South, Tobago intercol winners to be decided November 22

The south and Tobago zones will decide their zonal winners when action in the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Coca-Cola intercol competition continues on November 22.

In the south zone, the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva will be the venue for the pair of final showdowns, with Pleasantville Secondary and Moruga Secondary getting things started with their girls' final from 3.30 pm. Pleasantville are the girls' national intercol holders, and having already progressed to the 2024 girls' Big 5 final against Five Rivers Secondary, they will be keen to add another title to their trophy cabinet.

In the boys' south zone intercol final from 5.30 pm in Couva, St Benedict's College will play Naparima College. Benedict's finished atop the 2024 premier division table after an impressive unbeaten season. However, they haven't been able to savour the taste of that championship just yet as football stakeholders wait with bated breath for the league's ruling on the eligibility of Benedict's star Derrel Garcia, who finished as the premier division top-scorer with 17 goals.

Whatever the off-field troubles may be, Garcia continues to be a shining light on the field, and it was his first-half hat-trick which propelled Benedict's to a big 6-0 win over Pleasantville in the south semis on November 15.

For "Naps," who defeated outgoing national intercol champions Presentation College (San Fernando) via kicks from the penalty spot in their semi, they will be keen to keep an eye on the nippy Garcia.

In Tobago, rivals Scarborough Secondary and Signal Hill Secondary will battle for supremacy in both the boys' and girls' intercol finals.

From 3.30 pm at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, Tobago, the Scarborough girls will aim to defend their zonal intercol title. In the Tobago semifinals on Monday, Scarborough got a 2-0 win against Bishop's High School, with Trinidad and Tobago youth player and the SSFL's reigning girls' Player of the Year J'Eleisha Alexander bagging a brace.

In the other semifinal, Signal Hill romped to a 6-0 triumph over Roxborough Secondary, with Kaleah Duke scoring a hat-trick and Leia-Marie Balfour netting a brace.

The boys' final will be played from 5.30 pm. Scarborough advanced to the final after defeating outgoing zonal champs Speyside High School on penalties, with Signal Hill brushing aside Bishop's by a 2-0 margin.

When the final ball is kicked in anger in Tobago, one of Scarborough and Signal Hill will be hoping to celebrate a zonal double.