Time for the seeds - Manning Cup heads towards business end

The second round of the ISSA Manning Cup gets under way today as the top teams from the first round are joined by the seeded teams in schoolboy football action across the Corporate Area.

In Group A, perennial title contenders Jamaica College (JC) will host St Catherine High at Ashenheim Stadium in a clash between two seeded teams.

JC, who boast one of the strongest squads in the competition, will be buoyed by the return of Jamone Lyle, who recently made his senior debut for the Reggae Boyz in the Concacaf Nations League.

At Heroes’ Circle, Wolmer’s Boys’ will host Camperdown High, with the home team expected to start as slight favourites.

However, they will have to overcome a confident Camperdown unit that advanced to the second round after compiling a perfect record in the first round.

To close out Group A action, José Martí Technical will face Campion College.

José Martí advanced after finishing second in their first-round group with four wins from six games.

They will come up against the seeded Campionites, who will be looking to bounce back after their round-of-16 defeat to Eltham High in the Walker Cup.

In Group B, defending Manning Cup champions Excelsior High will start as favourites when they host St Jago High.

Excelsior have enjoyed a strong start to their Walker Cup campaign this season and will be aiming to carry that form into the defence of their Manning Cup crown.

At Red Hills Road, Calabar High will host the high-flying Norman Manley High.

Calabar, the seeded team in the fixture, will start as slight favourites but will be wary of a Norman Manley side that scored 28 goals in six first-round matches.

Charlie Smith High will also be in action when they travel to Holy Trinity High.

Charlie Smith enter the contest as favourites and will be expected to get past Holy Trinity, who secured qualification for the second round on the final day after an inconsistent first-round campaign.

In Group C, North Street giants Kingston College (KC) will open their campaign with an away trip to Penwood High.

KC are expected to get the better of Penwood in their opening match, while the hosts will be looking to repeat their 2024 performance when they earned a 2-2 draw against the former champions.

Tivoli Gardens, led by head coach Christopher Nicholas, will host a rising Edith Dalton James High in their encounter.

Edith Dalton James advanced to the second round for the first time in the school’s history after recording four wins in the opening phase of the competition and will be aiming to achieve another milestone against Tivoli.

The feature match of the group, however, will take place at Bumper Hall, where St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) host St George’s College (STGC).

Both teams will be eager for victory after STATHS were eliminated from the Walker Cup quarterfinals on penalties by KC, while STGC suffered a narrow round-of-16 loss to JC.

In Group D, former champions Mona High will be confident of adding another win when they travel to Denham Town High.

Mona enter the contest as heavy favourites, with Denham Town having struggled to find their best form this season.

Eltham High will host Hillel Academy in another Group D encounter, providing a stern test for the visitors.

Hillel advanced to the second round for the first time in the school’s history but will start as underdogs against a free-scoring Eltham outfit.

Vauxhall High will close out the group when they host a spirited Bridgeport High.

Vauxhall are expected to start as favourites but will be wary of Bridgeport, who have lost only twice in the Manning Cup this season.

All matches are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com

Today’s games

JC vs St Catherine at Ashenheim Stadium

Wolmer’s vs Camperdown at Wolmer’s

José Martí Tech vs Campion at José Martí

Excelsior vs St Jago at Excelsior

Calabar vs Norman Manley at Calabar

Holy Trinity vs Charlie Smith at Holy Trinity

Penwood vs KC at Tarrant High

Tivoli vs Edith Dalton James at Tivoli

STATHS vs STGC at STATHS

Denham Town vs Mona at Denham Town

Eltham vs Hillel at Eltham

Vauxhall vs Bridgeport at Vauxhall

All games begin at 3 p.m.