Robert Bailey, Freelance Writer

Garvey Maceo's Ashton Bennett (left) and Jamaica College's Ramone Palmer (right).

DaCosta Cup champions Garvey Maceo High will be gunning to complete the Triple Crown today when they face Manning Cup winners Jamaica College (JC) in the all-island Olivier Shield showdown at the National Stadium, starting at 3:00p.m.

The Olivier Shield, normally a two-way home-and-away battle between the urban and rural area high school football champions, has been reduced to one game as the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) seeks to wrap-up its schedule before the Christmas holidays.

This should add some more competitiveness as even though it's the premier schoolboy battle, it sometimes lack the intensity of a Manning or daCosta Cup final.

Garvey Maceo had also won the Ben Francis knock-out title earlier in the season and success today would pit them among the elite group of triple crown winners. It includes Charlie Smith, Cornwall College, St. George's College, Wolmer's, Kingston College and Camperdown.

Jeffrey Hewitt, coach of Clarendon-based Garvey Maceo, a first-time daCosta Cup champ, is very confident.

Optimistic

"I am very optimistic of our chances because going into this final we feel we have as good a chance as JC. We have worked really hard to reach this stage," said Hewitt.

"It would be great to go down in history as one of the schools to win the triple," Hewitt added.

"It has been a really long season for us, but I am really proud of the guys for what they have achieved so far and I know that tomorrow's game won't be an easy one ... but we are just hoping to put on a good show for the fans," Hewitt said.

Hewitt added that he is aware of the challenges the JC team will present, especially in the midfield with the likes of national Under-17 player Ramone Palmer and Robert Palmer.

The Old Hope Road institution won the Manning Cup for the first time in 33 years, and according to their coach, Alfred Henry, his players will approach the game with the same enthusiasm as they did throughout the Manning Cup.

"Whenever we go out there we go to win all the time, so we will play with the same zeal and effort, no matter if it's the Walker Cup, Manning Cup or Olivier Shield," said Henry.

The JC team might have also been playing for the triple crown, but they were beaten by Calabar High 0-3 in a very emotional Walker Cup KO final.

JC, will have to deal with the ever-present threat of Ashton Bennett, who has netted 37 goals and leads all scorers in schoolboy competition this season.

Henry, however, was quick to point out that "we don't play individuals, we play teams".