The 2023 Canopy Insurance/Jamaica Independent Schools Association (JISA) Under-12 Alberga Cup finalists, Mona Preparatory and Hillel Academy, were among the heavy hitters on Saturday’s opening round of the new season and will be hunting their second-straight wins as the competition continues today across the country.

Mona, who hammered St Hugh’s 11-0 and last season’s third-place finishers Sts Peter and Paul, who registered a similar scoreline against Our Lady of the Angels Prep, sent early warning shots with Glenmuir’s 9-0 win over Exceed and Emmanuel Christian Academy’s (ECA) 8-0 victory over Portmore Missionary, also raising eyebrows across the league.

Hillel, who at one point lost their early 2-0 advantage over hosts American International School of Kingston (AISK), who had stormed back to end the first half 2-2, were ruthless in the second half, scoring five unanswered goals to end the contest as 7-2 winners, surviving the drama and also ensuring a smooth start to their campaign.

Lannaman’s, who many expect to figure prominently this season after heavy recruiting in 2023, got by Alvernia Prep 2-0 in their opener, while Hydel — another interesting team in this year’s competition, were 3-0 victors over Meadowbrook.

Saturday’s opening day of action also saw wins for St Andrew (2-0 vs Reach Academy); Ardenne (1-0 vs Creative Kids); Stella Maris (4-0 vs Avondale); Mavisville (1-0 vs Bright Beginning); Wolmer’s (2-0 vs Liguanea), and Trafalgar (3-2 vs Praise Tabernacle).

Mona’s coach, Vivian Nelson, welcomed the positive start even though he feels his team still has some improvements to make.

“I’m not sure if we’re ready but the season [already] started so we’ll just play. At 11-nil, they’re just showing that they picked up from where they left off, so it was a good game, the first game; we just want to see where they are after the preseason, so [it] never really looked bad, the playing is okay, but I think as we go along, we expect some improvement,” said Nelson.

Mona will today face Hydel at 2:30 pm at Caymanas in a Zone 4 matchup that pits two projected quarter-finalists against each other in an early jostle for zone honours.

Zone 3 favourites, Sts Peter and Paul, are expected to continue their strong start against Liguanea at 1:00 pm at NWC Mona Field with Lannaman’s, who face Cristel House at 2:30 pm at Maxfield Park and ECA, who tackle Ardenne at Hillel at 1:00 pm, also expected to secure comfortable wins.

Hillel will return to action at home against Mavisville in what should be a straightforward win for them.

Nicholas Locke, a member of Hillel’s coaching staff, was pleased with the team’s opening day win and is looking forward to the rest of the competition.

“It was our first game [against AISK] and we just wanted to see how the team would play real in a competitive fixture, and they did well. Apart from a few mistakes, we got back in our game in the second half and scored some goals … All in all, we have more work to do because I’m quite sure there are better teams out there to play; we’re looking forward to that. We need the challenge to ensure our team is ready,” said Locke.

Across the 17 matches played over the weekend, there was a strong showing of family support for the youngsters, echoing the support for strong family values.

Oliver Townsend, CEO Canopy Insurance, was pleased with the turnout at the games.

“It’s always good to see the support that our youth receive in these games. To know that we’re investing in our future sports stars is really an incredible feeling, and for that Canopy is proud to be this year’s title sponsor. The teams have put in some hard work, and we look forward to the season,” said Townsend.

Monday’s Games:

Zone 1

Lannaman’s vs Cristel House – 2:30 pm at Maxfield Park

Ardenne vs ECA – 1:00 pm at Hillel

Alvernia vs Obistan – 1:00 pm at Caymanas

Creative Kids vs Vaz – 2:30 pm at NWC Mona

Zone 2

AISK vs Avondale – 2:30 pm at AISK

Richmond Park vs Stella Maris – 1:00 pm at Maxfield Park

Hillel vs Mavisville – 2:30 pm at Hillel

Bright Beginning vs Liberty – 1:00 pm at AISK

Zone 3

OLA vs St Theresa – 2:30 pm at OLA

The Queen’s vs St John the Baptist – 1:00 pm at OLA

Liguanea vs Sts Peter and Paul – 1:00 pm at NWC Mona

Wolmer’s vs Morris Knibb – 2:30 pm at Wolmer’s

Zone 4

Meadowbrook vs Trafalgar – 2:30 pm at Meadowbrook

Hydel vs Mona – 2:30 pm at Caymanas

Praise Tab vs Reach – 1:00 pm at Meadowbrook

St Hugh’s vs St Andrew – 2:30 pm at St Andrew

Zone 5

Exceed vs Belair – 2:30 pm at Exceed

South Starz vs Glenmuir – 2:30 pm at South Starz

Nugent Walker (foreground) from Hillel Academy gets control of the ball while Joshua Campbell (right) from American International School of Kingston (AISK) keeps a close watch during a JISA Alberga Cup National Under-12 football competition at AISK on Saturday, October 12, 2024. Hillel won the match 7-2. Lingmin Li

Gregory Jones, head coach of Emmanuel Christian Academy.