The Boys 2023 championships will be a fascinating affair, as THREE teams have a realistic chance of winning the Mortimer Geddes trophy. Last year in a dual battle, Kingston College defeated the 2021 champions Jamaica College, with both teams scoring over 300 points. Calabar was a distant third, scoring less than 200 points. This year Jamaica College will be the main threat to Kingston College’s hopes of defending their title. But a resurgent Calabar has shown that they intend to make this a three-way battle. They placed second at the corporate championships, being narrowly beaten by Kingston College. The Corey Bennett coached Rabalac team may be weak in vital areas, but if the top contenders slip, they could prevail.
We will now look at how the top schools are expected to perform.
KINGSTON COLLEGE (333 pts)
The defending champs are considered favorites to retain their title. They have a very deep squad but have shown a few weaknesses. With top athletes Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, Tahj Marques White, Isaiah Patrick, Amani Phillips and Aaron McKenzie looking unbeatable, KC has shown that they have the foundation to dominate the competition.
But injury problems have reared its ugly head, and top sprinters Adrian Kerr and Ashanie Benjamin pulled up at the corporate championships, and there are serious doubts concerning their fitness. Patrick and White are expected to score heavily for the purples, but their durability has been questioned in some circles.
Traditionally, KC has always scored heavily in the throwing and hurdling events, but this year could be an exception. Kingston College has underperformed in the throws and hurdles all season and this vulnerability could cause them to lose champs. A lot will depend on Antonio Forbes in the class one 400m hurdles and Daijon Budhai in the class two discus events to ensure they score maximum points in those areas.
JAMAICA COLLEGE (328 pts)
At the start of the season, Jamaica College did not seem strong enough to be considered a major threat to Kingston College’s track dominance. Weaknesses in class three and in the in the hurdles were brutally exposed. But in recent weeks, the JC’s boys have stepped up their game and seem ready for the fight.
JC continues to be strong in the jumping events, with Uroy Ryan, Chavez Penn and Jaidi James, but their throwers have been a surprise revelation and they will outperform their rivals in this area. Javelin throwers Dorian Charles and Gabriel Lim are expected to dominate their event, while Racquil Broderick and Denzel Phillips should score heavily in the class one and two events.
In the middle-distance events, despite the ineligibility of Carifta silver medalist Nicholas Power, JC continues to be strong with Kemario Bygrave, Rasheed Pryce and Tyrone Lawson expecting to score heavily. Jaden Reid, Hector Benjamin and new sensation Malique Smith-Band lead a very strong contingent of class one sprinters and their performances will be crucial to JC’s challenge for track dominance.
Although the hurdling events are considered a weakness, there are certainly signs that hurdlers Deandre Gayle, Daniel Beckford and Princewell Martin are rounding into form. But the school suffers from a lack of depth in this area. Unbelievably, Jamaica College is again weak in class three, and this is a major problem in their thrust to challenge their main rivals. If JC shows major improvement in this area, championship glory could be on the horizon.
CALABAR (295 pts)
Traditionally, teams that are weak in class One do not mount a serious challenge for championship dominance. But Calabar seem poised to challenge that myth. All season long, the boys from Red Hills have been told that there weakness in this area will not allow them to be contenders, but their amazing showing at the corporate championship, where they placed a close second to KC has been the major surprise of the season.
Calabar’s strength in classes three and two is what allows them to be major contenders. Byron Walker, Alejandro Palmer and Carlos Bryson should dominate the track events in class three, while Shaquane Gordon, Khamani Gordon and Nickecoy Bramwell should do the same in class two.
But apart from Kobe Lawrence’s dominance in the class one throws, and Lenworth Chung in the open Pole Vault, Calabar is woefully lacking in the upper classes. Calabar’s depth in the throwing events is also suspect, but expectations are that Coach Julian Robinson can work miracles and the Rabalac throwers will be ready at champs.
ELIZABETH TECH (137 pts)
STETHS has seen a revival this year but will not challenge for championship honors. They will challenge St. Jago for a fourth placed finish and will be the top rural school in the championships. Former class III champion Tremaine Todd is favored to win the class II 100m title, and if Shemar Blake reports healthy, should continue his dominance in the 110m and 400M hurdles. World junior 400m representative Jasauna Dennis and top sprinter Jevorne Dunkley could also make their mark at these championships.
JAGO (123 pts)
The St. Jago team expects to again place fourth in the championships, but will struggle to hold off a resurgent St. Elizabeth Tech. Their strength lies in class three, where Ray J Reece and Marquis Page should be dominant on the track. World junior representative Demario Prince is expected to score valuable points in the 110m hurdles and long jump, while Shaiquan Dunn should challenge for a medal in both the class one discus and shot-put events.
POTENTIAL STARS FORM THOSE ‘OTHER’ SCHOOLS
The top five schools will continue to showcase the majority of stars at champs, but there are a number of potential stars from the ‘minor’ schools.
CLASS I
In the sprints, Carifta games gold medalists Bryan Levell and Delano Kennedy of Edwin Allen are favored to win the 200m and 400m respectively, while Herbert Morrison’s Deandre Daley will be Bouwahjgie Nkrumie’s main threat in the 100m. Port Antonio’s Ainsley Brown and Dinthill’s Seon Booker have both run below 1:52 in the 800m and are expected to challenge favorite Kemario Bygrave in this event.
CLASS II
Defending 1500m champion Yoshane Bowen of Magotty will challenge for the 800m and 1500m titles, while in the Shot and Discus events, Joseph Salmon (Clarendon), Javontae Smith (Munro), and Rolando Anderson (Petersfield) are favored to sweep those medals.
CLASS III
In the 800m, Rasheed Grant (St. Mary) and Jayden Brown (Magotty) will challenge the Calabar duo of Carlos Bryson and Alejandro Palmer for the major medals while in the 400m, Grant (St. Mary) and Jevari McCoy (Ferncourt) could upset favorite Jordan Rehedul of Kingston College.
