​

            DeCarteret College football team ambitiously manoeuvred through the group stages of this year’s staging of the DaCosta Cup competition, Jamaica’s premier school boy football competition. The team was able to put on impressive and commendable performances against some tough opposition which earned them a coveted spot in the knock-out round - a feat accomplished for the second time in the school’s history of school boy football. DeCarteret College was placed in Zone F. This group consists of schools that are within the parish of Manchester namely: Manchester High, May Day High, Bellefield High, Mount Saint Joseph High, Belair High and DeCarteret College.

          The group stage kicked off with a hammering of Mount Saint Joseph by six goals to two ( 6 – 2) away from home at the Mount Saint Joseph field. That was followed by a tightly contested draw against Bellefield. Thanks to the amazing home support, the team was able to battle to a 2 all draw against local rivals Manchester High. Buoyed by the resounding and growing support from the entire DeCarteret College family, the team showed their quality with a five star performance which resulted in a five-nil (5 – 0) thumping of May Day High. The team unfortunately failed to walk away with three points as they drew one all on the return leg of the match against Mt. Saint Josephs. What cemented the team’s position as a team to contend with, were three incredible back-to-back wins: A two-nil win over Bellefield, another pommelling of May Day four-one and perhaps their most crucial win, the one-nil victory against Belair. This was the highlight of the group stages. The home support was immense and it spurred the team on the produce a compelling and unbelievable display against tough opposition. The players showed, courage, tenacity and an admirable willingness to put their bodies on the line in the name of victory. The return match against Belair was hotly contested and ended in a nil all draw. The final game of the group stage was a bitter pill to swallow as
we rounded out the group with a heart-breaking two-one defeat at the hands of Manchester High at the Kirkvine Sports Club. It was the only loss the team suffered throughout their group stage campaign.