_{Sadie Vernon Technical boys}

by William Ysaguirre (freelance reporter)

BELIZE CITY, Mon. Feb. 10, 2025

The Anglican Cathedral College (ACC) and Wesley College boys teams both enjoyed big wins in the Central Secondary Schools Sports Association (CSSSA) football tournament at the Marion Jones Sports Complex with 2 matches played on Saturday afternoon, February 8.

In Game 1, undefeated Anglican Cathedral College boys enjoyed their 3rd victory, 3-1, over the St. John’s College boys with goals by Dennis Smith (24’), Raymond Bowen (25’) and Raidon Alvarez (53’), to lead their Group B into the playoffs, where they will challenge 2023 champions, the Wesley College boys, who ranked 2nd in Group A. Only Daijon Jones (56’) scored for St. John’s, but he was ejected from the game with a 2nd yellow card and will miss the crucial game against Sadie Vernon.

In the scheduled Game 2, the defending champions Gwen Lizarraga boys got the easy bye to a 3-0 win, when the Belize High School boys were a no-show for their scheduled match. The Gwen Liz boys lead Group A and will challenge the 2nd ranked team from Group B, to be decided by the outcome of the St. John’s College match vs Sadie Vernon Tech on Monday evening.

In Game 3, the Wesley College boys posted their 2nd win when they outlasted Excelsior High in a very competitive match, as Esmond “Bagger” Sanker’s brace (62’ & 68’) tied the ball game, after Davion Cacho (34’) and Dejaun Baptist (57’) had given Wesley a 2-0 lead. In the final moments of the game, the Excelsior defense conceded a corner kick, and Jahvyn Clarke’s header (70’) found the back of the net with the winning goal.

Today, Monday, the Sadie Vernon Technical boys enjoyed their first win, 4-0, over the St. John’s Wildcats in the back match played this evening, February 10. They were led by Kenard Armstrong’s brace (9’ & 60’) and other goals by Devon August (48’) and Kent Nunez (58’). Thus, the Sadie Vernon boys qualified to the playoffs with 4 pts, over the Wildcats, who had only 3 pts from a single win.

Semifinals on Tuesday, February 11:
ACC vs Wesley College
Gwen Lizarraga High vs Sadie Vernon Tech
The winners of Tuesday’s semifinals will contest the finals on Saturday afternoon, February 15, while the losers will play for 3rd place in the morning.