DENHAM Town High School walked away with the majority of the trophies at the 2016 Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Schoolgirls’ football competition awards ceremony held at the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Offices last Friday.

The Denham Town aggregation lost only one game for the season from 15 starts, scoring 63 goals and winning a total of eight trophies to outshine their opponents.

Based in West Kingston, Denham Town were the most attacking team, most disciplined team, only receiving one yellow card for the season, most improved school, winning Zone ‘E’ in the preliminary rounds and finishing third overall in the league.

The other awards won by Denham Town were the leading goalscorer by Tiana Wilson, most promising junior player going to 14-year-old Suen Gregory, and the most valuable player overall throughout the competition won by Tiana Wilson.

Lennon High, winners of the schoolgirls’ league won six awards. They were winners of Zone ‘C’ in the preliminary rounds, most defensive team by conceding only one goal, had the best defender in Peter Gaye Green, most valuable player (MVB) in the final in Murecka Howard, coach of the year Dane Chambers.

Excelsior High, which lost in the league final to Lennon, walked away with three awards — the best goalkeeper in the competition Tiana Schroeter, winning Zone ‘F’ in the preliminary rounds, and finishing second in the overall league placing,

Wilson said after receiving her two awards that she was feeling very happy, as this was the first time she has won those prestigious titles.

“My aim is to represent Jamaica at football in the future when I leave school, as next year will be my last season with the school,” the 18-year-old Wilson said.

“I am also proud of myself as I have scored the most goals in the competition, 25 goals from 13 matches playing forward. My only hat-trick scored for the season was against St Jago in the third place play-off which Denham Town won 4-1,” she added.

Meanwhile, Denham Town’s coach, Kimathi-Nkrumah Makonnen, who was having his first season with the West Kingston-based school, said: “It is a great achievement and feeling to have won most of the awards.

“Despite not winning the competition, the girls have really done well finishing third overall despite sometimes trouble in the constituency. They were disciplined and came to their training regularly,” said the Denham Town coach, who was also coaching a girls’ team for the first time.

Makonnen said he would be looking forward in winning the competition next year, providing he does not have too many players who will be graduating from school this year.

“We should be one of the fancied schools next season as no one had expected that Denham Town would have done so well, and they will all now be watching us.”

Meanwhile, Dr Winston Small, president of ISSA, said he was proud of the way the girls conducted themselves in a very disciplined manner throughout the competition.

“I congratulate all the schools who participated in the competition as you are all winners as a result of the principals who went the extra mile to come up with teams,” Dr Small said.

The ISSA president also thanked coaches and managers of the schools for the hard work they have put in for girls to make it a success and made it possible.

He thanked the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) for the guidance and directions to all of its football programmes, and also the referees who have all done a good job throughout the season.

Raymond Grant, general secretary of the JFF, brought greetings on behalf of the local governing body and congratulated ISSA’s development of football, especially at the youth level.

“JFF recognises the participation at the schools’ level for girls despite it not being as strong as the boys’ level. It is the commitment of the JFF and FIFA to develop the growth of the sport, especially at the female level.”

Grant congratulated schools having players selected on the Jamaica National Under-15 team who will be representing the country in an international tournament shortly in Orlando, Florida, in the United States of America (USA).

“You all should make good use of these opportunities which also have overseas scholarships that you can earn in football, while still doing your academics in schools,” Grant said.