Hydel High pulled off a brilliant showing to win their second Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/GraceKennedy Girls’ Athletics Championships in three years as they amassed 277 points to dethrone Edwin Allen High yesterday after five gruelling days of competition in the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs) at the National Stadium.

Coming into Champs, not many gave the Ferry, St Catherine-based school a chance of dethroning what was a deep Edwin Allen High squad that was going after an 11th title.

Not even Hydel’s mastermind of a coach, Corey Bennett, was giving his team a ringing endorsement, telling the Jamaica Observer on Monday it would take a lot, but warned that “it will not be a clean Champs”. By that he meant there would be mistakes and points dropped, but it was Edwin Allen who made the most mistakes.

Hydel High took the lead on Thursday night and did not let go, and even when Edwin Allen drew to within three points after the 800m finals on Saturday, they dug deep to rally and the victory in the championships-ending 4x400m Open relay became a victory lap to crown a glorious week of competition in the world’s biggest high school track and field competition.

Bennett now adds his second Girls’ Champs title to the ISSA/Digicel Walker Cup football title he won with Hydel in 2018. He also coached Calabar High to a runner-up finish in the Boys’ Champs this year.

One of Edwin Allen’s huge mishaps came in the Heptathlon in which Ishna James was leading but fell in the 800m and was unable to complete the event.

On the track on Saturday, Hydel’s Jody-Ann Daley won two gold medals in less than two hours, the Class One Girls’ 100m hurdles and the 200m in which she upset 100m champion Sabrina Dockery of Lacovia High.

Daley, who was ranked number one coming into the championships, improved her season’s best time in the hurdles (13.40 seconds (-1.3m/s)) to hold off Holmwood Technical’s Kiara Meikle, who repeated her silver medal from last year, while Edwin Allen’s Santae Wilson was third in 13.74 seconds.

Wolmer’s Girls’ took the gold and silver medals in the Class Two 100m final as Tiana Marshall won with 13.71 seconds (-2.5m/s) ahead of Akeelah Bell (13.95 seconds), with Rajana Price of Convent of Mercy Academy “Alpha” third in 14.04 seconds. Medal favourite Malaya Duncan of St Jago High was disqualified for a false start.

Edwin Allen High’s Tashana Godfrey came from behind over the last two hurdles to win the Class Three 80m hurdles in 11.26 seconds (-3.7m/s), coming from a slow start to beat Martina Parkes of St Jago High (11.31), and Wolmer’s’s Jadea Harris (11.55) took third.

St Jago High’s Shanice Williams won the Class Four 70m hurdles when she ran 10.60 seconds (-1.8m/). Wolmer’s Girls’ Odainna Creary was second in 10.75 seconds, and Ramona Foster of St Elizabeth Technical was third in 10.97 seconds.

Three 100m champions completed sprint doubles, but it was Daley who stood out as she denied Dockery the double, streaking to a fine 23.53 seconds (-2.3m/s) to take the gold.

Dockery, the 100m winner on Wednesday, who only got into the final after her disqualification in the semi-finals was overturned after a protest, was second in 23.63 seconds, while Shemonique Hazle of Hydel took the bronze in 24.01 seconds.

Douglas defended her title, running 23.30 seconds (-2.6m/s), while Natrece East of Wolmer’s, who was second in the 100m, took a second silver in 24.05 seconds, while Sashana Johnson of Hydel, who was second in the 400m, took the bronze in 24.07 seconds.

Hydel brings the curtains down on Girls Champs with a win in the Girls’ 4x400m relay open final. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)