In a day designed to test, celebrate and recognise some of the island’s best young players, it was the preparatory schools All-Star teams that got the better of their primary schools All-Star counterparts during the expanded second staging of the All-Star football competition at Constant Spring football field last Sunday.

In the marquee under-14 showdown between the All-Star South and All-Star North teams, the former secured a close victory to round out a day of exciting football action.

All Star Football brings together the best players from the respective prep and primary school football competitions as well as Kingston’s finest from the recent ISSA Under-14 season.

In an effort to give more opportunities to players, organisers this year created second teams for the preparatory and primary school contingents and the Michael-Lee Glenville-coached All-Prep second squad left the venue with bragging rights after their comprehensive 5-0 victory over the All-Primary Second Team.

Antawane Miller of Hydel netted two goals, while Lebron Durrant of Wolmer’s Preparatory, Daniel Blake of Sts Peter and Paul and Dejuan Harley of Emmanuel Christian Academy also got their names on the scoresheet during the one-sided curtain-raiser.

Miller, who also copped the MVP title, said he was happy for the result, but disappointed because he wanted to score a hat-trick.

“I feel great, even though I did not fully execute my game plan. It was also an awesome feeling for me, as this is the first time I have played in the All-Star tournament,” said Miller.

The feature Prep vs Primary showdown was far more competitive but in the end, the technically superior All-Prep First Team secured the sweep with a strong 2-1 victory over the All-Primary First Team.

Cahvanie White (Sts Peter and Paul) latched onto a Jonas Tavares-Finson (Hillel Academy) free kick, which came about after a foul on winger Jace Lowe (Hillel Academy), to give the All-Prep First Team a well-deserved lead early in the first half, an advantage that they would take into the half-time break.

The All-Primary First Team came out of the break with more purpose and was rewarded with a penalty early in the second period, which Damarie Palmer from Balmagie Primary converted beyond the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Nariek Adamson (Liberty Academy) to bring the teams level.

However, that parity would not last for long as Andrew Allen (Lannaman’s Preparatory) scored the winner for the All-Prep First Team.

Tyquon McDougall of Lannaman’s Preparatory took home the MVP trophy for the First Team showdown.

Coach Kemar Edwards said the boys pulled themselves together and performed at their best.

“We just wanted them to have fun and showcase their talent,” Edwards said.

Meanwhile, in the U-14 contest, Kingston College’s Javon Buckridge scored the lone goal in the All-Star South Team’s victory over their All-Star North opponents.

The All-Star South Team consisted of top players from the under-14 level including school teams from Kingston College, St George’s College, Wolmer’s Boys’ School, Excelsior High and Holy Trinity. Their opponents, the All-Star North Team, consisted of players from Jamaica College, Calabar, Hillel Academy, Campion College, St Andrew Technical High School, St Catherine High and Eltham High.

“It was an exiting tournament,” Buckridge said. “Last year the All-Star South Team were champions, and this year we ensured that the coveted trophy stayed with us.”

Wolmer’s Boys’ School’s Jude Davis copped the All-Star South Team Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

“I feel good about my performance,” Davis said. “We did well based on the fact that we were all coming from different schools. We were able to connect well, and showcase our individual talent.”

Coach of the All-Star South Team Haron Martin, who is also the tournament technical director, was also satisfied with the outcome.

“The team played with determination and confidence and this resulted in a great performance from the players,” he said.

“It is an improvement in terms of the turnout and the level of competition. You can see the passion that they played with and the outcomes. Next year we will include rural area teams to diversify the competition on a broader scale,” he said.

Meanwhile, chief executive officer of Project-to-Project Consultancy and main sponsor for the All-Star Football Tournament Leighton Davis said the objective of providing exposure for young players was met.

“We are proud of the performance of the players, and hope that they will continue to do well for their respective clubs and school teams. They performed well during the tournament and we expect that next year, they will surpass expectations,” Davis said.

Other sponsors included MDS Limited, the hydration sponsor through their Splirt brand Blaktie Images, Yardie Sport along with MG Sports, the social media sponsors.