Lodge Secondary and North Georgetown won the boys’ and girls’ titles respectively at Scotia Bank/Pepsi Schools football finals played Saturday at Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground, Bourda.
Lodge dethroned last year’s winners Tucville Secondary 4-3, while North Georgetown retained the girls’ title with a 2-0 win over arch-rivals Tucville Secondary.
The boys’ final proved to be a dramatic show down with Tucville racing to a 2-0 lead following a double strike from the diminutive Kefier Brandt in the 11th and 13th minutes. Lodge missed a penalty kick off the boot of Travis Lyken in the 20th minute before Kevin Butters scored Lodge team first goal in the 34th minute.
The second half proved to be very entertaining with Collin Waterman pushing Tucville further into the lead 3-1. With vociferous support, Lodge applied pressure and were rewarded when Ansell Canterbury scored in the 51st minute before Kevin Butters scored
the equalizer in the 64th minute. The game which saw a number of new female talent unfolding before the medium sized crowed which most of it were parents who came to support their kids after months of keen competition. Stephen McLeod scored the game’s winner four minutes later. In the girls’ final, North Georgetown outplayed Tucville following goals by Mauricia Corbin who netted in the 48th minute and Althea Holligan who scored in the 52nd minute. Kefier Brandt was voted the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player while Butters was named player of the final.
Jonelle Browne of North Georgetown won the girls’ MVP while Latifer Marville of Tutorial High was the leading goal scorer.
Tournament Director Colin Baker in brief remarks thanked Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL), Scotiabank the GFF, parents, students and other key stakeholders who contributed to the success of the tournament. He noted that this all commenced with the training of the physical education teachers as coaches which followed the student trained as referees and today the excited conclusion of the tournament.
DDL’s Brand Manager Alexis Longhorne and Scotia Bank Marketing Manager Jennifer Cipriani-Nelson both pledged their companies’ continued support for the Football Academy now in its second year.
Other speakers included General Secretary of the GFF Noel Adonis. The organisers identified the top boys and girls and named them to All Stars teams. The girls All Star selection reads: Keshia Gordon, Fediel Browne, Althea named were Holligan, Latifiah Marville, Sasha Johnson, Allayah Stanley, Tricia Elliot, Felicia McLean, Dacia Brandt, Oseyah Jones and Troyann Barton.
The boys All Star players are; Dellon Johnson, Okel Codrington, Owen Europe, Shemar Wilson, Jamaal Scott, Colin Waterman, Josiah Charles, Kefier Brandt, Romel Legall, Kevin Butters and Shawn Morris.
