BY GERALD REID

Observer writer

SHANTEL Thompson of Lennon High was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the 2015 Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) High Schoolgirls Football Competition awards ceremony held at the Victoria House Events on Lindsay Crescent on Thursday.

Lennon High School, which captured the High Schoolgirls Football League title, dominated the awards ceremony with four individual awards along with the championship trophy.

The Clarendon-based Lennon have completed a fine season by winning all 13 matches this season.

The Lennon aggregation defeated Excelsior High School 3-0 in the final with two goals from Peter-Kaye Green and the other from Shantel Thompson, while St Jago High finished in third place.

Nineteen-year-old Thompson is the joint captain of the Lennon team along with Shanay Ricketts, who also took the leading goal-scoring award with 42 goals. She scored 10 goals in a match against Foga Road High in their 16-0 win.

Meanwhile, Ricketts won the award for the leading goalkeeper in the competition as the 17-year-old only conceded two goals throughout the season, while Lennon were busy at the other end slamming 115 goals.

In the other individual awards, the best defender was Imanie Richards of Excelsior High, while the most-promising junior player award went to Sydoney Clark of St Jago High. Dane Chambers of Lennon High was named coach of the year.

Lennon High have won the title title six times in the past eight years, while losing in the other two years in semi-finals.

According to Coach Chambers, it is a great achievement for the schools, as they have been playing in the competition since 2001.

“When we first entered this competition we were beaten 6-0, and after reaching the quarter-finals for the first time Lennon never looked back and became dominant champions from then onwards,” he said.

Meanwhile, ISSA President Dr Walton Small said the season was fantastic and produced some exciting matches.

“I have seen a marked improvement in the skills of the players and the level of discipline, and not long in the future Jamaica’s national women’s football team will come from ISSA,” Dr Small said.

The ISSA president said the high schoolgirls league has no sponsor, and said while a sponsor would be welcomed, ISSA is committed in the absence of one to keep supporting the development of the female game at this level.

“Until we (ISSA) get a sponsor, we will continue to assist the girls football competition. We have to take some of the funds we earned from Boys and Girls Champs and the Manning and daCosta Cup football competitions in order for the other sports to be played among the schools,” Small said.

The ISSA boss thanked referees, coaches and ISSA staff who have done “a remarkable job”.

“Without the coaches, who deserve much more monetary rewards, it would not be such a successful season,” Small ended.