The stars of schoolboy football

The ISSA schoolboy Manning Cup is more than 100 years old and the daCosta Cup more than 70 years old. Both competitions have produced some exceptional talents over the decades, too many to mention.

However, The STAR sought the insight of some experienced local schoolboy coaches and experts to point out some of the really exceptional players who have made an indelible mark on the competitions.

Clyde Jureidini, Harbour View's general manager, said from the 1960s players such as Corcel Blair from Vere Technical and Leonard 'Chicken' Mason of Excelsior High were standouts of that era.

From the 1970s, he recalls the silky skills of Kingston College's (KC) Howard Bell. While, for the 1980s, Camperdown's Peter Cargill, with his exceptional leadership ability, and Errol Blake with his remarkable dribbling and goal-scoring ability, were the real standouts he believes.

He thought the 1990s belonged to Charlie Smith High's Kevin 'Pele' Wilson and St George's College's Ali Rose.

"I really liked Kevin Wilson. Ali Rose was very good but I preferred Wilson because of his impact," he noted.

"Blakey' was outstanding in the 1980s but I will give Peter Cargill the edge. He was a leader in a creative role, and was more consistent at a schoolboy level," he also pointed.

Since 2000, he believes St George's Alex Marshall, Jamaica College's (JC) Tyreek Magee and Cornwall College's Peter-Lee Vassell and Jourdanie Fletcher were excellent.

However, he said the most outstanding was JC's Junior Flemmings. "he really established JC's dominance," he stated.

Legendary schoolboy football coach Patrick 'Jackie' Walters, who won both competitions, admits he has seen some truly outstanding talent grace the competitions.

From the 1960s era, he thought KC's Neville Oxford and Trevor 'Jumpy' Harris were really outstanding along with Peter Hyde of St George's and Allan 'Skill' Cole of Vere.

For the 1970s era, he said St Elizabeth Technical's Noel 'Sweetie' Smith and KC's Douglas Bell and Howard Bell and Lenworth Hyde of Clarendon College really caught the eye.

"Howard Bell was definitely exceptional," he said.

For the 1980s, he said Peter Cargill without a doubt was really outstanding.

He then pointed to Charlie Smith's 'Pele' Wilson and Byron Earle, Steve Green of Tivoli Gardens along with Camperdown's Dane Walker and Fitzroy 'Bucky' Barnes as the main impact players of the 1990s

"He (Barnes) was really outstanding but he had issues. Altimont 'Freddy' Butler was also very good," he added.

There was also special mention of St Jago's Dennis 'Stylo' Ebanks and Glenmuir's Winston 'Fanna' Griffiths, who he said showed exceptional abilities

"Ebanks and the ball were like one. When you go up against 'Fanna' your head hurts you," he commented.

In recent seasons, he believes Kaheem Parris (Dinthill), Omar Daley (Glenmuir) and Zane Reid were on another level.

Like Jureidini, he thought Cargill's leadership qualities coupled with his creative skills made him their exceptional player for the 1980s.

"Cargill had quality football ability and as a leader he stood out. You could depend on him.

"It is the only experience I have had as a coach, to have a player on the field who truly represents you," he stated

He added that the outstanding goalkeeper for him was Camperdown's Carlton 'Spider' Williams. "Spider was the best goalkeeper," he said.

Cornwall College coach Dr Dean Weatherly said players such as Noel 'Bram Bram' King, Collin 'S90' Jarrett, Anthony and Norman Christie, Anthony Jump and Extol Earl were real impact players in the 1970s in the daCosta Cup.

He also pointed to 'Sweetie' Smith, and Clarendon's Anthony Corbett, Lenworth Hyde, Dennis Hutchinson and Carlton Briscoe.

In the Manning Cup, he also thought that Howard and Douglas Bell were among the outstanding schoolboy stars of the 1970s.

For the 1980s era, he remembers Cornwall's Anthony 'Tuffy' Barnes, Barrington Gaynor of Camperdown and Kenneth Gaynor and Linton Stewart of Rusea's High. Herbert Morrison's Hector Wright, Keith Tomlinson and Winston 'Tanto' Henry also made their marks in the 1990s in the daCosta Cup.

Weatherly also named Leroy Foster, Mark 'Hagler' Wilson, Anthony 'Terminator' Dennis, Caple Donaldson and Michael Graham of Rusea's as outstanding daCosta Cup players in the 1980s.

Like Walters and Jureidini, Weatherly pointed to Kevin Wilson and Ali Rose as two outstanding Manning Cup players in the 1990s.

Kevin 'Pele' Wilson was great," he said.

According to him, Ruseas' Ainsworth Kerr, Socrates Christie, Cornwall's Milton Griffiths and Daniel Ricketts and Glenmuir's Winston Griffiths were also superb in that period.

In recent years, Weatherly said Jourdaine Fletcher, Peter-Lee Vassell, Kaheem Parris, Lamar Walker and Nique Daley are the ones that have really been outstanding in the daCosta Cup