Excelsior, KC, STATHS target quarter-final spots

DEFENDING champions Excelsior High and Walker Cup winners Kingston College (KC) will be among the teams seeking to secure places in the quarter-finals when the 2026 ISSA Schoolboy Football Manning Cup round of 16 continues with rescheduled matches across the island on Thursday. The matches were originally scheduled for Tuesday but were postponed by the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) because of inclement weather. Excelsior, who are seeking to retain the title they won last season, will face St Catherine High at Stadium East at 2:30 pm, while KC take on Camperdown High at the same venue at 4:30 pm. Both Excelsior and KC won their opening matches to move to three points. A victory would guarantee Excelsior a place in the quarter-finals from Zone 1. KC, however, will also be keeping an eye on the other Zone 2 match between Calabar and Vauxhall. Victories for KC and Calabar would see both teams advance, while any other result would leave qualification undecided until Saturday. At Jamaica College’s Ashenheim Stadium, Mona High will face St George’s College in a Zone 1 encounter at 3:00 pm. Mona are without a point after losing 6-1 to Excelsior, while St George’s have one point following their 1-1 draw with St Catherine. Both teams will be looking to improve their positions in the group. At Waterhouse Stadium, Wolmer’s Boys’ School will face STATHS in a Zone 3 top-of-the-table clash at 3:00 pm. A victory for either team would put them in a strong position to reach the last eight. The other Zone 3 match will see St Jago High take on Hillel Academy at Prison Oval, also at 3:00 pm. Both teams are seeking their first points of the round.   — Howard Walker