CHAPELTON, Clarendon — FOUR former champions will kick off their quest to win the ISSA Ben Francis Cup in today’s quarter-finals, which will begin a hectic run of three games in five days.

Clarendon College and Garvey Maceo High, who will meet in a Clarendon derby at Clarendon College in Chapelton; Cornwall College, who host Manchester High in Montego Bay; and McGrath High, who will host Ocho Rios High at the Ewarton Sports Complex, will hope to add to their title tally.

Christiana High and Manning’s School, who will meet at Manchester High, will also be eyeing their first hold on a senior schoolboy football title.

Today’s winners will return to action during Thursday’s semi-finals with the final set for Saturday. The Ben Francis final will serve as the curtain-raiser for the daCosta Cup final, with both games being played at the National Stadium.

Manchester High and Ocho Rios High earned their places in the quarter-finals after first-round wins over William Knibb Memorial and Old Harbour High, respectively, last week. Garvey Maceo High and Manning’s School, meanwhile, got byes after Maldon High and Maggotty High withdrew.

Cornwall College, Clarendon College, Christiana High and McGrath High joined the competition after they failed to get past the quarter-final stages of the daCosta Cup that ended on Saturday.

The Ben Francis Cup could provide redemption for a number of schools that were expected to challenge for the daCosta Cup.

After failing to defend their daCosta Cup title Garvey Maceo High, who failed to get past the round of 16, being edged by Clarendon College on goal difference, will seek revenge.

The teams had played out a 0-0 draw iduring their meeting on October 22 — the final set of games before the break for the passage of Hurricane Melissa — but today’s game must produce a winner.

Clarendon College, a finalist in the Ben Francis Cup last season, go into the game on the back of a loss to Christiana High, earning just a point and losing two games in the quarter-final.

Meanwhile, Cornwall College just missed out on a place in the top four in the daCosta Cup, holding Glenmuir High to a 1-1 draw, and will now take on a Manchester High team that has their eyes on a first title after coming off a 5-0 win over William Knibb Memorial.

Hector Wright, the first-year coach at Cornwall College, says this competition will give him a shot at his first schoolboy football title, and while the team was disappointed they did not get past the quarter-finals in the “dCup”, he says they will be ready for the clash.

“Yes we were disappointed not to advance in the daCosta Cup but the Ben Francis Cup is there for us and we want to win. We met with the players right after the game on Saturday and they don’t think the season is over,” Wright told the Jamaica Observer on Monday.

The turning point, he said, was the 3-1 loss to Kemps Hill High, a team they had beaten in the round of 32.

“That is football, you have to work for everything. Against Kemps Hill we were not there mentally — and that was unlike this team — so we will regroup.”

Both teams will be without a top player as Manchester High will not have top scorer Jevohntae Gordon and Cornwall College will be without Shakeem Gibson, after both were sent off in their last games.

Carlondo Morris is Cornwall College’s top scorer with 33 goals and he is expected to be joined by Nickane Brown and Ameche Robinson.

Shamone Reynolds picked up the reigns for Manchester High after Gordon was sent off, scoring a double, and he will get support from Orane Wright and Daniel Bartley.

McGrath High will be seeking a second Ben Francis Cup title in three seasons, and could play in a final for a third-straight season, but must end their four-game run without scoring a goal.

McGrath High scored 37 goals in 13 games, from the first round to the second game in the round of 16, but failed to add to that number in their next four outings.

Ocho Rios High’s high scoring rate has also cooled off, scoring four goals in their last four games including three games in the daCosta Cup Round of 16 after they scored 13 goals in the round of 32 — seven in their game against Petersfield High and 55 in their 10 first-round games.

Christiana High and Manning’s are meeting for the second time after playing out a 1-1 draw in the round of 32, and Manning’s Coach Patrick Graham thinks they are ready to move on from their disappointing end to the daCosta Cup.

“We are focused on the Ben Francis Cup. It’s a great opportunity for us to bounce back and get a trophy. The mood in the camp is positive, we’ve learned from our mistakes, and we’re ready to move forward,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Manning’s School was badly damaged by the hurricane, which affected their preparation at the restart, but Graham says that is now behind them.

“We’ve been working hard to improve our game and we’re ready for the challenge ahead. I believe once we apply ourselves we will come out on top. It’s about moving forward and doing our best. We’ll go out there and give it our all — and if we play to our potential we can come out on top,” Graham said.

Games today:

Clarendon College vs Garvey Maceo at Clarendon College

McGrath High vs Ocho Rios at Ewarton Sports Complex

Cornwall College vs Manchester High at Cornwall College

Christiana High vs Manning’s School at Manchester High