CAN JAMAICA COLLEGE HOLD ON TO THE THRONE?
Last year, Jamaica College had a dominant team, and was expected to win Boys champs by more than 40 points. They did eventually win the championship, but by only 15 points, despite Kingston College’s top athletes like Jaydon Hibbert, Vashaun Vascianna and Tahj Marques White suffering injuries during the championships and losing valuable points.
This year, the tables have turned and Kingston College is now heavily favored to win the championships. But again, injuries may play a major part in deciding the boy’s champs results. At the John Wolmer meet, KC suffered a serious blow, when class II top sprinter Deshaun Grant seemed to have suffered a serious injury and that was a gentle reminder that over the five days of competition, injuries, disqualifications and dropped batons may play a major role in determining the result of the championships.
Let us now take a look at the top five schools that are expected to dominate at champs, looking at both their strengths and weaknesses
KINGSTON COLLEGE…373 points
KC has a deep and talented squad. They have no major weaknesses and are expected to easily win the championships. On the track, top sprinters like, Tahj Marques White, Marcinho Rose, Bouwahjgie Nkrumie and Nyrone Wade are expected to score valuable points, while in the middle and long distances, Nahashon Ruto, Ethan Gioko and the Henry Twins are expected to do the same.
KC is very strong in the hurdling events, with Taj-Oneil Gordon, Rayon Campbell, Jordan Mowatt and Jadan Campbell expected to continue their domination of those events. In the jumps they have a number of quality athletes like world junior triple jumps silver medalist Jaydon Hibbert and U17 Carifta trials high jump winner Aaron McKenzie.
But Surprisingly, it is in the throws where Kingston College seems vulnerable. In an area where they usually challenge Calabar for dominance, they are now also trailing their main rivals Jamaica College. Top throwers Altwayne Bedward, Jaeden Teka and Antwon Watkin will lead the Kingston College charge in this area, but for the first time in years, KC might not have a top three finisher in the throws.
JAMAICA COLLEGE…336 pts
Defending champions Jamaica College will be in the fight of their lives, hoping to successfully defend their boy’s championship title. They know that their main rivals Kingston College has a deeper squad, but they believe they have the more talented athletes who will therefore score heavily and with other schools eating away at Kingston colleges expected points, the championship may not be out of reach.
The JC squad is expected to score heavily on the track with athletes like Jvoughn Blake, Handal Roban, Mark Anthony Miller, Dwayne Watkin and Rasheed Pryce expecting to lead the charge. In the field events, Zachary Campbell and Chavez Penn should continue to dominate the class two events, while Uroy Ryan and Shamar Reid should be competitive in class one.
But there are major weaknesses in this JC squad. The hurdling events are problematic with Jamaica College expecting to lose major ground in this area. The 400m hurdlers can hold own, with Princewell Martin and Jayden Brown expected to challenge for minor medals in class two and one respectively. But in the sprint hurdles, JC will struggle to score points. Their major hope will lie in class one, with former class III champion Neil Mathew Sutherland and last year’s silver medalist Jaheim Stern. Both athletes are recovering from injury and a lot will depend on their fitness at these championships.
Class III is the other problematic area for JC. They are very weak in the sprints and jumps and are only competitive in the middle distances with Glory Clarke and Samuel Creary expecting to score valuable points for JC.
CALABAR…232 pts
Calabar is no longer the dominant force they used to be in the Christopher Taylor era.. In those years, athletes like Taylor, Dejour Russell, Kevroy Venson and Kemar Farquharson dominated on the track, setting records seemingly at will. Those days are gone and Calabar is no longer dominant in the track events. They are more competitive in the hurdling and field events, where their athletes should do fairly well. The two main stars on the Calabar team are Nickecoy Bramwell in the class III sprints and Kobe Lawrence in the throwing events.
JAGO….155 pts
Last year, St. Jago was relegated to fifth in the championship, upstaged by a quality St. Elizabeth team. This year, they will be back to their customary 4th position and will be competitive in the track events. Their squad is not deep in talent and they will not be able to challenge for a top three spot. Their top athlete is class one sprinter Gregory Prince who starts as favorite for the 400m, and is also expected to medal in the 200m. In the middle distances, Tafar-Hi Hinds and Corlando Chambers should be quite competitive and in the class II long jump, Balvin Israel should easily defend his title.
ELIZABETH TECH (STETHS)…82 points.
Last year, STETHS were the revelation of the championships. They won the 100m event in all three classes and were almost as dominant in the sprint relays. This year, they have lost their inspirational coach and that could be a contributing factor in the less than spectacular performances we have seen from them last year. STETHS no longer have top stars like Sachin Dennis and Conroy Jones who have all graduated, while Alicke Cranston and Tramaine Todd are currently injured. However, there are still quality athletes on their squad like high jumpers Dejone Raymond and Tierick Smith as well as track athletes Adrian Nethersole, Rashid Greene and Orlando Wint.
TALENT FROM SCHOOLS OUTSIDE THE TOP THREE
The Boys championships are not only about deciding who wins the championships. These championships showcase the talent that is expected to represent Jamaica at the next level, and usually these talented athletes do not come from the top three schools.
So Usain Bolt (William Knibb), Yohan Blake (St. Jago), Asafa Powell (Charlemont), Nesta Carter (Manchester), Hansie Parchment (Morant Bay), Ronald Levy (Steths), Tajay Gayle (Papine) and Omar McLeod (Manchester) have all won individual medals at the senior level but developed their talent at schools outside of the top three.
And this year, a number of the individual stars are expected to be from schools that are not vying for the championship.
In Class One, Roshawn Clarke (Camperdown) will duel KC top hurdler Rayon Campbell in the class one 400M hurdles event and there is a possibility that both the champs and Jamaican junior record will be threatened. In the sprints, Brian Levell (Edwin Allen), Ricquan Graham (Wolmers), Gregory Prince (St. Jago), Deandre Daley (Herbert Morrison) and Sandrey Davidson (St. Catherine) will dominate the sprint events and most of these athletes will form the nucleus of the U20 Carifta and world junior sprint teams.
In class Two, the corporate 200m champion Gary Card (Wolmers), The central champ’s winner Omarion Barrett (Steer Town) and the Carifta U17 trials winner Romario Hines (Spot Valley) are major contenders for the sprinting titles. The middle distances will also have their stars outside of the top three, with Franklyn Tayloe (Foga Road) starting as favorite in the 800m and Carifta U17 trials winners Ainsley Brown (Port Antonio) and Yoshane Bowen (Maggoty) expected to also win medals in the 800m and 1500m.
written by Oliver Harris