MONTEGO BAY, St James — Long time campaigners St Elizabeth Technical High (STETHS) and relative newcomers Paul Bogle High will today seek their first ever Ben Francis Knockout title as the first title of the ISSA schoolboys’ season goes on offer at Jarrett Park, starting at 3:00 pm.

The teams qualified for today’s showdown after dramatic semi-final wins on Wednesday — Paul Bogle beating Manchester High 1-0 in extra time at the Spanish Town Prison Oval, while STETHS denied St James High their second final in three years with a 4-2 penalty kicks win at Jarrett Park.

STETHS will be in their second Ben Francis final after losing to Vere Technical in the first year of the competition in 1982, while Paul Bogle who are in the competition for the fifth year, was a semi-finalists last season.

Both teams have not met this season, and while they played a pre-season friendly last year, STETHS’ coach Andrew Edwards told Sporting World yesterday he suspected they had retained a good number of players from that squad.

Edwards says there are some concerns over the fitness of one player who was down with a fever yesterday, while Romeo Thompson was called to national Under-20 duties and will be absent today.

Paul Bogle High are reporting all their players fit and ready for duties, and while they would have preferred “a more centralised venue to make the travelling more equitable for both schools”, coach Winston Downie says they will be ready to give it their all today.

The Paul Bogle High team has been poised for big things for three seasons after just failing to make it out of the Inter-Zone round in 2008, losing out to eventual champions St James High on goal difference. They made it to the top four in the knock-out last year.

Downie said the game plan was simple: “Take each day as it comes and make the best

of it.”

They will, however, come up against a STETHS team that will be brimming with confidence after coming back from the death against St James High, scoring a last-minute goal to force extra time after coming from

behind twice.

Edwards said yesterday that they will come to pay their normal game and, “It will be difficult for any schoolboy team to beat us when we play to our full potential.”

STETHS will have three national Under-20 players in their team, led by the outstanding goalkeeper Gregory McKogg, central defender and man marker Levaughn Baker and striker Kevon Farquharson.

Paul Irons, who scored the biggest goal in Paul Bogle’s football history; the prolific Rushane Webber; Roshane Brissett; Damion Blake and Kemoy Edmondson will lead the charge for the St Thomas school.

Paul Bogle High will not lack confidence after knocking out two highly-touted schools Old Harbour High and Manchester High, handing both teams their first-ever loss of the season.

On paper their defence is solid, despite giving up five goals in eight games in Zone L. They kept out Old Harbour and Manchester High who have combined for 76 goals this season.