John Mills crush Calabar 9-1 to lift crown
FORMER many-time champions John Mills registered an emphatic 9-1 win over Calabar to capture the 2016 Kingston and St Andrew Junior High School football title at the National Heroes’ Circle football field on Wednesday.
John Mills, unbeaten all season, were gaining their 19th hold on the coveted trophy they had won for 18 consecutive years. They also won the knockout competition on five occasions.
Maverley were the previous holder when they defeated Calabar in the final last year.
Winning coach, Ransford Spaulding applauded the players for a sterling effort.
“The players really sent a strong message to Calabar by handing them a heavy defeat in this year’s final. The players shocked me as I had expected a 4-1 win, but they played above my expectation by producing the right chemistry and well-calculated passes that destroyed our opponents from the outset,” he said.
In their dominant display, John Mills went into a 1-0 lead from a sixth-minute goal by Hashane Samuels. The second goal for the winners came a few minutes later through Romaine McKenzie, while Ronaldo Lindsay made it 3-0 shortly after before Onaldi Barnett added the fourth and fifth goals minutes before the interval, to end the first half with a commanding 5-0 lead.
Tishawn Lawson extended John Mills’ lead to 6-0 when he scored minutes into the second half, with McKenzie scoring his second from the penalty spot to increase the tally to 7-0.
John Mills continued the rampaged with an own goal deflected to make it 8-0, while substitute Romaine Newby completed the drubbing by scoring goal number nine.
Calabar managed to score a consolation goal through substitute Naseem Clarke who dribbled his way through the John Mills defence, then beat the goalkeeper.
Meanwhile, John Mills leading scorer in the competition Narcardo Blackwood, with nine goals was named the Most Valuable Player, Zahier Martin the Best Goalkeeper and Aldair Tate Best Defender.
In the third-place play-off, goals from Jevaughn Harris and Craig Brown carried Cockburn Gardens to a 2-0 win over Constant Spring.
— Gerald Reid
