BY PAUL A REID Observer Writer Sunday, November 18, 2012

TOLLGATE, Clarendon College — St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) stayed on course for the rural area schoolboy double after racing into the lead of their quarter-final group in the ISSA/Gatorade/Digicel daCosta Cup by beating Garvey Maceo, 3-1, at Brancourt yesterday.

STETHS, who bagged the Ben Francis KO title a week ago when they beat Grange Hill in the final, were winning their second game in the round to go top of Group A on six points while eliminating the 2007 champions, who were losing successive matches.

STETHS need only a point on Wednesday to confirm their place when they meet Mannings School in Santa Cruz.

Meanwhile, the race for the other three spots was thrown wide open as Mannings and Frome Technical, winners last week, were beaten, while Glenmuir High and Manchester High played to a 1-1 draw.

Cedric Titus came back from an early goal to beat Mannings, 2-1, at Drax Hall, while Bog Walk revived their chances with a 2-0 win over Frome Technical at Dinthill in Linstead.

At Brancourt, STETHS got goals from Keith Sanderson in the first half and Khesanio Hal and Rohan Lindsay in the second to continue on what seems a path to the final set for December 1.

Ishmael Curry got a late goal for Garvey Maceo, but after losing to Mannings last week, are the first team out of the running for a place in the semi-final.

Cedric Titus revived their hopes of a first ever semi-finals with a gutsy come-from-behind win snapping 'Cinderella' team Mannings' four-game unbeaten run since the Inter-zone round.

Mannings started well and were rewarded with a 17th-minute goal when Tevin Daley calmly volleyed a rebound into the goal after a teammate missed a 'sitter' from inside the six yards box.

The Aaron Lawrence-coached Mannings, who are seeking to return to the semi-finals for the first time since 2005, wasted their ascendency, however, allowing the Trelawny school back into the game and paid for it.

Cedric Titus pulled level in the 39th when Devroy Campbell converted a penalty after Dammari Simpson inadvertently handled the ball inside the area.

Kemar Harris gave them the winner in the 56th with an opportunistic goal when he caught young Mannings goalkeeper Kaseem Wedderburn off his line and lobbed the ball from almost the half-line as the ball eluded the goalkeeper and dipped just under the crossbar.

Glenmuir came back from a goal down to earn a point against Manchester to move to four points and into the lead in Group B.

Manchester, who lost their opening game, took the lead through Kason Clarke, but Newton Henry equalised in the second half as Glenmuir, who won the second of their two titles in 2006, extended their unbeaten run to nine games, dating back to the preliminary rounds.

Bog Walk, who were hammered 6-0 by Glenmuir on Wednesday, bounced back nicely with a 2-0 win over Frome Technical, through goals from Kemary Embden and Jerome Martin.

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/STETHS-on-course-for-D-Cup-semis_13028277#ixzz2CjEAM3yM