When Jeremy Miller took over as head coach of Calabar High in June, he said he would restore pride, glory, and ambition to the storied institution’s football programme after decades of lull and underachievement.

The vibrant coach instantly made his mark, propelling Calabar into the quarter-finals of the Manning Cup for the first time in over a decade.

But it should not be a surprise that he immediately has success, as he was the last person to lead Calabar to any football title, winning the Under-16 crown in 2019.

“What we have managed to achieve thus far is definitely something of great significance,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“Especially seeing that after having many good teams and talent at our disposal the past couple years, Calabar has been unable to make it past the round of 16 for the better part of about a decade. So kudos must go out to the boys and support staff for the relentless work that has been put in, to date, to enable our progression to the quarter-final round,” he pointed out.

Calabar, formed in 1912, have won the Manning Cup three times in 1943, 1977, and 2005, not enough for a school that is rich in tradition in sports.

The wait is unbearable, but Miller, the son of clergyman Reverend Al Miller, known as the Reggae Boyz pastor on that historic 1998 World Cup qualification journey, is delivering on his promise.

Calabar held off Kingston College in a tense 2-2 draw and advanced to the last eight of the competition, finishing as Group 2 winners with five points. Hydel High was second also on five points, with ousted champions Kingston College finishing third.

Miller will now lead Calabar into battle, having been placed in Zone B alongside Eltham High, St Andrew Technical, and Vauxhall High.

“Calabar is a very proud and storied institution who expect to be at the forefront in whatever discipline that is undertaken — The Utmost for the Highest,” said Miller, a past student of Wolmer’s Boys’.

“So, entering the season, the quarter-final was the minimum bar we set for ourselves to achieve and the first step to re-establish Calabar as perennial contenders and a force to be reckoned with,” he added.

“So with our entertaining style of play combined with grit, determination, and our ‘never say die’ resolve.

“I definitely think the entire Calabar family is walking with their heads that much higher today simply because it was our fierce North Street rivals we overcame to get to this point, with the added pleasure of being the ones to eliminate the defending champions and what was considered to be the preseason favourites from the competition,” said Miller.

“Hopefully, the Calabar family can now be confident that the new direction that the programme is heading in will yield the desired results,” he added.

Calabar will kick off the quarter-final round against Vauxhall High, a school that is competing at this level for the first time in its history.