CORNWALL College and Manchester High have made strong starts in the ISSA Burger King Under-14 and Mighty Malt Under-16 competitions, winning at least three games each across the two tournaments recently.

The junior boys’ football competitions got off to a delayed start in January after being postponed in November due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa in late October.

Manning’s School, in the Under-14 competition, and Glenmuir High, in the Under-16 section, are the defending champions.

The top two teams in each zone of both competitions, along with the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the quarter-finals which are set to begin in mid-February. The semi-finals are scheduled for February 20, with the finals to be played on February 25.

Among the teams with at least three wins in the Under-14 competition, Cornwall College and Titchfield High are yet to concede a goal. In the Under-16 competition, three teams with at least two wins — Cornwall College, Green Island High, and St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) — are yet to be breached.

Cornwall College, led by daCosta Cup joint top scorer and all-daCosta selection Carlondo Morris, have won four straight Under-16 games by an aggregate score of 21–0 to lead Zone A with 12 points. Herbert Morrison Technical follow with seven points, while St James High have four.

Rusea’s High lead Zone B with nine points from three wins, followed by Green Island High with two wins. Knockalva Technical and Hopewell High are also on six points.

Grange Hill and Black River High are both on three points at the top of Zone C while William Knibb Memorial lead Zone D with seven points, three more than Muschett High.

STETHS have scored 10 unanswered goals to lead Zone E, with Munro College also on six points. Manchester High lead Zone F with four wins, scoring 25 goals while conceding just one. They are followed by Belair High on 10 points and Winston Jones High on seven.

Three points separate the top four teams in Zone G, where Holmwood Technical lead with 10 points. Alphansus Davis High are next on nine, Knox College are third on eight, and Bellefield High have seven points.

Clarendon College have won all three games in Zone H but trail Central High on goal difference. Lennon High and Edwin Allen High are joint third on seven points.

Garvey Maceo High and Vere Technical are tied for the lead in Zone I on six points, the same total as Zone J leaders McGrath High who recorded the largest margin of victory so far with a 15–0 win over Glengoffe High.

Ocho Rios High and Brown’s Town High share the lead in Zone K with seven points each, one more than Marcus Garvey and Ferncourt High.

Seaforth High lead Zone L with seven points while Tacky High top Zone M on six points, one ahead of Titchfield High.