THIS year’s Petra Organisation/Milo Schools football tournament has reached its Round-of-16 stage, after wrapping up preliminary matches last Sunday at the Ministry of Education ground on Carifesta Avenue. The tournament, which is in its fourth year, will see the top 16 teams head into action on this weekend (March 5-6), before the quarter-finals on March 13, semi-finals on March 17 and the grand final on Sunday March 20.
Defending champions Chase Academy, Dolphin Secondary, Lodge Secondary, Queen’s College, Christ Church Secondary, Bishops’ High, St John’s College, and Mae’s Secondary, all finished atop their respective groups.
With the exception of St John’s College, the aforementioned schools played undefeated in the Group Stage.
St Rose’s High, Queenstown Secondary, South Ruimveldt, Richard Ishmael, North Ruimveldt, North Georgetown, Kingston and Tucville are the other eight teams.
Meanwhile, when the round-robin group stage concluded last Sunday, Mae’s, Queenstown and Freeburg ensured that they head into the knock-out phase of the tournament on a high note.
Despite finishing atop Group G, St John’s College were handed their first defeat of the tournament (3-0) by Queenstown who were the runners-up of the group.
Jermin Padmore (5th and 11th minutes) and Vickram Chandranand (53rd minute) were the goalscorers for Queenstown Secondary.
Mae’s, who ran riot in Group H, continued their fantastic run in this year’s event, with a 4-0 win over fellow qualifiers St Rose’s High.
Darshan Persaud scored a hat-trick (24th, 59th and 60th) and Alex Hopkinson netted his side’s fourth goal in the 44th minute.
Freeburg Secondary won their only game of the tournament via ‘walkover’, since their opposition, Charlestown Secondary, failed to show up. Both schools were eliminated from the competition. (Rawle Toney)