A monumental rivalry will be renewed and a highly-anticipated showdown will be on display when the fifth annual Digicel Secondary Schools football championships continue today with the semi-final round at the Leonora Sports Facility, West Demerara.
While the matchup between Annai Secondary and Chase Academy will be one for the purists and pundits at 16:00hrs, the Waramadong Secondary and Christianburg/Wismar Secondary (CWS) affair from 18.00 hrs is expected to steal the show due to their storied past.
The Linden juggernauts are the defending three-time national champions, all at the expense of their fiercest rival who are themselves three-time losing finalists. The matchup in itself signifies that the event finale will feature one inaugural team from the other resulting skirmish, a first in the last three years.
A win for the holders CWS would also seal their fifth consecutive appearance in the finale with their only loss coming in the inaugural edition to the Government Technical Institute (GTI) by a 5-2 margin. Due to their superior head-to-head record, the Region #10 unit will start the match as avourite.
Presently, the Lindeners have won all four of its meetings against the Region #7 heavyweights, with the most recent fixture between the two sides resulting in a 2-0 win for the defending champs in the previous finale.
In terms of goals scored, CWS also possess the advantage, netting 13 goals during the rivalry while Waramadong Secondary has found the back of the net on eight occasions.
Entering the matchup full of confidence following a 6-0 win over Annandale Secondary, the holders will once again hope to extinguish their rival’s title aspirations through their renowned physical play and high tempo offense led by the likes of Antwaine Gill, Amaniki Buntin, Jovon Bobb and Kendolph Lewis.
While they face a daunting task due to the historical record, Waramadong Secondary enters the fixture in a buoyant mood following comprehensive wins over Bush Lot Secondary and Berbice High School in their previous engagements.
Offensively, the Region #7 outfit are a joy to watch with an overall possession based model second to none at this level. Their resulting attacking fluency has witnessed the unit recording 12 goals in their previous two fixtures, which translates to an impressive six goals per game.
Though they have never been a team of individuals, the perennial bridesmaids will require a motivated effort from the trident of Azual Medina, Ashton Ward and Delmar George to lead the current roster past their formidable foes, vanquishing their demons of old while sealing their inaugural berth in the finale.
While the previous matchup possess historical significance, the Chase Academy and Annai Secondary encounter promises to be an open and free-flowing affair between first time opponents.
To date, the Georgetown unit has been a revelation in the tourney with their attacking displays and will be encouraged by their recent 8-1 demolition of Charity Secondary that a berth in the finale can be realized.
Mercurial forward Kelsey Benjamin has arguably been the best player in the event and will lead a star-studded line-up into battle that comprise of Job Caesar, Jeremy Garrett, Sheldon Profit, Jaleel Hamilton and Trevor Jones, in their attempt to claim a final’s berth.
On the other hand, Annai Secondary will be no pushover following their demolition of Dolphin Secondary by a 13-0 margin. While the quality of the opposition can be debated, the manner in which the systematic dismantling occurred must be applauded.
Though an identical performance of against a better drilled Chase Academy side is not expected, the Region #9 holders will be confident of securing the result and will depend on the sibling combination of Sherall and Garville Daniels to inspire another positive outcome.
