Jamaica College (JC) will be looking to extend their record to 27 Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Digicel Manning Cup titles, while St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) seek their second lien as the teams clash inside National Stadium at 5:00 pm today to decide the top urban area football team.

JC, despite their dominance in the Manning Cup, winning five-straight titles from 2013 to 2017 and seven in the last 12 years, will start slight underdogs against a marauding STATHS team that defeated them 2-1 during the quarter-final round.

JC, one of the oldest schools in Jamaica, was established in 1789. They won the first Manning Cup in 1914 and are the most successful school with 26 titles.

St Andrew Technical, on the other hand, was formed in 1961. They claimed their one and only title in 1987, and will be hoping to end a 32-year drought.

Coincidentally, Kingston College (KC) ended a 32-year wait of their own last year, winning their first Manning Cup title since 1986.

But that’s not how things work and the game will be won on the field.

STATHS have been quite good, running through the quarter-final matchups with victories over Excelsior High (4-0), St George’s College (3-1) and JC. They then outlasted Wolmer’s Boys’ in penalty kicks en route to the final.

JC have not been impressive all season, and miraculously made it to the semi-finals on goal difference after failing to win a single game in the quarter-final round. But they stepped up when it mattered most and defeated KC on penalties in the semi-finals to book their spot.

As the old adage goes, “you have to be in it to win it”, and JC, in some peoples’ book, are favourites to do just that.

The Davion Ferguson-coached JC will be looking towards Phillon Lawrence, Shaniel Thomas, Alvarez Cooper, Oquassa Chong, Tyrese Small, Tajay Grant, Richard Thompson, Shadane Lopez, Omar Thompson, and Nickaye Murray for victory.

“As a coach I never enter a game with the mindset that I am going to lose a game and I am never ever taking JC to a final and wear that tag of underdogs,” said Ferguson.

“We would have faced each other a few weeks ago and we were on the wrong side of a result. But what I want to say is this game is a totally different game, this is a final and the motivation in the squad is high,” he pointed out.

“This game will be totally different as they had already qualified, safe and there was no pressure. They have the pressure now of not winning for 30-odd years on them. We have pressure on wanting to regain our championship, so I believe it is a matter of who is able to deal with that pressure best,” Ferguson explained.

“It was one of the objectives at the start of the season that we wanted to reach the Manning Cup final and it is an exciting feeling to know that you set an objective and you are on course to meeting such objective,” said Ferguson.

STATHS, who lost to JC in the 2017 final, will be seeking revenge. It would also quench their thirst for victory, having shown consistency in the last four years.

Coached by Phillip Williams, STATHS will be depending on the likes of Ricardo Laing, Sekani Campbell, Noel Walker, Mikel Riley, Romario Campbell, Shemar Daley, Warner Brown, Rusean McFarquhar, Steve McQueen, Damany Creary and Marc Chambers.

“We are mentally ready and the mind game being played has no effect on us — about JC knowing how to win, [and] not losing to the same school twice,” Williams told the Jamaica Observer.

“We know they are a good team, but these are the challenges that we embrace to see the progress of our young programme,” he noted.

“We have played some good matches to be in the final and we are definitely looking forward to express ourselves tomorrow in our own unique way of playing, and hopefully, in the end we will be crowned champions,” Williams added.

The stage is set for an epic battle between two evenly-matched teams, with STATHS certainly holding the psychological advantage, but JC have proven to be a big team on the day, hence an exciting, enthralling encounter is in the making.

Manning Cup winners

1914 Jamaica College

1915 Jamaica College

1916 Jamaica College

1917 Jamaica College

1918 Jamaica College

1919 Jamaica College

1920 St George’s College

1921 Jamaica College

1922 Jamaica College

1923 Wolmer’s Boys’

1924 Wolmer’s Boys’

1925 Wolmer’s Boys’

1926 Wolmer’s Boys’

1927 St George’s College

1928 St George’s College

1929 St George’s College

1930 Wolmer’s Boys’

1931 Wolmer’s Boys’

1932 St George’s College

1933 Jamaica College

1934 Jamaica College

1935 St George’s College

1936 St George’s College

1937 St George’s College

1938 Wolmer’s Boys’

1939 Wolmer’s Boys’

1940 Jamaica College

1941 Jamaica College

1942 Jamaica College

1943 Calabar

1944 No competition

1945 St George’s College

1946 Jamaica College

1947 St George’s College

1948 St George’s College

1949 Kingston College

1950 Kingston College

1951 Kingston College

1952 Kingston College

1953 Excelsior

1954 No competition

1955 St George’s College

1956 St George’s College

1957 Kingston College

1958 Kingston College

1959 St George’s College

1960 No competition

1961 Jamaica College

1962 Jamaica College

1963 Jamaica College

1964 Kingston College

1965 Kingston College

1966 No competition

1967 Kingston College

1968 Jamaica College

1969 Excelsior

1970 Kingston College

1971 Wolmer’s Boys’

1972 No competition

1973 No competition

1974 Jamaica College

1975 Kingston College

1976 Tivoli Gardens

1977 Calabar

1978 Camperdown

1979 Camperdown

1980 Excelsior

1981 Kingston College

1982 Camperdown

1983 St George’s College

1984 St George’s College

1985 Kingston College

1986 Kingston College

1987 St Andrew Technical

1988 Charlie Smith

1989 Excelsior

1990 Charlie Smith

1991 Ardenne

1992 St George’s College

1993 Excelsior

1994 Wolmer’s Boys’

1995 Charlie Smith

1996 Norman Manley

1997 No competition

1998 Dunoon Technical

1999 Tivoli Gardens

2000 Norman Manley

2001 Bridgeport

2002 Norman Manley

2003 Excelsior

2004 Excelsior

2005 Calabar

2006 Bridgeport

2007 Jamaica College

2008 St George’s College

2009 St George’s College

2010 Jamaica College

2011 St George’s College

2012 St George’s College

2013 Jamaica College

2014 Jamaica College

2015 Jamaica College

2016 Jamaica College

2017 Jamaica College

2018 Kingston College

2019 ?