After a disappointing 2025 season, Lennon High’s daCosta Cup Coach Wilfred Smith is promising an improved showing this season based on what he has seen from his team in the preseason.

Lennon High won just two of their eight first-round games in Zone H last season and were never in contention for a place in the second round. They are hoping to end a seven-year drought, having last advanced beyond the first round in 2019.

Smith, who played for Lennon High in the daCosta Cup, took over the team this season and said while they retained a good number of players from last season, they still have work to do.

“We have retained maybe around eight players from the squad, but we have some young players who are coming into the squad and they are part of the rebuild,” he told the
Sunday Observer.

Keishaun Green of Lennon High

Lennon High were finalists in 2010, losing controversially to Rusea’s High, and while Smith does not think they will be contenders this season, he expects them to give a good account of themselves.

“Our preparation has been good so far, we played probably about nine games, lose three, win six or so, and we have played against Kingston-based schools,” he said.

Lennon will play in Zone G in the first round against Bustamante High, Central High, Denbigh High, Charlemont High, Glengoffe High, and Tacius Golding High, and Smith is confident they can advance.

Wilfred Smith, coach of Lennon High School (Photos: Paul Reid)

“We have to do everything we can to advance to the second round,” he said, noting that playing these games will give his team time to become a cohesive unit before they face the stronger teams.

“Playing in the first round is good for us, and I like the idea as teams losing by 17 goals to some of the top teams is not good, so the better teams will advance and we will see more competitive. So I think it’s a good thing for the competition,” Smith said.

Smith believes his team is balanced, although he admitted they currently have only one goalkeeper in camp.

“We have three goalkeepers, but not all of them are in camp right now, but we will be good when the competition kicks off,” he said.

After a heavy loss to Cornwall College in Montego Bay on Thursday, Smith said he was not worried about the score.

“We are better than this, much better than this, and I think we have a very good chance of going far in the competition. We have played some good teams in the preseason and we are getting better as we go on, so we are getting there.”