Manning Cup quarterfinals get under way
Published:Saturday | December 6, 2025 | 12:09 AMGregory Bryce/Staff Reporter
All eight teams left in the ISSA/WATA Manning Cup competition will be inaction today as the first round of fixtures in the quarterfinal groups are set to get under way.
The day’s fixtures will be headlined by a double-header at Stadium East where Charlie Smith High will face Hydel High at 2 p.m., before Excelsior High take on Jamaica College (JC) at 4:15.
Across the other games, Calabar High will face Vauxhall High at Winchester Park while Eltham High will play hosts to St Andrew Technical High (STATHS) at the Spanish Town Prison Oval. Both games will kick off at 3 p.m.
In the first match of the afternoon, a confident Charlie Smith unit, led by head coach Eugene Williams, will be looking for a strong start in the quarterfinal round in Group A.
Williams said while he is happy to see his team through to the final eight, the job is not yet done as they seek further success.
His priority will be to keep his players grounded as he explained they can become easily distracted at their young age.
“As a coach, I know how to talk to players and keep them motivated because we have to understand with guys like these, they are easily distracted,” Williams said ahead of the quarterfinals.
“I have to keep their feet firmly on the ground and let them understand the job don’t finish as yet.”
Hydel, on the other hand, are hoping to return to the Manning Cup final since their last appearance in 2023.
Led by Alex Thomas, Hydel advanced from Group Two of the round of 16, but are without a win in their last two games, drawing with Calabar and Campion in back-to-back games.
In the other match in Group A, JC and Excelsior will meet in an highly anticipated clash.
JC, who have won the most Manning Cup titles in the competition’s history, will face off against a ‘hungry’ Excelsior unit, led by coach Keon Broderick.
“The target is to go all the way this year,” Broderick said.
For the boys from Old Hope Road, they are looking for their first hold on the title since 2022.
JC went trophy-less last season, a rare occurrence for the school which had become accustomed to schoolboy football success.
‘WE CAME HERE TO WIN’
In Group B action, Calabar are looking to continue their impressive form this season when they take on the fast-rising Vauxhall.
The lions from Red Hills Road had booked their spot in the quarterfinals at the expense of fierce rivals and last season’s champions Kingston College.
Calabar head coach Jeremy Miller said the team had entered this season with the aim of making it into the final eight, and will now turn their attention to the games ahead.
“The goal was to advance to the quarterfinal round and it’s probably almost a decade that we’ve been here so that’s a feat that we set out for at the start of the season,” he said.
“I’m just proud of the guys and the performance that they’ve put in.”
The season’s dark horses Eltham High will play hosts to one of the perennial title contenders, STATHS.
Eltham, who enjoyed a strong round of 16 performance with wins over Mona and St Jago, will test their mettle against another top team and go searching for the school’s first-ever schoolboy football title.
They go up against STATHS who have in the recent past, come agonisingly close to lifting the trophy on more than one occasion.
Leading the charge for STATHS is head coach Philip Williams, who will be hoping this is the year they finally lift the elusive title.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals of the Manning Cup and also qualify for the ISSA Champions Cup.
The teams which do not advance will compete in the quarterfinals of the ISSA Walker Cup KO competition.