Many-time champions St George’s College will be one of nine schools that will kick-start their Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Flow Manning Cup campaign today.

All games are scheduled to begin at 3:30 pm.

The ‘Light Blues’ will be at home against Kingston Technical High School in Group C and could come away with all three points at Winchester Park.

The North Street-based team was dominant in 2011, winning all three titles on offer, and retained all but one the following year. Since then they have failed in their bid to hold the emblem of schoolboy supremacy, and could only take home the Walker Cup last year.

They are, however, favoured to gain a safe passage to the next round and Kingston Technical might just be the first of their preys in the hunt to regain the prestigious title.

The Neville Bell-conditioned outfit signalled their intentions earlier by topping the invitational tournament hosted by the school and is once again expected to be a force to reckon with, as they seek to recapture their glory days.

A 1-2 loss in their final pre-season game against Premier League outfit Boys’ Town will also serve them well, with the likes of attacking midfielder Gregory Messam, Shevon Stewart and Stephan Gilzene among the seasoned players set to lead the charge.

Innswood High will welcome Ardenne High at Chedwin Park, while another St Catherine-based team Eltham High will host an improving Denham Town High in what are expected to be a close contests in the other Group C fixtures.

Hydel High will also be aiming to make a positive start in Group B when they welcome Greater Portmore at the Caymanas field. The Ferry-based team will once again be under the guidance of Geoffrey Maxwell, who called the shots when they made it to the final back in 2012.

The return of the veteran tactician will speak volumes of their chances of going one step further, as they have made steady progress over the years.

The other group fixtures will see Haile Selassie looking to follow up on their historic second-round berth last season when they visit Dunoon Technical at Rockfort Football Club, while Cumberland High will do battle against Papine High.

Meanwhile, Excelsior High, who just missed out on a semi-final spot last season, will be seeking a brisk start when they welcome Ascot High to their Mountain View base in Group F. Jonathan Grant will oppose Norman Manley and Spanish Town prison Oval will be the venue for the Spanish Town versus Vauxhall encounter in the other group games.

— Sherdon Cowan

Today’s schedule

Group B

Hydel vs Greater Portmore @ Caymanas

Dunoon Technical vs Haile Selassie @ Rockfort Football Club

Cumberland vs Papine @ Cumberland

Group C

Innswood vs Ardenne @ Chedwin Park

Eltham vs Denham Town @ Eltham

St George’s College vs Kingston Technical @ Winchester Park, North Street

Group F

Jonathan Grant vs Norman Manley @ Jonathan Grant

Spanish Town vs Vauxhall @ Spanish Town Prison Oval

Excelsior vs Ascot @ Excelsior