Trendsetter Hawks cop Republic Youth League titles

TRENDSETTER Hawks are the 2019 under-11 and under-13 Republic Cup National Youth Football League champions.

The Hawks went up against Pro Series at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo this morning, in an intense under-11 match that led to penalty kicks after it remained goalless up to normal time. Jahseem Pierre copped the penalty to give the Hawks their 4-3 win.

The action did not stop there as their under-13 squad went on to trounce Tobago's Jaric Titans 6-1. Hawks' Ryan Radellant started it off with an early goal in the 17th minute. Chris Roberts responded with a goal for the Titans but Hawks struck back as Antonio Sealy doubled their lead in the 29th minute. Zion Harley, Andel Fraser and Shavani Thompson also added their names to the scoresheet for the Hawks.

Head coach, Anthony "Dada" Wickham said he felt elated about the results and said the coaches will continue to push for youth development through sport in East Port of Spain.

Wickham said, "The youths just come out here to have fun, other than just coming here to compete, we try to encourage them to enjoy themselves because as one person said, 'A football friend is a friend forever', and over the period of the league that we played, they have have continued to make friends. This is what it is all about, building that camaraderie and that love and respect for one another."

The Hawks also won the under-17 title in June after defeating Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 3-0.