Calabar aim to stave off Excelsior challenge

With Calabar High School celebrating a century of existence next year, head coach of their Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Gatorade/Digicel Manning Cup team, Marvin Tate, is looking to start the festivities early as he seeks to lead the school to the triple crown.

A major threat to Tate and his team's ambitions is the Baris Johnson-coached Excelsior High School unit which is looking to displace Calabar from their perch at the top of Group A, when the two meet in what promises to be an intriguing encounter today at the Courtney Walsh Oval, with match time set for 3:30 p.m.

Both schools have already secured their place in the second round of the competition, but with Calabar (18) holding a mere three points over their opponents, automatic qualification for the knock-out competition is up for grabs with one round of games remaining after today's fixture.

"It is very important for us to advance, especially given the fact that we haven't qualified for the Walker Cup for sometime or the Manning Cup second round," Tate stated.

"Seeing that the school is celebrating 100 years next year it would be a fitting tribute to the school if the team could win all three competitions (Manning Cup, Walker Cup and Olivier Shield)," he added.

When the two teams met in the opening round, Calabar emerged 2-1 winners, thanks to goals from the influential Chevonne Marsh (24th) and substitute Javon East (55th). Brian Richards (36th) accounted for Excelsior's goal.

Marsh, Wilbourne Williams, Kyle Scott and Shane Franklin will lead Calabar's formidable attacking unit, which has scored 26 goals in six games while conceding one.

"Right now the team basically knows how to play one way which is attacking football and that is how we have been playing all season," Tate said.

"I don't see any reason why we should change at this moment, so I think people should come out expecting a very attacking game of football from us," he added.

Excelsior, which have three liens on the Corporate Area's premier senior schoolboy football crown, have scored three goals fewer than Calabar, while conceding one more. Johnson, however, expects his charges to put up a good showing.

"The objective that we set for the first round is to top the zone and qualify for the Walker Cup, so we will be going all out for the game," Johnson expressed. "They (Calabar) are three points ahead of us, so we can't afford to drop any points in this game."

He added: "It will be all out from the start of the game to the finish and we hope that we get a positive result."

Johnson will be looking to national under-17 representative Zhelano Barnes to exert his class on the game.

"Come tomorrow, as in any other game, we look for him (Barnes) to take charge and to lead based on his experience, having played at the World Cup level," Johnson disclosed.