Five schools book Manning Cup quarter-final spots

KINGSTON, Jamaica — St Catherine High, Excelsior High, Kingston College (KC), Mona High and Eltham High have secured their places in the quarter-finals of the ISSA/SBF Manning Cup after maintaining perfect records in Wednesday’s third round of second-round action. The five schools moved to nine points from three matches, with Wednesday’s programme highlighted by KC’s 3-0 victory over North Street rivals, St George’s College, and Mona’s emphatic 8-1 demolition of Hillel Academy. St Catherine were equally impressive, blanking Jose Marti Technical 5-0, while Excelsior edged Norman Manley High 1-0 to preserve their unbeaten record. Eltham completed the list of nine-point teams with a commanding 4-0 win over Bridgeport High. KC continued their outstanding form in Group Three, adding three more points to their tally while maintaining their defensive record. They have scored 17 goals without conceding in three matches and remain firmly in control of the group. Mona also continued their prolific scoring run, with their eight-goal performance against Hillel taking them to 17 goals in three matches. They lead Group Four on goal difference, ahead of Eltham, who have scored 11 goals and conceded just once. In Group One, St Catherine High strengthened their position at the top with a five-goal victory over Jose Marti. Wolmer’s Boys also enjoyed a comfortable afternoon, defeating Campion College 3-0 to move to six points. Jamaica College (JC) kept their hopes alive with a narrow 1-0 win over Camperdown High at Alpha Academy. The victory lifted JC to four points and leapfrogged Camperdown, who remained on three. In Group Two, defending champions Excelsior maintained their perfect start with a hard-fought win over Norman Manley. Calabar High moved to six points after defeating Holy Trinity High 4-0, while St Jago High also reached six points with a 3-1 victory over Charlie Smith High. With the group leaders now on nine points, the battle for the remaining quarter-final places is expected to intensify as the second round continues. The top four teams from each group will advance to the round of 16. Wednesday’s results: Wolmer’s Boys 3, Campion College 0 Jose Marti Technical 0, St Catherine High 5 Camperdown High 0, Jamaica College 1 Charlie Smith High 1, St Jago High 3 Holy Trinity High 0, Calabar High 4 Norman Manley High 0, Excelsior High 1 Mona High 8, Hillel Academy 1 Kingston College 3, St George’s College 0 Bridgeport High 0, Eltham High 4