HAVING missed a first-half penalty, Anthony Weekes redeemed himself as he played his heart out, to guide his team New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI) to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over a purposeful Berbice Educational Institute (BEI), in their fourth annual Digicel Inter-Secondary School Football Championships encounter at the Skeldon Community Centre ground yesterday.

Weekes muffed the chance to put his team ahead in the 23rd minute of play, when he was awarded a penalty kick by referee Colin Bowry, following an infringement that was committed against him in the box, only to see BEI’s custodian Omari Bentham effect the save.
At the start of the second stanza, a tame shot from Weekes was saved with ease by an over-confident looking Bentham, while at the other end of the field, Stafford Edwards worked his way down the right side of NATI’s half, but his cross was intercepted by NATI’s custodian James Isaacs.
A corner kick from Weekes eluded the grasp of Bentham on his first post and an unmarked Rayon Emmanuel headed home on the last post, to hand NATI a 1-0 lead in the 52nd minute.
Not fazed by the goal, the smaller-sized BEI unit, led by a determined Edwards with support from Gerald Foort who overlapped from his defensive position at will, fought tooth and nail with their much bigger opponents, despite the conditions underfoot.
A Troy Munroe free kick from the right hand side of NATI’s goal area eluded the grasp of Isaacs and landed at the feet of Duel Hall, who made no mistake to pat the ball into the open goal in the 58th minute, nullifying Emmanuel’s goal in the process.
After the goal, NATI’s defensive wall that consisted of Jeremy Samuels, Clifford Roberts, Jermaine Jones and Randy Robertson, worked feverishly to thwart sporadic efforts of Edwards, Foort and Munroe, who were looking for the go-ahead goal for BEI.
After making several saves, some of them tame shots from Weekes and even Nigel King, a low cross from the right beat Bentham, leaving him spread-eagled on the ground, while a small puddle of water stopped the ball, enabling Weekes to place same into an open goal in the 66th minute to give NATI a 2-1 lead.
Try as they may and despite the hard working efforts of Edwards and Foort, BEI failed to negate that goal and when the final whistle was sounded, NATI who are the defending champions of that zone, came away with the win.
At the Beterverwagting Community Centre ground, the Institute of Business Education (IBE) through a seven-goal haul from Jason Cromwell swamped Shivitas Business College (SBC) 25-0, to advance to the next round.
Cromwell found the back of the net in the 11th, 13th, 19th, 35th, 60th, 70th and 71st minutes, backed by a quintet of goals scored in the 1st, 14th, 27th, 28th and 72nd minutes from Shemar Scott and Isaiah Holders helmet trick that was scored in the 12th, 22nd, 24th and 36th minutes of play.
Seon Singh also placed his name on the score sheet with a hat-trick of his own, after he found the back of the net in the 62nd, 69th and 73rd minutes of play, complemented by a double from Teshawn Gordon (51st & 67th) and solitary strike from Colin Liverpool (29th), Oder Adams (49th), Shamar Gonsalves (50th) and Deshawn Trotz (75th).
Written By Calvin Roberts