Every so often, the script is written for the student who grasped as much from the teacher to, at some point, defeat the mentor and conquer the world.

Alex Thomas is that student who was at one point coached by Eugene Williams at Arnett Gardens. Both were at different times the cornerstone of the Arnett Gardens backline. Thomas also followed in Williams’ footsteps to eventually become head coach of the ‘Junglists’.

But on Saturday, the men came face-to-face in a schoolboy football battle, Williams at the helm of his alma mater Charlie Smith – who he captained to the 1986 final – and Thomas at the helm of Hydel High.

They have shared so much in common through their football philosophies and are good friends from the nearby communities of Arnett Gardens and Torrington Park, just a stone’s throw away.

On Saturday, they were on the sidelines, bellowing instructions to their players for over 90 minutes, trying to outwit the other.

However, in this case, against the fairytale script, the teacher still held the upper hand as Williams’ Charlie Smith came from behind to beat Hydel 2-1 in their Zone A quarterfinal.

Williams quickly downplayed the notion that Thomas could have known his tactics, being so close to each other.

“Big respect to Alex, I love Alex like my little brother. I coached Alex and I am glad to see what he is doing,” Williams said. “But you can’t think like that. Remember, whoever comes in front of you, you have to prepare for them and on the given day, you have to turn up.”

Thomas, who gained valuable coaching experience in Guyana, has made a return to school football for the first time since 2019.

“My coaching partner, a good friend of mine, it was good to see both of us on the sidelines doing great jobs and giving back the knowledge from what we have done before in our playing days,” said Thomas, who was a standout schoolboy footballer with Wolmer’s Boys in the late 1990s.

“Congrats to Eugene and his coaching staff and we have to go back to the drawing board,” said Thomas.

But a crucial point that Williams made was that his boys were hungrier than the players from Hydel. Thomas agreed while suggesting that his charges didn’t display the mental fortitude normally associated with players from the inner-city.

Both Williams and Thomas are hunting their first Manning Cup title having been integral in many successful Arnett Gardens’ teams throughout their playing and coaching stints in the Jungle.

Charlie Smith’s last taste of success in the Manning Cup was some 30 years ago in 1995, while Hydel High have never won the Cup but have come close, losing the 2023 final to Mona High.