BOYS PREVIEW 2019The 2019 edition of the ISSA boys championships promise to be a close affair, between Calabar and Kingston College. We now seem to have the usual scenario of Kingston College dominating meets during the season, but going into the championships having to prove that they can perform on the day. Of course, with all the hoopla surrounding the Calabar team and its captain, one wonders how this will affect Calabar’s performance.
Kingston College …(328 points)
Kingston College certainly has the team to win the boys championships. But if history means anything, we know that it is not just about having the best team, but more about your athletes performing on the day.
The Kingston College team is a very deep and balanced team. It should score heavily in all classes in both track and field events. In the class one events, Wayne Pinnock, Akeem Cargill, Rommel Plummer and Tarees Rhodenshould score heavily, while in class two, Terrique Stennett, Ralford Mullings and the Henry Twinswill lead the charge. Jaquan Coke, Anthony Willis and Amontae Wray are among the boys in the very strong KC aggregation that should score heavily in class III
The Kingston College team is weak in a few areas like the class one sprints and the class two sprint hurdles, but the hope is that they will score heavily in other areas. If Kingston College performs to the best of their abilities, they should win the championships, but a quick look at previous championships show that they are prone to underperforming on the big day.
Calabar…(318 points)
Unlike Kingston College, the Calabar team is a very top heavy team in that they will score heavily in the classes one and open event, but are relatively weak in classes two and three. The hope in the Calabar camp is that their class one boys will score so heavily, that underperforming in classes two and three will not be a significant factor.
The Calabar class one team so strong that it is quite possible that the can win all the track events, a historic feat if it can be achieved. The superstar sprint trio of Christopher Taylor, Michael Stephens and Dejour Russell could win all the sprint events including the individual sprints, sprint hurdles and both relays, while the superstar middle and long distance trio of Kimar Farquharson, Rivaldo Marshall and Kevroy Venson could win the 800M, 1500M, 5000M and 2000M steeplechase. In the field events, Kai Chang and Coby Graham could dominate the Shot and discus throwing events while Ricardo Clarke could start favorite in the high jump.
Although Calabar’s class II team is relatively weak on the track, their throwers and jumpers should score valuable points while the hurdlers could win valuable minor points. But it is the Calabar management that could be instrumental in getting them to win their eighth consecutive championship. They know how to get their team ready for the big day and are quite astute in how they manage their athletes.
Jamaica College…(245 points)
Jamaica College has a new head coach and his presence is already a positive one. The JC team is quite strong on the track in both the sprints and middle distance events. In the sprints, Christopher Scott (class III), Deondre McIntosh (class II), Ryiem Robertson (class i) are all top contenders for the sprints, while Dugion Blackman (class i) and J’Vaughn Blake (class II)lead the middle distance charge.But JC is not as strong as they used to be in the field events and this will prevent them from being true contenders for the title. In previous years, JC dominated the jumping events, but this year they will not be scoring as heavily as they used to. The throwing events continue to be a problem and not much is expected from them in this category.
St. Jago …(95 points)
The St. Jago team is not as strong as they were last year. They will struggle to score a hundred points, but will certainly make their presence felt in specific events. In class II, the defending gold and silver medalists in the hurdles, Vashaun Vascianna and Jahvel Glanville are back to defend their titles, while in the 800M, exciting prospect Taffari Hinds could be the main challenger to J’Vaughn Blake’s dominance.
In class III, sprinters Duffus and Pinnock are medal hopefuls while in the middle distance events, Alex Taylor should score valuable points. The St. Jago class one team is quite weak, with a lot of expectation s on hurdler Rasheed Broadbell, long jumper Kavian Kerr and discus thrower Romario Jackson to score valuable points.
STETHS…(90 points)
With Sacchin Dennis recovering from injury, it seemed as if St. Elizabeth would be weak in the class one sprints. But Conroy Jones and Dashinelle Dyer seemed to have taken up the slack. STETHS will certainly continue to score point on the track especially in the sprints, middle distances and hurdles.
Petersfield..(65 points)
Antonio Watson continues to be Petersfield main man, while athletes like Kevon Stone and Romario Taylor will ensure that Petersfield will be prominent in the class one sprint finals. The throwing events will see Courtney Lawrence and Daniel Cope competing for top spots in the Shot and Discus events respectively.
Excelsior ..(40 points)
Excelsior high has seen a revival in recent years, but are not strong enough to challenge the top three contenders. But athletes like Malachi Johnson and Devonte Archer should certainly make their mark in these championships.
Written by Oliver Harris
May 21, 2019 April 18, 2019 May 26, 2019
