By Samuel Peters
A day of high drama unfolded in the Cool and Smooth Joma Ministry of Sports Under-14 Boys’ Championship as the Antigua Grammar School (AGS) clinched the title on goal difference after a masterful display against the St. Joseph Academy on Wednesday afternoon.
In a clinical performance, underdogs AGS stormed to a 5-0 victory with Kissaire Joseph opening the scoring in the 9th minute. The floodgates opened as Lamar Samuel struck in the 11th minute, followed immediately by Tafari Parker finding the net in the 12th minute to make it 3-0.
Samuel wasn’t finished, adding his second goal in the 43rd minute before Kimarie Joseph rounded off the scoring in the 50th minute to complete the rout.
Meanwhile, 2023 titleholders Princess Margaret School (PMS) secured a 2-1 victory over Clare Hall Secondary School (CHSS) in their fixture. Johnathan Francis put PMS ahead early, scoring in the 4th minute. Alan Henry doubled their advantage in the 43rd minute, though CHSS managed to pull one back. Both teams saw their positions in the standing leapfrogged by AGS who was in third position before the day began.
The triumph marks a significant achievement for AGS, who showed championship mettle when it mattered most, their five-goal victory proving decisive in the final standings.
The Head Coach of the newly crowned Champions, Derrick ‘Pretty Boy’ Edwards was elated about his team’s outstanding performance to claim the title. He summed it up to determination as being the main factor that helped to his team’s success. He said, “Those kids, they play hard every day, they train hard, they come out, they fight, they may be small because I have the smallest set of kids, but they have that thing you call determination, you know, and you have to give them a lot of credit, you know, for a good season.
The day’s results left three teams tied on 22 points, with AGS claiming the championship on goal difference. CHSS had to settle for second place, while the defending Champions PMS finished third despite their victory.
