC come from behind to script exciting victories

A riveting display of skill and rivalry captivated a boisterous crowd at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground on Saturday afternoon for the respective girls’ and boys’ final in the ExxonMobil Under-14 Schools’ football tournament. When the dust settled, it was President’s College’s girls and Chase’s Academic Foundation’s boys who proved they were better than the rest, lifting the respective championship trophies.
The girls’ final was a matter of revenge for President’s College, who were drubbed 4-1 in last year’s main event of the U14 tournament. However, the script was not the same in 2024, as eventual Most Valuable Player (MVP) Kimora Edwards led her troops to a thumping win.

The defending champions, Waramuri Primary Top, took the lead first in the 20th minute, after Tina Williams capitalised on a loose ball to set up a 1v1 with the President’s College keeper.
It was not too long after that PC utilised a short pass from a corner kick to send a shot into the box; when the original shot was fended off by the Waramuri defenders, Edwards sent the rebound into the back of the net in the 24th minute.

The entertaining battle between the young ladies pressed on into extra time with the scores locked 1-all until Edwards again showed her class. The PC number 10 was perfectly positioned after a goal kick to challenge the Waramuri defenders. When Edwards finally got past the back line, the teenager patiently made her way into the box, sending the ball into the opposite corner of the net in the 56th minute.
PC had a lot of defensive work to do, but the whistle finally sounded, crowning the East Coast outfit the new ExxonMobil girls’ champions.
Another exciting game of school football followed, with Chase’s Academic Foundation and Dolphin Secondary going down to extra time before witnessing the game winner. Chase’s Mark Glasgow, Jashan Haynes and Akeel Young had many an opportunity to take the lead early on. On the other side of the pitch, Tyler Abrams and Damani Hardy were working overtime to find the lead for Dolphin and made many hearts race, especially when utilising their free kicks.
However, it was a goalkeeper’s game and both of the goal custodians displayed excellent skill to keep the score locked at a stalemate.
Eventually, in the first half of extra time, Chase’s Glasgow sent a tame shot into the right corner of the net which escaped the grasp of the Dolphin keeper for the game winner.

Earlier in the day, Bartica Secondary were crowned the girls’ third-place finisher after a 4-1 victory. Orlene Jameson opened the scoring in the 12th minute, during their clash with Santa Rosa Secondary while Nerismar Williams extended their tally in the 18th and 26th minutes. Vilerky Simon added the cherry on top for Bartica in the 40th minute, while Santa Rosa’s consolation came off the boots of Veronica Chatta in the 46th.
On the other hand, Leonora Secondary were the boys’ third-place finisher following a nail-biting 2-1 win over South Ruimveldt Secondary. Keon Grant netted early for Leonora in the third minute, while Quincy Fraser made it a 2-0 affair in the eighth minute. South’s Jahim Hart pulled one back for his side in the 13th minute, but neither side could find the back of the net again, resulting in Leonora’s victory.
“What an amazing set of games we’ve seen this evening. ExxonMobil is Guyana’s energy partner and we have seen energy tonight and I’m sure we’ve seen energy in every game that’s gone on in this amazing competition. I want to give a huge thank you to Petra, for this organisation of this tournament which has grown hugely year after year and is now at the point of almost covering the entire country and that’s what we look forward to next year,” ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge pledged following the conclusion of Saturday evening’s finals.
In individual prizes, Bartica’s Nerismar Williams was the girls’ tournament’s highest goalscorer with 20 strikes, while PC’s Kimora Edwards was the MVP. Waramuri Primary Top’s Lilianna was the best goalkeeper, only conceding two goals (which came in the final) in the entire tournament.
Meanwhile, Chase’s Academy’s Mark Glasgow was the boys’ tournament’s MVP, while Bartica’s Jaden Christian was the highest goalscorer with 10 goals. Dolphin Secondary’s keeper, Armando Osmund was the tournament’s best goalie. In addition to trophies, each of the individual prize winners received sizeable vouchers.
Chase’s Academic Foundation and President’s College will both receive a $400,000 first prize while Waramuri Primary Top and Dolphin Secondary will both score $200,000 for second place. Third-place finishers Leonora Secondary and Bartica Secondary will pocket $100,000 and fourth-place finishers South Ruimveldt and Santa Rosa Secondary will receive $75,000, with all the prizes going towards a school project.
The ExxonMobil U14 tournament is also sponsored by Stenna Drilling, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) under its Pepsi brand, and MVP Sports. (Jemima Holmes)