Nail-biting triumph

There were tears on both sides of the aisle as Jamaica College ended a 39-year drought to lift the Television Jamaica (TVJ) Schools’ Challenge Quiz (SCQ) defeating Westwood High School 30 – 28 in a fiercely contested final at the TVJ studios on Thursday.

Watched by a capacity studio audience inclusive of RJRGLEANER executives, sponsors, teachers, parents, fellow students and well-wishers, as well as a “sports style” stands featuring bands of loud supporters, Westwood, seeking to become only the second all-girls school to lift the coveted title, fought off a slow start to give JC a stout fight.

The opening challenge ended with JC leading 7–5, before Westwood High roared back in the speed challenge setting up a mouth-watering 28–28 deadlock heading into the nerve-wracking buzzer challenge where JC held their nerve to squeeze out a two-point win.

JC, who were crowned in a year when they already took several sporting titles including last week’s Boys’ Athletics Championships as well as Under-14 and Under-16 schoolboy football titles, had a team comprising Marvin Whyte (captain), Mason-Jai Edwards, Jamarli Banton and Ryhomah Muir.

Their captain was naturally pleased.

“Well, I believe that tonight’s victory is significant for each and everybody not just for the four team players, not just for the coaches, it’s significant for the school because it shows this is the renaissance of JC. We are good at sports, we won table tennis, we are good at lacrosse, we did good in all other sports and winning Quiz is just extra ordinary for the school,” Whyte told The Gleaner.

Westwood’s captain, Tanay Johnson, told The Gleaner that, though disappointed, her team was proud.

“We were pretty excited [and] even after the loss, we are still happy. I am proud of the girls, especially Sheanelle, even though she is feeling pretty ‘downcrest’, as Miss Tomlinson would say. I am extremely proud of the girls and we are just looking forward to next year. I just want to thank our coaches and the Westwood family and supporters.”

The other team members were Sheanelle Brown, Kadecia Fearon and Alison Francis.

JC’s Principal Wayne Robinson told The Gleaner that Westwood put up a valiant fight and was a motivating force for girls.

“I should have carried my blood pressure tablets. These girls have done a fantastic job. I want to praise what I saw from Westwood. Our boys have come through a real battle. We have been in semi-finals, we have been in finals and we have lost, so this is really something very special for the school. There are members of the school, if we had a choice between this and Champs, we would have chosen this. That’s how much it means to us.”

Karen Francis, principal of Westwood, pointed to the significance of Westwood reaching the final.

“I am elated because, even though we did not win, for me my girls are winners for having come so far in the competition. They are winners and now we have made history being the second girls school in over 50 years, yea, almost 60 coming to the final so I am elated.”

The 2026 staging marked the 57th season of TVJ’s Schools’ Challenge Quiz, after being established in 1969.

karen.madden@gleanerjm.com