CHASE’S Academic Foundation has made history as the first team to successfully defend the KFC International Under-18 School Football title, overcoming both a waterlogged pitch and old rivals, St Benedict’s College, in a dramatic penalty shootout.
On a night where heavy tropical showers threatened to dampen the spectacle at the Ministry of Education Ground, the Guyanese champions demonstrated superior nerve to win 5-4 from the spot after a gruelling, scoreless encounter.
The final was a near-perfect mirror of the 2024 championship clash, reinforcing the intense “Guyana versus Trinidad” rivalry that has become the cornerstone of this regional tournament.
Chase’s captain, Bryan Wharton—the tournament’s Golden Boot winner with 11 goals—came closest to breaking the deadlock in regulation time, rattling the crossbar with a ferocious free-kick.
While the team celebrated a US$2,500 first prize, defender Malcolm Hendricks walked away with the ultimate individual prize.
Named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his commanding defensive displays, Hendricks has been awarded a three-month training scholarship with a Brazilian professional Club.
Other individual honours saw Flavio LaRose retain his title as the tournament’s best goalkeeper, a crucial component in Chase’s clean-sheet performance in the final.
Earlier in the evening, Kingston College of Jamaica secured third place and US$1,000 with a clinical 4-1 dismantling of Suriname’s Nikiere Technical School.

Jusiri Hussey was the standout performer, netting a clinical hat-trick (12’, 26’, 63’), while Nthanda Scott added a fourth. Jonathan Gomes was the only Surinamese respondent to receive US$500 for their efforts.
Coordinated by the Petra Organisation, this year’s edition featured an eight-team field, with the other four teams being Annai Secondary, West Ruimveldt Secondary, Anglican Central Education Authority (Bahamas) and Jose Veira de Sales Guerra (Brazil).