San Juan North Secondary lifted yet another East Zone Coca-Cola Secondary Schools Football League InterCol crown with a 3-1 triumph over rivals St Augustine Secondary at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar on Thursday.
San Juan North went ahead in the 21st minute courtesy of an own goal from Tyrik Trotman but a minute into time added on at the end of the first-half, Jardel John got the equaliser for the “Green Machine.”
Twenty minutes after the restart, however, San Juan regained the lead in the tightly fought contest when Tyrique Sutherland found the back of the net. Seven minutes later, Daniel Best added the insurance item to wrap up the zonal crown for the “Bourg Mulatresse Boys.”
With the win, San Juan North set up a National Inter-Col quarterfinal against the winner of today’s North Zone final between St Anthony’s College and East Mucurapo Secondary at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, from 3.30 pm.
In the earlier match played at Malabar, Five Rivers Secondary defeated San Juan North Secondary 2-1 in the girls’ final thanks to a 75th-minute winner from Shania Jordan.
Kayla Baboolal had fired Five Rivers into a seventh-minute lead only for Keira De Leon to get San Juan North level a minute into time added on at the end of the first half. Jordan then netted the winner for Five Rivers.
Over in Tobago, Speyside High School whipped former perennial champions Signal Hill Secondary 3-1 in their zonal final at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet.
Nicholas Sanchez opened the scoring for Speyside as early as the fifth minute and the lead was doubled in the 22nd when Signal Hill’s Justice Williams turned the ball into his own net.
Eight minutes into the second half, Hamilton Bristol struck to get Signal Hill back into the match. However, any hopes of a turnaround were dashed in the 61st minute when Sanchez netted his second.
With the win, Speyside earned a place in the national semifinal versus Carapichaima East Secondary, who claimed an eighth Central Zone title after beating Chaguanas North Secondary 2-1 in their zonal title match at Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, on Wednesday.
Yesterday's scores
(East Zone)
SAN JUAN NORTH SECONDARY 3 (OG 21st, Tyrique Sutherland 65th, Daniel Best 72nd) v ST AUGUSTINE SECONDARY 1 (Jardel John 45+1)
(Girls)
FIVE RIVERS SECONDARY 2 (Kayla Baboolal 7th, Shania Jordan 75th) v SAN JUAN NORTH SECONDARY 1 (Keira De Leon 45 + 1)
(Tobago Zone)
SPEYSIDE HIGH SCHOOL 3 (Nicholas Sanchez 5th & 61st, OG 22nd) v SIGNAL HILL SECONDARY 1 (Hamilton Bristol 53rd)