National champions Wismar/Christianburg Secondary successfully defended their Region 10 conference title, overcoming Mackenzie High 4-2 in the finale when the fourth annual Digicel national U-18 knockout football championship continued yesterday at the Wisburg Secondary School ground.
The defending champions fortuitously took the early lead in the 13th minute compliments of a defensive error as a left-sided cross from a Shane Luckie free kick, was inadvertently directed into the back of the net by a Mackenzie defender.
The score line would be levelled in the 52nd minute as Kelon Primo found the back of the net, placing his lobbed right-footed shot into the left- hand corner of the net, after pouncing on a loose ball following a botched defensive clearance within the centre of the box.
However Anthony Layne would push the defending champions back into pole position 10 minutes later, curling a left-footed, 26-yard free kick into the top right-hand corner of the goal, from the left side of the field.
It would become 3-1 six minutes later as Luckie etched his name on the scorer’s sheet, lashing his attempt into the lower right-hand corner of the net from within the area, following a one-on-one situation with the opposing custodian after latching onto a through pass.
Mackenzie High would eventually reduce the deficit to one in the shape of Taffon Alexander who rifled his right-footed strike into the bottom left side of the goal, after latching onto another failed clearance by the Wismar/Christianburg backline.
However any hope of a late comeback by the Mackenzie outfit would be extinguished two minutes later as Danavan Francis netted compliments of a first-time right-foot volleyed effort down the middle of the goal, after receiving a perfectly placed right-sided cross.
With the win, Wismar/Christianburg received the conference championship trophy, the respective winner’s medals, team uniforms and $100,000 towards the funding of a school project. They also earned the opportunity to represent the Region 10 conference at the upcoming national playoffs.
Mackenzie High for their showing collected the second place trophy and the respective medals. (Duncan Saul)
