Rusea’s target winning start as daCosta Cup kicks off

The ISSA daCosta Cup gets under way today with 23 games across the island, as 11-time champions Rusea’s High look to make a confident start against Little London High while Munro College prepare to honour the memory of promising under-16 player Kamal Reynolds in their clash with Lacovia High.

The matches are set for 3:30 p.m. at Little London playing field and Lacovia playing field respectively.

According to manager of Rusea’s, Craig Butler, the team has fully grasped his system and they have strengthened the squad with new talent as they target a winning start to the competition.

“Preparations are going well. The players know the systems and know how to play. They have a full understanding of what’s required of them. The school and the management team have been behind them 100 per cent and they are doing very well. So I’m very excited about the season,” Butler said

While some players were lost from last season, new talent has been added.

“There were players that we have lost but we have some new players that have come in. We have players that have joined from sixth form and overseas as our quota players. So we have quality in the team,” said Butler.

“There are top talents in the team, players that could play on any schoolboy team and on most Premier League teams in Jamaica. So I’m very excited about them and what they bring to the table.

“We have a very strong goalkeeper and a very positive set of wingers that remind me in many ways of national player Leon Bailey,” added Butler.

For Rusea’s, one of the traditional powers in schoolboy football, they were eliminated in a heartbreaking 3-1 defeat against Ocho Rios High in last season’s round of 32.

In the upcoming season, teams have been seeded in the daCosta and Manning Cup league format competitions for the first time. The unseeded teams will battle it out in the first round, with the top ones moving on to the second round, where the seeded teams will then join the action.

All teams in the rural daCosta Cup and Corporate Area Manning Cup will be involved in both the Ben Francis KO and Walker Cup KO competitions.

Coming into this match, Rusea’s are seen as favourites to win against Little London.

In 2016 the Westmoreland-based Litle London won their second-round group to advance to the final 16 and the quarterfinals of the daCosta Cup for the first time in school history.

Former kingpins Rusea’s are second only to Cornwall College (12) in number of daCosta Cup titles won.

In 1985, the Lucea-based school created history, as in addition to retaining their daCosta Cup title, they also won the Ben Francis Cup, the Olivier Shield, and the Nutrament Shield.

The ‘Russians’ have also won or shared the Olivier Shield a total of six times, and won the Ben Francis Cup on four occasions.

However, their last daCosta Cup title was won in 2017 when they defeated Clarendon College. Since then Rusea’s have failed to advance past the second round.

Meanwhile in the St Elizabeth Derby, head coach of Munro, Everdean Scarlett, said despite a few challenges, the team has been progressing well.

“Preparations were good. There were a few hiccups because we lost a player, and that dampened the team spirit a bit. But I think the boys overcame, dug in, and put in some work to actually have a pretty good preseason,” said Scarlett.

Reynolds, who was set to make his daCosta Cup debut this season, drowned leaving his teammates with added motivation as they prepare for the competition.

Today’s games

Little London vs Rusea’s at Little London

Cedric Titus vs Ferncourt at Cedric Titus

Lacovia vs Munro at Lacovia High

Green Pond vs Irwin at Green Pond High

Morant Bay vs Happy Grove at Morant Bay High

Troy High vs Clauxs McKay at Troy High

Mayday High vs Mile Gully at May Day

deCarteret College vs B.B. Coke at deCarteret

Spot Valley vs Cambridge at Spot Valley High

Muschett vs Herbert Morrison at Muschett

Knockalva Technical vs Green Island at Knockalva

Petersfield vs Hopewell at Petersfield Sports Complex

Grange Hill vs Frome Technical at Grange Hill Community Centre

Walkerswood Academy vs Brown’s Town High

Discovery Bay High vs Marcus Garvey at Port Rhodes Complex

Belair High vs Black River at Brooks Park

Lewisville High vs Mt. St. Joseph Catholic at Lewisville

Cross Keys vs Winston Jones at Cross Keys

Porus vs Bellefield at Porus Community Centre

Foga Road vs Vere Tech at Foga Road

Knox College vs Edwin Allen at Kirkvine Sports Club

Alston High vs Alphansus Davis at Kirkvine Sports Club

Fair Propsect High vs Robert Lightbourne at Fair Prospect

Yallas High vs Paul Bogle at Yallahs

Most matches kick off at 3:30 p.m. At venues where there are double-headers, the opening games kick off two hours earlier.