SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — Surprise team, Lacovia High will be among those in search of back-to-back victories when the ISSA/Flow daCosta Cup competition resumes on Wednesday with quarter-final round action.

The quartet of St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), Lacovia High, Dinthill Technical, and Vere Technical, emerged as the south central region’s top performing teams in last Wednesday’s opening games to seize the early initiative in their respective groups.

Ben Francis Knockout champions STETHS led the way with 4-2 win over Marcus Garvey Technical at Drax Hall to top Group R on goal difference ahead of Vere Technical, who edged Manning’s School 1-0 in Hayes.

But it was Dinthill and Lacovia who produced the big results of the round.

Linstead – based Dinthill upset defending champions Clarendon College 2-1 at Juici Park in Clarendon to share the lead in Group S with Rusea’s High, who outscored Glenmuir High

3-2 at Jarrett Park, while Lacovia produced some late heroics to stun the high-flying Manchester High 2-1 in Santa Cruz.

Lacovia had trailed 1-0 up to the 84th minute after Romaine Walsh had slotted Manchester into 42nd-minute lead.

But Lacovia, unfancied at the start of the season, were not daunted and nicked a deserved equaliser six minutes from full-time when Brandon Robinson finished off a nicely worked team goal.

The equaliser served as motivation to clinch the winner, which arrived in stoppage time courtesy of Nickoy Blake’s free kick.

Earlier, the Fitzroy Ambursley-conditioned team had crashed a header off the cross-bar and missed a six-yard sitter, Oshane Sharpe sweeping his shot over the top within minutes of each other.

They now sit at the top of Group P with a marginally better goal difference than Paul Bogle High, who edged St James High 1-0 in the group’s other game.

Lacovia High will look to advance their semi-final cause when they travel to Jarrett Park on Wednesday to face St James High. Last-placed Manchester host Paul Bogle in Mandeville as they seek to revive their semi-final hopes. STETHS and Vere Technical High will meet in a top-of-the-table in Santa Cruz, with the winner set to take command of Group R.

In Linstead, last season’s semi-finalists Dinthill will also host western powerhouse Rusea’s in a top-of-the-table clash, which could have direct implications for Clarendon College and Glenmuir, who are scheduled to renew rivalry in the parish derby at Juici Park.

The Clarendon faithful will be praying for a stalemate in St Catherine, while hoping that either of the parish’s standard- bearers can produce a victory in their match-up.

A stalemate in Clarendon would eliminate both CC and Glenmuir from the daCosta Cup, should the Dinthill-Rusea’s game produce a winner.

Another Clarendon school, Lennon High, who are in a four-way tie in Group Q, play away to Seaforth High in Thomas hoping to secure their first win in the quarter-finals after drawing their opener 0-0 with Port Antonio High.

All games are scheduled to begin at 3:00 pm.