Clarendon College will start their quest for a third-straight ISSA/WATA daCosta Cup title when they take on Denbigh High in the opening game at the Montego Bay Sports Complex today at 4:30 pm.

Clarendon College have won four of the last five title and despite losing a number of players from last year’s team that dominated, losing just once, in the final of the ISSA Ben Francis Cup, will be expected to be one of the top schools at the end of the season.

The opening Manning Cup game between defending champions Mona High and Waterford High will kick off the triple-header while Cornwall College and Herbert Morrison will meet in the third game at 7 pm.

Fifteen daCosta Cup games will be played today, including ISSA Ben Francis Cup champions Glenmuir High against Kemps Hill High in a Group I game, while last year’s semi-finalists Garvey Maceo High takes on returning Winston Jones High in the same group.

Three schools have withdrawn from the competition, Ewarton High and Enid Bennett High (Bog Walk High) and Fair Prospect High from Group L.

Clarendon College has lost once in the first round in the last three seasons, drawing twice in the process and are once again expected to reload and dominate their group.

Clarendon College have not lost to Denbigh High and both teams will meet in the first round for the first time since the 2021 season.

With the exception of the 2021 season, the restart after the COVID-19 pandemic, Cornwall College and Herbert Morrison will meet in the first round for the first time since the 2009 season and their cross-town rivalry could restart.

ISSA daCosta Cup games today

Group A

Cornwall College vs Herbert Morrison – Catherine Hall 7:00 pm

Group F

Manchester High vs Cross Keys – Manchester High 3:30 pm

Group G

Christiana High vs Troy High – Christiana

Alphansus Davis High vs Knox College

Bellefield High vs Mile Gully High

Alston High vs Holmwood Technical

Group H

Clarendon College vs Denbigh High – Catherine Hall 4:30 pm

Group I

Porus High vs Vere Tech – Porus Community Centre

Old Harbour High vs Foga Road High – Port Esquivel

Glenmuir High vs Kemps Hill – Glenmuir

Garvey Maceo High vs Winston Jones High – Garvey Maceo

Group L

Paul Bogle High vs Yallahs High

St Thomas Tech vs Happy Grove High

Robert Lightbourne High vs Seaforth High

Group M

Port Antonio High vs St Mary Tech

Romario Thompson (left) goes high in the air to reach a ball from Ramone Francis of Glenmuir High during the ISSA/WATA daCosta Cup Final at the National Stadium on Saturday, December 9, 2023. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

Cornwall College’s Braxton Richards (right) gets by Black River High’s Jadon Plummer (partly hidden) in their ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup return-leg second-round game at Jarett Park last season as Black River High’s Paul Dockery (left) looks on. Cornwall College lost the game 1-0 but advanced 3-2 on aggregate to the Round of 16.