—Christianburg/Wismar Secondary held to exciting 4-4 draw  … Mackenzie High clobber Harmony 5-0

By Joe Chapman

PERENNIAL favourites Christianburg/Wismar Secondary School (CWSS) survived a scare from New Silvercity Secondary as they battled to a 4-4 draw in front of an astonishing crowd on Tuesday afternoon at the Wisburg Secondary School ground, when the Edward ‘Screw’ Richmond Memorial Linden Under-18 football championship entered its third day.Entering the tournament with an unenviable record of three straight championships, the defending champions and owners of the DIGICEL National Schools Championship tile for four years running, the ‘Multi’ Boys as they are popularly known, began in fine style as they took an early lead through a 2nd minute strike from Keshawn Dey and soon were up when Shaquille Campbell doubled the score in the 14th minute.
Campbell then added another goal when he netted in the 28th minute and the reigning champions were coasting 3-0 at halftime and looked like they would have blanked the challenge of the New Silvercity Secondary.
But the second half began with New Silvercity Secondary striking early through Emmanuel Atkins in the 48th minute and they turned on the pressure on the defending champions when Omar Williams scored in the 51st minute, and then knotted the scores in the 56th minute, for a 3-3 score, that sent the fans into a frenzied state.
This meant that the New Silvercity Secondary guys had secured a three-goal blitz in eight minutes and then three minutes later the tables turned for the worse for ‘Multi’, as the underdogs New Silvercity Secondary nudged ahead into the lead through Tyric McAllister in the 61st minute, 4-3.
Under pressure the Christianburg/Wismar Secondary side composed themselves for a great escape and it came.
The resurgent champions pressed for the equaliser and the defence of the New Silvercity Secondary panicked, with a ‘handled ball’, which resulted in Christianburg Secondary bailing themselves out with a `gifted penalty’. It was taken by Omar Brewley, who made no mistake in knotting the scores 4-4 in the 70th minute, much to the disbelief of the many fans who seemingly relished the chance of an upset.The second game was easy sailing for the Mackenzie High School, who fashioned out a 5-0 win over Harmony Secondary. All goals were scored in the first half of play, with doubles coming off the boot of Okocha Peters in the 8th and 27th minutes and Raheem Angus in the 22nd and 39th minutes s and the other by Jamal Allicock in the 45th minute.
The championship continues today at the Wisburg Secondary School ground with two more exciting matches. In the first game at 14:30hrs Linden Foundation Secondary will oppose Marcia Craig’s Educational Institute and the second is between Linden Technical Institute and Wisburg Secondary School.