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Manning Cup finalists to be decided today - JC, STATHS, Excelsior and Eltham all vying for a spot in the grand showdown
December 16, 2025
The two finalists for the 2025 ISSA/WATA Manning Cup competition will be decided in a double header today at the National Stadium as Jamaica College (JC) will face St Andrew Technical High (STATHS) while Excelsior High will face Eltham High.
In the opening game of the afternoon, Excelsior will take on Eltham in a clash between two of the season's dark horses, with kick off set for 2 p.m.
Excelsior and Eltham had contrasting routes to the semifinals as Excelsior fell in their first match against JC, before recovering with back-to-back wins against Hydel High and Charlie Smith High
The boys from Mountain View Avenue needed a 96th-minute strike from Kivann Salmon to get past Charlie Smith in their decisive fixture.
On the other hand, Eltham were perfect in their quarterfinal round as they recorded three straight wins against STATHS, Vauxhall and Calabar High on their way to the final four.
Gregory Allen, head coach of Eltham, said their impressive season has come down to their work on the training pitch.
The St Catherine-based school has an enviable record of 57 goals scored and are in the semifinals for the first time in 19 years.
"It has been a journey so far and I believe the youngsters have worked well and hard and they have responded to the training well," he said.
"This is how we train and once you are training in a particular way then the goals will come. We have had games in which we haven't scored but we ensured that we got back to the rectangular surface, we put in some work and we're seeing the results."
OLD RIVALRIES
For yet another year, STATHS and JC will go head to head in the final stages of the Manning Cup.
The two teams have met in the Manning Cup finals three times in the last eight years, with JC toppling STATHS on each occasion.
This time around, STATHS will be hoping they can get past the boys from Old Hope Road as head coach Phillip Williams said they are mentally prepared for whatever is to come.
"We know where we fell short. It's about holding our nerves at the right time when the moments present themselves," he said ahead of the semifinals.
JC are hoping to reclaim their lost crown as the 31-time Manning Cup champions, the most in the competition's history, last lifted the title in 2022.
They will be depending on the tactical guidance of technical director Davion Ferguson, who has led the school to two Manning Cup titles since his appointment in 2019.
The Manning Cup final is set for Friday, December 19 at the National Stadium.
