THEY came, they saw and they conquered, earning for themselves one year bragging rights as the best school football team in Guyana and at the same time, guaranteeing their school $500,000 which will go towards a project of their choice. All this along with the championship trophy and medals were bestowed on Wismar/Christian Burg Secondary School (WCSS), who walked away champions of the second annual Digicel Inter-secondary School Football Championships last night, following their 5-2 victory over Waramadong Secondary School (WSS) in the final at the Police Sports Club ground Eve Leary.
In the third place playoff,  St. Ignatius Secondary did enough to get past Bygeval Secondary 6-2, to earn the tag as the third best school team in Guyana, but it was the performance of WCSS which brought the curtains down on a tournament that had some exciting encounters during its one month’s duration, alight last night.
Marmalique Davidson got a helmet trick of goals in the 43rd, 47th, 54th and 83rd minute of the contest, while Leon Hohenkirk added his solitary strike in the dying stages of the game for the victorious WCSS team, who made amends for their second place finish in last year’s tournament, in which they were defeated 5-3 by inaugural champions Government Technical Institute.
After being introduced to Digicel’s Chief Executive Officer Gregory Dean, Marketing Manager Jacqueline James, Chief Education Officer Olata Sam and acting president of the Guyana Football Federation Franklyn Wilson, WCSS took the game to their opponents with speed and precise passing.
However, it was WSS who struck first, when Cirilo George converted a gem of a pass from Kenzy George, beating a flat footed Daniel English in between the uprights for WCSS in the 31st minute, a goal that gave his team  renewed energy.
This was after Yannick Simon was brought down in the penalty box, took the eventual penalty kick that was awarded, but found a worthy customer in WSS’ custodian Gerald Isaacs, who pushed the ball around his first post for a corner, much to the delight of the hundreds of fans who filled the venue to its capacity and beyond to witness the action.
They attacked relentlessly, forcing the eventual champions to defend and that they did with a purpose, led by their skipper Travin Dryden, who received support from Hohenkirk, Shemar Brewley and Donovan Francis.
At the other end of the field, Isaacs affected many saves from Davidson, Hohenkirk-who were both having an excellent night in the field and to an extent, Allan Halley and Troy Lewis, before he pushed a shot from Halley onto the feet of Davidson, who made no mistake in grabbing the equalizer for his team.
With the wind on their backs, WCSS started the second half in similar fashion to the first, staging many fast paced attacks on their opponents’ goal and got just reward when Davidson, got his brace, followed by his hat trick and later on the helmet trick.
WSS pulled one back from the penalty spot, when English was beaten by Whazir Bascombe’s penalty, which did little to their confidence, as Hohenkirk sealed the game with his late goal, which sparked off much deserved celebrations at the sound of the final whistle.
In the third place encounter, Shefar Sanichar also got a helmet trick in the 40th, 51st, 69th and 87th minute for St. Ignatius, who along with Marvin Smith and Samuel Charles’ 10th and 43rd minute goals, came away with a 6-2 victory over a hapless looking Bygeval Secondary, for whom Mark Joseph got a double in the 47th and 61st minute.