KINGSTON College edged (KC) Denham Town High, 3-2, while Hydel High were held 0-0 by Jamaica College (JC) in second-round action in Group I of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports (ISSA)/Gatorade/Digicel Manning Cup competition at Constant Spring playfield yesterday.

Owayne Stone in the second minute of play and Allan Morgan’s strike in the 22nd put KC into an early two-goal lead, but Denham Town managed to enter the half-time break on level pegging after both Maurice Wilson (29th) and Rayon Fogo (35th) got their names on the scoresheet.

Lincoln Henry, however, gave the North Street-based team all three points with a 62nd-minute strike.

The win put KC atop the group with three points, while Denham Town sit at the base without a point.

Hydel and JC trail KC by two points after both teams under-performed in what was expected to be the stand-out match at the venue.

The Hydel team marginally had the better of play as the combination of Samar Rowe and captain Errol McNeil bossed proceedings with neat, short passes in the middle of the park.

The many-time champions JC were far from their best and were found guilty of attempting the long forward pass on too many occasions.

The tactic almost worked, however, in the 73rd, but JC’s influential skipper Junior Flemming booted high and wide when Hydel’s goalkeeper Romaine Hamilton failed to clear properly after bravely leaving the 18-yard-box to intercept a pass.

Hydel substitute Patrick Okonkwo missed an opportunity to snatch a win for his team five minutes later but, after being put through on goal, he trod on the ball and gave the defenders time to retreat and stifle the danger.

Hydel’s head coach Geoffrey Maxwell said he was not satisfied with his team’s showing, despite holding the 2010 triple champions to a draw.

“I’m totally dissatisfied with how we played. I’m not sure if the players were nervous, but we didn’t play near where I know we can play. I think maybe we created one or two half-chances, but those were missed and that is schoolboy football. I think the draw was a fair result,” he said.

JC’s assistant coach Delroy Brown said he was not overly disappointed with the performance given the players’ exploits in the Walker Cup Knock-out competition last week.

“I’m not really disappointed with the result. We had the Walker Cup to play and you could see the boys were jaded today (yesterday). The energy level was just not there, but I think it was not a bad game for us,” he said.

In the Group K clashes at the Spanish Town Prison Oval, Norman Manley High hammered 2006 winners Bridgeport High, 5-1, while the much-vaunted Wolmer’s Boys’ brushed aside Innswood High, 3-1.