Lacovia coach takes d’Cup round-of-16 progress in stride

COACH Willard Douglas says he is not surprised that Lacovia High ended a decade-long drought to qualify for the ISSA daCosta Cup football round of 16 after defeating Ferncourt High 4-0 at Drax Hall on Friday. Lacovia were winning a fourth-straight game to climb to 12 points, and cannot be denied a top-two place in the group. They are the first team to advance to the round of 16. It is the first time since the 2015 season that the St Elizabeth-based school has advanced this far. Then, they reached the quarter-finals. Despite their good run so far, which included placing second in their first-round zone behind Munro College and progressing to the second round of the Ben Francis Cup, Douglas told the Jamaica Observer that they are a work in progress. “We are not surprised by how well we are doing, based on the quality of the players we have,” he said.

“We are just hoping they can be disciplined enough to maintain the consistency that we want. ” The Lacovia coach said they are building a squad that they hope will continue to improve beyond this season. Meanwhile, in scheduled action on Saturday, newly crowned Ben Francis Cup champions Glenmuir High (seven points) will host Old Harbour High (six). At least five more schools, including former daCosta Cup winners Frome Technical and Clarendon College, can secure places in the round of 16 with wins in the penultimate round of games in the second round. Frome Technical, McGrath High, Clarendon College and Manning’s School will hope to extend their flawless runs. Frome are coming off a massive morale-boosting win over Munro College on Thursday, and will turn their attention to defending champions St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) in a clash between the top two teams in the group. STETHS, coming off a tough 2-1 win over…