FIVE teams have already secured their places in the ISSA Manning Cup quarter-finals, leaving three spots up for grabs as the competition’s round of 16 concludes with eight matches across the Corporate area.

Defending champions Excelsior High, Walker Cup winners Kingston College (KC), Calabar High, St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) and Eltham High have all booked places to the last eight.

Former champions Jamaica College (JC), Mona High and Wolmer’s Boys’ are favourites to claim the remaining three places, although St Catherine High, St Jago High and Hillel Academy remain in contention.

With qualification hanging in the balance, the final round of matches promises plenty of drama, particularly in Zones 1 and 3 where teams will be fighting to keep their hopes alive.

In Zone 1, Excelsior, who have six points, are comfortably positioned at the top and will be expected to maintain their unbeaten run when they face St George’s College at Emmett Park.

The “Light Blues” have just one point and are already eliminated following Thursday’s heavy 1-8 defeat to Mona.

The more intriguing contest will be at Spanish Town Prison Oval, where Mona and St Catherine meet in a decisive battle for the second qualifying spot.

Mona have three points and need only a draw to advance while St Catherine, on one point, must win to keep their campaign alive.

St Catherine will draw confidence from last year’s Walker Cup final, when they defeated Mona, but will need another strong performance to overcome their opponents.

Zone 3 also promises an exciting showdown as Wolmer’s Boys’ and Hillel Academy meet at Waterhouse Stadium with a quarter-final place at stake.

Wolmer’s, who have three points, hold the advantage and know that victory will guarantee their passage to the last eight.

Hillel, competing in only their second Manning Cup season, are hoping to make history but face a more difficult task. They must defeat Wolmer’s and then hope STATHS overcome St Jago in the other group fixture.

St Jago are also in contention, making their encounter with already-qualified STATHS crucial to the final standings.

In Zone 4, Eltham have already secured qualification with six points and will host Jamaica College, who occupy second place on four points.

JC are virtually assured of advancing, with Tivoli Gardens High their only remaining challenger.

However, Tivoli’s chances appear remote following their damaging 0-9 defeat to Eltham which left them with a goal difference of minus nine.

They must defeat Norman Manley High by at least six goals and hope Eltham inflict a similarly heavy defeat on JC to have any realistic chance of overturning the deficit.

That scenario makes JC strong favourites to join Eltham in the quarter-finals.

Zone 2 will feature an intriguing top-of-the-table clash between traditional rivals Kingston College and Calabar High at Waterhouse Stadium at 5:00 pm.

Both schools have six points and have already secured their quarter-final places, making the contest largely about determining the zone winner.

KC will enter the match with confidence after defeating Calabar 3-0 in the Walker Cup, but the Red Hills Road-based school will be eager to exact revenge.

The outcome could have implications for the quarter-final draw, although the coaching staff for both sides may also use the opportunity to manage their squads and rest key players ahead of the knockout stage.

At Stadium East, Camperdown High and Vauxhall High, both without a point and already eliminated, are to meet at 5:00 pm, with the schools looking to end their round-of-16 campaigns on a positive note.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

3:00 pm — St Catherine vs Mona at Prison Oval

3:00 pm — STGC vs Excelsior at Emmett Park

5:00 pm — Calabar vs KC at Waterhouse Stadium

5:00 pm — Camperdown vs Vauxhall at Stadium East

3:00 pm — STATHS vs St Jago at Stadium East

3:00 pm — Hillel vs Wolmer’s at Waterhouse Stadium

3:00 pm — Eltham vs JC at Eltham

3:00 pm — Norman Manley vs Tivoli Gardens at Ashenheim Stadium