Top schoolboy football coach Vassell Reynolds has replaced Anthony Patrick as technical director of St Catherine High School after being released by Kingston College.

Reynolds, easily one of the most successful coaches around, having won both the Manning Cup with Kingston College in 2024 and the daCosta Cup with Ruseas High in 2017, a rare feat in the history of schoolboy football. He also won the Walker Cup with Wolmer’s Boys in 2015 and the all-island Flow Super Cup in 2016.

Now he is tasked with delivering Manning Cup glory to St Catherine High, a team he ironically denied the prestigious trophy with KC in 2024 final, beating them 3-1.

“The feeling is great. The offer to take over a programme of this magnitude is a clear recognition of my hard work and accomplishments over the years,” Reynolds told the Jamaica Observer.

“St Catherine High has been one of the most consistent performers over the past five to six years at the Manning Cup level under the leadership of coach Anthony Patrick and his support staff. I’m aware of the work and structure Patrick implemented, and I’ll use my experience to build on that and take the programme to the next level,” he added.

“My role as a technical director will be to direct the overall football programme, which is at a rebuilding stage. There will be a great emphasis on building a solid youth system, which will give us the kind of foundation to perform well at all levels and to aid with the transition from one age group to the other,” he explained.

Reynolds noted that he will try to properly develop the right mindset, skill sets and work attitude in the players, which will translate into high-level performances.

“Having won the Walker Cup multiple times, the overall aim is to add more success to the school, including the elusive Manning Cup title,” said Reynolds.

The veteran coach who arrived at KC when the school was in disarray in 2023, took the Famed Purples to the Manning Cup and all-island Olivier Shield titles in 2024 before his three-year contract was not renewed after the 2025 season.

“My three-year stint at Kingston College was a gratifying one. I’ve left the programme in a better position compared to where it was when I started. The results of my role as the technical director of the entire programme is there to be seen . I’ve created and built my own legacy at KC. I’ve encountered many challenges, to which I had to navigate. I’ll definitely be better off for the experience. Life lessons were learnt that will help me in my future endeavours,” said Reynolds.