Semi-finalists confirmed in Sandals U-17 football
GREEN POND, St James — The St James Football Association/Sandals Resorts International Under-17 semi-finalists were confirmed on Saturday, with the top three teams all scoring victories.
Irwin Academy blanked Green Pond High 2-0 in the second game at Green Pond as both teams progressed. They were joined by second-place Athletes in Action (AIA), who edged Granville United 1-0, and St James High who were 5-0 winners over Montego Bay Boys Club.
Irwin Academy topped the tables with 18 points, one more than AIA, followed by St James High on 16 points and Green Pond High on 10 points.
Rajae Parnell and Jaleel Drummond both scored in the first half for Irwin Academy in their win as they ended the regular season with the best defensive record, conceding only three goals.
A Raheem Lee free kick in the 16th minute was the difference between AIA and Granville United, who ended the game with eight players after three players — Kevin Hawthorne, Javaughn Anglin and Javel Allen — were shown red cards late in the game and got sent off in the 75th minute for violent conduct.
St James High were the most prolific team in the competition, ending the first round with 20 goals after scoring five on Saturday. Jaleel Barnett led the way with a double to join Irwin Academy’s Detroy Reid on eight goals each.
Keanu Gram started the scoring for St James High when he found the net in the sixth minute, while Alex Arnold doubled the advantage two minutes later. Barnett got his two in the 50th and 65th minutes while an own goal in the 70th minute made the score 5-0.