EXCELSIOR High defeated Jamaica College (JC) 2-0 to win the ISSA Wata Manning Cup at the National Stadium on Friday.

Kimarley Scott netted the opener in the 57th minute and, as he has done all season, the outstanding Shamarie Chambers served up a long throw that was bundled in by Kivann Salmon in the 90+6 minute to put the icing on the cake for Excelsior to secure their eighth lien on the coveted Manning Cup — its first since 2004.

In life and in sport people can live by a philosophy or die by it. The well-coached JC juggernaut insisted on playing out from the back, and it cost them dearly as the ball was nicked from their central midfielder and Scott made no mistake from just inside the box for the first goal.

The victory ended Excelsior’s 21-year Manning Cup drought.

It was a particularly welcoming win for an Excelsior team that lost the Walker Cup and the under-16 finals last year.

It was heartbreak for Jamaica College who were losing their first and only game of the season. They had defeated Excelsior 2-1 in the quarter-final round earlier this month.

But from that game it was evident that Excelsior were the only team that could match JC — and they proved it on Friday.

It was a tight and conservative start by both teams as they tried not to make any early mistake, fighting for every possession and seeking the upper hand.

JC’s Jamone Lyles had the first shot of the game in the 10th minute, firing just over after beating two opposing players.

Both teams tried to capitalise on corner kicks, and it was from a JC corner that Excelsior caught them on the counter-attack in the 16th minute as Kimarly Scott got his first glimpse of goal for Excelsior but dragged his effort wide.

In the 19th minute JC came closest as Duwayne Burgher fired over from close range.

Excelsior used the long ball to great effect, capitalising on the speed and skill of the diminutive Scott who was a constant danger to the JC backline.

At the other end, Jamaica College were intent on sticking to their playing mantra. Both teams stuck to the game plan, making it an enthralling contest.

It was a cat and mouse game between two high-quality teams, guided by Raymond Watson of JC and Keon Boderick of Excelsior.

Burgher whistled a free kick inches high from outside the box in the 26th minute in what was really an evenly matched game.

Jamaica College’s Dontae Logan (left) and Excelsior High’s Shaquan Whyte fight for the ball during the ISSA Manning Cup final match at the National Stadium on Friday. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

JC went close again in the 30th minute but Howell couldn’t turn in Malique Bucknor’s cross, even with the empty goal at his mercy.

Meanwhile, the long throws from Shamarie Chambers were a constant menace for the JC defenders.

The half ended 0-0 but it was riveting, intense, truly depicting a final of high quality.

Then the contest turned in favour of Excelsior.

JC, hell-bent on playing out from the back, lost the ball deep in their defensive third, and the man every Excelsior fan wanted to be on the end of it, Scott, made no mistake, burying his effort into the goal.

It was his 20th goal of the season, putting him three behind the urban area schoolboy football top marksman Sean Leighton of Mona High.

The onus was on JC to come from behind as Excelsior withdrew into a defensive formation to secure that precious, one-nil advantage.

With more space and time on the ball, JC threw everything in the kitchen at Excelsior, including the sink, in search of that equalising goal that would have kept their season alive.

But Excelsior dug deep, held their nerve, and managed to scramble a late goal to seal the Manning Cup and cap off a brilliant season.