Queen's Royal College (QRC), St Anthony's College, and outgoing Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) premier division champions St Benedict's College were among the big winners in the league's final round of matches on Friday.
In Westmoorings, St Anthony's got a hard-earned 2-1 win over four-time premier division champions Naparima College, with captain Aalon Wilson-Wright and Theo Cravador scoring the goals to see off the south powerhouse team who wrapped up the season in fifth place on 27 points. St Anthony's jumped to 26 points with their victory and will end the campaign in seventh spot.
Benedict's (35 points) may have relinquished their premier division title to Fatima College, but they ended their league campaign on a high as they got a thumping 4-0 win over Malick Secondary to consolidate second spot on the 16-team table. Bustling Trinidad and Tobago youth forward Malachi Webb took his season's tally to a league-high 16 goals as he scored a hat-trick to power Benedict's past Malick.
Newly crowned premier division champions Fatima (40 points) also ended their league campaign on a winning note, as they blanked fellow North zone school St Mary's College by a 1-0 margin at the latter school's ground in St Clair to finish the season five points clear of their nearest rivals Benedict's. The Hutson Charles-coached team dropped just five points in 15 games this season, racking up an impressive 13 wins in the process.
A stone's throw away at QRC grounds on Serpentine Road in St Clair, the "Royalians" got a big boost heading into the intercol tournament as they blanked Arima North Secondary 2-0.
QRC, coached by former Soca Warriors captain Kenwyne Jones, shaded a tight affair in the first half but had nothing tangible to show for their efforts under overcast skies in St Clair. Arima playmaker Darion Marfan tested the wits of opposing goalkeeper Jaheim Affan with a long range free kick in the 20th minute. Meanwhile, on the half-hour mark, the hosts thought they had taken the lead but a close-range prod by defender Zakari King was ruled out for offside.
In the second half, the visiting Arima started the brighter of the two teams. On the hour mark, Arima's leading goal scorer Tyrell Stapleton crashed a first-time right-footed effort off the bar after a lovely display of skill down the flank by Mark Thomas. In the 66th minute, Arima central defender Garrick Thomas then shot wildly over the bar when the QRC defence failed to deal with a Marfan set piece.
Against the run of play in the second half, it would be QRC who managed to steal the three points with a pair of goals within the space of six minutes. In a QRC counter in the 71st minute, nippy striker Stephon James latched onto a through ball and fired a right-footed shot past Arima custodian Isaiah Diaz who lost his footing at the worst possible time.
Just a few moments later, Diaz had to pick the ball out of his net again, as QRC's all-action midfielder Tau Lamsee found the top corner with a peach of a free kick from just outside the area.
