Ocho Rios upstage St Catherine to reach Champions Cup semis
Ocho Rios upstage St Catherine to reach Champions Cup semis . Ocho Rios upstage St Catherine to reach Champions Cup semis
The Jamaica Observer
Keanu Reid (right) of Ocho Rios High tries to hold off St Catherine High’s Romaine Walters during the Champions Cup opening match at Montego Bay Sports in St James on Friday. Reid scored both goals as Ocho Rios won 2-0. Photos: Paul Reid

MONTEGO BAY, St James — Rural area daCosta Cup team Ocho Rios High sprung a surprise by knocking St Catherine High out of the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association/Wata Champions Cup competition on Friday.

Ocho Rios defeated the Manning Cup team 2-0 in the opening game of a double-header at Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall.

At press time on Friday, Jamaica College and McGrath High were locked in battle.

Keanu Reid scored both goals for first-time qualifiers Ocho Rios who advanced to their second semi-final of the season after previously accomplishing first-time progress to the daCosta Cup final four.

But despite what turned out to be a well-deserved win, Ocho Rios High Coach Veron Peterkin admitted they did have some luck as St Catherine High got off to a fast start and dominated the first half hour of the game.

“We were a bit fortunate in the game,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “St Catherine High got off to a good start but I was not that worried as we knew we had 90 minutes to play and we’ll create chances — and we did and we took them.”

He said they made some adjustments in the first half. “We made some tweaks in the midfield and then we took over the game,” Peterkin noted.

Donovan Lofters, the St Catherine High assistant coach, lamented the wasted opportunities.

“We did not take our chances and it came back to affect us,” he said, denying they were overconfident going into the game.

It could have been a much wider margin of loss for St Catherine but goalkeeper Omarion Brown pulled off a series of excellent saves late in the second half, when Ocho Rios High took over.

St Catherine High got off to a fast start and, despite getting a handful of chances, failed to make use of them, with Dwight Gentles missing a shot from point-blank range inside the six-yard box.

Ocho Rios took the lead in the 42nd minute when they caught the St Catherine High team on the counter-attack. Reid was on hand to fire past Brown into the far-left corner.

As expected, St Catherine came out in the second half seeking at least an equaliser but were once again caught on the counter, and Reid got past Brown and fired into the unprotected goal in the 55th minute.

The second goal knocked the wind out of St Catherine High’s sails, with Ocho Rios High threatening to widen the margin, but Brown rallied with a a number of gutsy saves. On three occasions he stopped Reid from getting his hat-trick.

The first round will continue Saturday with two more games at the venue in Catherine Hall. Hydel High and Garvey Maceo High will meet in the first game, before defending champions Glenmuir High take on two-time former winners Kingston College.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

•Hydel vs Garvey Maceo

•Glenmuir vs Kingston College
Jamaica
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2024-11-23
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Ocho Rios upstage St Catherine to reach Champions Cup semis
Ocho Rios upstage St Catherine to reach Champions Cup semis