Jamaica College (JC) and St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) will be looking to end their seasons on a positive note as they battle for the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Walker Cup at the National Stadium at 3:00 pm.

A JC vs STATHS final is usually a matchup for the schoolboy history books but both were hoping it would have been in the Manning Cup. The two schools were touted as title challengers but fell at the quarter-final round and will have to serve as the opening act to the Mona High and Hydel High showdown.

The Walker Cup has seemingly lost its prestige since ISSA changed the format to only include the schools who dropped out at the second round and quarter-final round of the Manning Cup. However, both teams showed they were still hungry and had identical 3-0 semi-final victories over Wolmer’s Boys’ and Excelsior High, respectively.

The Davion Ferguson-coached JC, who at this point are still defending champions of the Manning Cup, will be looking to add to their three urban area knockout titles. Coincidentally, the last team that won the title before the format change was the Old Hope Road-based school back in 2017 when they beat Kingston College.

STATHS has never won the title and only have tasted under-19 glory once in the school’s history — the Manning Cup back in 1987.

Head Coach Philip Williams says his team will take the final very seriously.

“The whole spirit is upbeat about playing yet another final. They are upbeat, it’s not the final we would have wanted but it’s a title out there to be won nonetheless. The spirit is good, we definitely will be giving an honest effort and also playing to win,” said Williams.

STATHS have seen their trophy drought extended over the years due to their clashes with Jamaica College but Williams is hoping for a change in fortune.

“It’s a long history and one that we are loving because to be the best, you have to compete against the best so we embrace it. They have, however, found ways to come out on top on the final day so we are trying our best to see if we can [win this time],” said Williams.

The last time the two teams met was at the National Stadium for last season’s Manning Cup final, where JC won 8-7 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.