Rural competitors target final

Adrian Frater, News Editor

WESTERN BUREAU:Confidence is now running amok ahead of this afternoon two semi-final games in the 2011-12 Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Gatorade/Digicel daCosta Cup as the four qualifiers, champions Rusea's, Ben Francis Cup kingpins St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), former champions Glenmuir, and first-time qualifiers Grange Hill High are all harbouring lofty expectations.

Rusea's will take on the ominous-looking Glenmuir at Jarrett Park in Montego Bay, while over in Santa Cruz, the awesome STETHS aggregation, which is unbeaten in all competitions this season, will take on the ambitious Grange Hill. Both games are slated for a 3 p.m.

With the penalty shoot-out loss to STETHS in the Ben Francis KO semi-final being their only blemish all season, champions Rusea's, jointly conditioned by the astute duo of Anthony 'Follies' Williams and Emerson 'Diggy' Henry, are brimming with confidence as they are looking forward to retaining their title.

"We have prepared well and the team is in a good frame of mind," said Williams, a former Rusea's daCosta Cup player. "The boys know what is expected of them and we have every confidence that they will get the job done."

The Patrick 'Jackie' Walters-coached Glenmuir, who have been a silent assassin all season - knocking off opponents with minimum fuss - will be seeking to do what they did when they last met the 'Russians' in a quarter-final game, back in 2007. On that occasion, they had a big 3-0 win.

"The players are in a positive state of mind and we are ready to go," said Walters, who is one of the most-respected coaches in youth football. "We have no fear of playing the game in the west because we have done well in the west in the past."

In a game that promises much excitement, the spotlight will be on Rusea's star striker Brian 'Rambo' Brown and Glenmuir's Noel Johnson, who have both scored 10 goals in the post inter-zone phase of the competition. Brown will be supported by the likes of Demar Dohman and skipper Nicodie Haughton, while Johnson will be hunting alongside the likes of the dazzling Paul Wilson.

In the second semi-final game in Santa Cruz, the ambitious Grange Hill team have made it clear that they are not prepared to settle for nothing less than winning the daCosta Cup. However, the supremely confident STETHS are already creating space in their trophy room for the title.

"We are in good stead ... we have done quite a bit of recovery work to get the players back to full match sharpness, and it's now just for them to go out and execute," said STETHS coach Andrew Edwards. "We are tactically ready and full of self-confidence."

For Grange Hill's coach Dane Warren, getting to the daCosta Cup semi-final is an opportunity of a lifetime for him, his players and the school, and they are determined not to blow it, albeit that they will be playing the game on STETHS home turf.

"We are not intimidated in the least. We are well focused, well prepared and ready," said Warren. "Although the team is young, the players are ambitious ... we have absolutely no fear and we feel history is beckoning us."