MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Defending champions Clarendon College led three former winners and one newcomer into the semi-finals of the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/WATA daCosta Cup football competition after yesterday’s climactic end of the quarter-final round.

Clarendon College and Dinthill Technical, who both maintained perfect win records in the quarter-finals, and Cornwall College returned as semi-finalists from last season, while McGrath High created further school history by completing the top four, despite losing to St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS).

These four, along with Manning’s School, Garvey Maceo High, Frome Technical, and B B Coke, will play in the ISSA Champions Cup, which starts on Friday.

Additionally, Manning’s School, Garvey Maceo High, Frome Technical, and B B Coke will be joined by four more schools in the first round of the Ben Francis KO — Anchovy High, Manchester High, Port Antonio High, and STETHS.

At Jarrett Park, Brandon Curate who got a start because Solano Birch was sitting out the game after getting a red card in Saturday’s loss — scored a hat-trick that included two penalties as Cornwall College beat Maggotty High 3-0 to edge Garvey Maceo High on goal difference to top Group Two after both ended with six points.

Garvey Maceo, who started the day in second place in the group, beat former leaders Manchester High 3-2 at Manchester, as the losers fell to third place on four points.

Manchester High took the lead twice, but each time Garvey Maceo fought back before 14-year-old Cleo Clarke scored the winner.

Wayne Atkinson gave the home team the lead, but Tyreke Henry equalised. Dane Golding restored the lead, but once again Garvey Maceo levelled through Gregory Cousins to set up the heroics by Clarke.

Curate scored in the 45th, 73rd, and 78th minutes, his first goals since the end of the second round.

Clarendon College continued their high-scoring run blasting Anchovy High 7-0 at Juici Field with Sheldon Smart leading the way with a hat-trick to take his tally since the second round to five, with Kaheim Rose, Jaland Larmand, Earl Simpson, and David Chambers all getting on the scoresheet.

After scoring 16 goals in their six first-round games, Clarendon College have exploded for 25 goals in their next five games, while conceding just two in the process.

Karim Bryan scored another brace to lead Dinthill Technical as they beat Frome Technical 2-1 at Frome Sports Ground in their Group Three top of the group clash to keep their perfect record intact in the quarter-finals.

McGrath High were beaten for the first time since they lost to Dinthill Technical at the end of the first round, snapping a four-game run, when they went down to STETHS in Santa Cruz.

In one other game, four red cards were issued as Port Antonio High rallied to beat Petersfield High 4-2 at Carder Park, both team finishing the game with nine players.

Raheem Bryan scored twice for Port Antonio, while Tyrese Shaw and Tyrese Weiss got one each, as Ruel Miller had given Petersfield the lead and a defender got the other goal for the Westmoreland school who lost all three games in the quarter-finals for the second season running.

Yesterday’s results

Group 1

Clarendon College 7, Anchovy 0

Cedric Titus 0, Manning’s 1

Group Two

Cornwall College 3, Maggotty 0

Manchester High 2, Garvey Maceo 3

Group Three

Frome Tech 1, Dinthill Tech 2

Port Antonio 4, Petersfield 2

Group 4

STETHS 2, McGrath High 1

Happy Grove 1, B B Coke 2