Paul A. Reid, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE QUEST for a new champion in the ISSA Ben Francis Knockout competition starts this afternoon with the quarter-finals.
Last season's champions, Cornwall College, failed to make it past the inter-zone round of the daCosta Cup which ended on Monday and that leaves Glenmuir as the only school left in the competition that has won the KO competition.
Glenmuir lifted the trophy three times (1993, 1994 and 1999) and will take on Black River High at St. Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) in Santa Cruz.
Dinthill Technical and Titchfield will meet at Drax Hall, Christiana and Frome Technical play at Frome while Godfrey Stewart and Lennon will do battle at Brancourt.
All games will start at 2:45 p.m. to ensure they finish in daylight in the event that they go to extra-time and penalty kicks to decide the winners.
Three of the eight schools, Christiana, Godfrey Stewart and Lennon, have qualified in the top eight for the first time while Black River are making a return for the first time since 1991.
LOPSIDED ENCOUNTER
Of today's match-ups, the Glenmuir versus Black River game at STETHS would appear, on paper, to be the most lopsided based on statistics. Glenmuir have scored 53 goals in the competition so far and will be led by Carnell Learmond who has 18 goals, Donovan Miller, 10, and captain Ricardo Cousins, eight, who combined for 36, three times the total of the entire Black River team.
Everett Mullings, who has scored all three of his goals in the inter-zone round, is the top scorer for Black River but Lamar Hodges and Dashel Owens will hope to cash in on 'home parish' advantage against the Clarendon-based Glenmuir.
By contrast, Dinthill Technical and Titchfield appear the most evenly matched as both have scored 26 goals but Dinthill have conceded 10 to Titchfield's four.
Both teams have played against different opposition however, and the proof of their respective strengths will be known when they meet today.
Lennon, who have advanced from the first rounds for the first time, should have the advantage over Godfrey Stewart whose three goals against Brown's Town on Saturday was the most they have scored in any game this season.
Lennon would seem to be peaking at the right moment however as after scoring six goals in six first round games in Zone C and conceding three, they have scored five and conceded none in their past three games.
Jason Bantin and Josimar Crooks have scored two goals each to be the team's joint leaders while Lennon who have scored 28 goals this season will be led by Keneil Gibbs who has 12, one more than the entire Godfrey Stewart team combined.
Today's winners will advance to the November 17 semi-finals.
