CATHERINE HALL, St James — Calabar High shocked newly crowned ISSA/FLOW Ben Francis Knockout champions Clarendon College 4-3 at the Montego Bay Sports Complex yesterday as the fourth staging of the FLOW Super Cup got under way in blazing fashion despite the first half being played in heavy rain.

Although coming off a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Jamaica College in the semi-finals of the Walker Cup at the National Stadium a week earlier, Calabar High, in their first-ever game in the FLOW Super Cup, turned the tables on Clarendon College to became the first semi-finalists in the lucrative competition.

The last time Clarendon College gave up four goals in a game was in the semi-finals of the FLOW Super Cup last year when they lost 4-2 to Cornwall College at Sabina Park.

Yesterday, two goals from Collin Anderson in the second half and one each from Khalfani Brown and Orane Ferguson carried the Lijaysu Simms-coached Calabar High to their historic win and ended Clarendon College’s win streak at 19 games in all competitions.

Ricardo McIntosh, Nicque Daley and late second-half substitute Anthonio Reid were the scorers for Clarendon College.

Despite pulling off the near-improbable feat of beating the team some are dubbing the best in schoolboy football this season, Simms told the Jamaica Observer he was not surprised by what his players achieved.

“I am the one who sees them on the training field every day and I know what they are capable of doing,” Simms said. “I know what we had to do, and we watched them on Saturday (beating STETHS in the semi-finals of the Ben Francis KO). They played 110 minutes and another 110 minutes on Wednesday (vs Dinthill Technical in the Ben Francis KO finals) and I just told my players to be patient and let the game come to them.”

Simms said at half time, with the game tied at 1-1, he told the players that Clarendon College would use the flanks and try to get behind them and asked his team to be aware of that tactic. It paid off.

Lenworth Hyde, the Clarendon College technical director, said their exertions in the two previous games might have caught up to them, though they had their chances to score and did not capitalise.

“We made mistakes at the back and paid for it, giving up some goals, but then we did not score our chances,” he said. “We will give them some rest now and focus all our attention on the daCosta Cup.”

The game started in a heavy downpour that drove spectators for cover. Calabar was first out of the blocks with Brown giving his team the lead almost without a Clarendon College player touching the ball and beating goalkeeper Benjamin Williams before the first minute had elapsed.

Clarendon College did not panic and took over the game, forcing Calabar back into their own half. McIntosh, who had missed the Ben Francis KO final, got the equaliser in the 14th minute after the defence had failed to clear the ball and he powered it past goalkeeper Deandre McCoy from just inside the 18-yard box.

Calabar were lucky not to go behind in the 23rd minute when McCoy allowed Lamar Walker’s curling shot from the right wing to pass him, but the ball hit the inside of the far post and bounced kindly for the custodian to accept.

Daley dribbled past McCoy in the 27th minute but instead of shooting at the goal, he waited too long and was hustled off the ball just on the edge of the six-yard box.

Clarendon College kept going at the Calabar team and just missed going ahead in the 36th minute when Daley’s header came back off the crossbar. A minute before the end of the half, McCoy blocked Walker before the diminutive midfielder could get off a shot.

Clarendon College eventually took the lead five minutes into the second half when the irrepressible Daley bullied his way through the defence and powered home from close range as the ball came off McCoy.

Calabar High then found their rhythm and went at the Clarendon College defence and were rewarded with three goals in an 11-minute span, as, after they forced Williams into a diving save in the 55th minute, Anderson pulled them level at 2-2 in the 58th minute when he got behind the defence and slotted home a ball that was swung in from the right wing.

Another mistake by McCoy could have caused Calabar a goal in the 63rd minute when he dived over a low hard shot from Daley, but he was lucky to see the ball go out for a corner.

Calabar hit back almost directly from the corner as Ferguson got by the Clarendon College defence and gave Williams no chance as they restored the lead.

It looked to be all over for the green-and-black clad team in the 69th minute when Anderson got his second and gave his team a two-goal lead, beating Williams from close range as the Clarendon College defence broke down once again.

Reid, who replaced Sanjay Williams in the 86th minute, pulled Clarendon College to within a goal when he powered his way between two Calabar defenders and drove the ball into the roof of the goal in the 87th minute.

That was as close as they would get, however, as Calabar held on for the win.

In the late kick-off between St Elizabeth Technical High School and St Andrew Technical High School, the former won 4-3 on penalties after playing to a 1-1 result at the end of regulation time. No extra time was employed.