San Juan North coach: Our national intercol chances as good as any

SAN JUAN North Secondary coach Jerry Moe has said his charges are ready for all comers after they copped the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Coca-Cola boys' east zone intercol title at the Arima Velodrome on Wednesday evening.

Winners of the east zone intercol title from 2016-2019, San Juan got their revenge against a Trinity College East team which upset them in the 2022 finale as they got a 2-1 win in this year's final. The day was made even more memorable for the youngsters from Bourg Mulatresse as San Juan North got a penalty shootout win over Five Rivers Secondary in the preceding girls' east zone final.

"I think it was was a good day for San Juan North. The boys won and the girls won. Going forward, it will take a lot more work," Moe told Newsday, after his team defeated Trinity East.

"The girls' team put in a lot of work also. I can't just take all the fame. They pushed us and we pushed them, based on their success."

San Juan's last trip to the national intercol final came in 2019, when they were defeated by Presentation College (San Fernando), who got a stoppage-time winner from Jardel Sinclair in a 2-1 finish. Three years before, San Juan North lifted their last national intercol trophy when they got the better of Presentation by a 1-0 margin.

On their quest for another, San Juan's next challenge in this season will be a November 28 semifinal meeting against Fatima College – the winner of the north zone.

Moe, a veteran coach who also has years of experience with TT Premier Football League club Caledonia, said his charges are up to the task.

"Our chances are as good as any. I don't know who we will play yet. Whoever we play, it will be a formidable opponent and we will have to be ready for it.

"We just have to go back to the drawing board. We will enjoy the moment tonight, but come tomorrow we will start getting ready for the semifinals."

San Juan had an indifferent premier division campaign by their own lofty standards – finishing ninth in the 16-team table with six wins and eight losses in their 15 matches.

After falling behind to Trinity, who got a goal from their star player Khaleem Prince, San Juan showed their resolve, and first-half goals from Jelani Valentine and Jaheem Danclar saw them turn the game on its head.

"It definitely wasn't a bad season. Some people thought it was a bad (premier division) season," Moe said.

"For us, we needed to be a little more consistent. And we just changed around the player personnel. That's when the success started happening. It wasn't really about bringing in new players. The left back, Jaheem Danclar, he was the striker at the start of the season.

"It's just those little adjustments we made and it worked going forward."

As the stakes get higher, Moe's tactical and player adjustments will be tested as San Juan aim to taste national intercol glory again.