Presentation's Isaiah Jacob sinks 'Saints' with hat-trick; Fatima go to SSFL summit

Nineteen-year-old Presentation College San Fernando captain Isaiah "Baby Hulk" Jacob continues to be a nuisance for defenders in the 2025 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) premier division season, and his excellence was on full display once again on October 8 when he scored a second-half hat-trick to lead his team to a 4-2 win over St Mary's College on Serpentine Road, in St Clair.

In Jacob, the "Pres Lions" have certainly struck gold this season as the tricky forward has scored a whopping 13 of his school's 17 goals this season, keeping them close to the title challengers as they are currently third on the 16-team table with 18 points from seven games.

With Presentation's rivals Naparima College (18 points) inactive on this matchday because of the postponement of an appetising clash with St Benedict's College (12 points), premier division holders Fatima College (19 points) took full advantage as they moved to the top of the table with a 3-1 victory away to a San Juan North Secondary team which drifted into the relegation zone. National youth players Seth Hadeed, Raegan Rowe and lanky striker Phillip Nelson scored to take the 2024 league champs to the summit as they maintained their unbeaten run this season.

In sluggish conditions in St Clair, St Mary's didn't have the same luck in extending their unbeaten streak as they ran into a Presentation team who were led by a determined Jacob.

Through the first 45 minutes, Jacob was still to flex his muscles in the contest, as the teams went into the break tied at 1-1 after Nadeem Grant's neat first-time finish at the back post cancelled out Presentation's scrappy 33rd-minute opener from national youth midfielder Nikosi Foncette.

Early in the second half, both teams flirted with scoring the go-ahead goal as Presentation goalie Marcelo Phillip fumbled a left-side corner in the 49th minute, with Josiah Superville making a brilliant near-post save at the other end seconds later to stop Jacob from a tight angle.

The league's runaway leading scorer couldn't be kept at bay for long, though, as he scored with a beautiful right-footed curler into the top corner from the edge of the area in the 54th minute after Foncette headed a Jimally Renne free kick into his path. Just eight minutes later, Jacob made it 3-1 to the visitors when he punished the Saints defence for failing to deal with a tame swipe at goal by Josiah Bain.

St Mary's were in desperate need of a lifeline which came in the 66th minute when playmaker Finn De Freitas left a defender for dead in the area before calmly slotting past Phillip. The boys in blue and white simply couldn't live with Jacob's movement and deadly finishing, and he gave his team a 4-2 lead in the 76th with a right-footed shot which he arrowed into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

St Mary's did have another chance to get back into the contest in the 83rd minute, but Eran McLeod had his penalty well-saved by Phillip to end any thoughts of a late Saints rally.

Also in St Clair, Queen's Royal College (16 points) moved from fifth to fourth when they defeated the "Green Machine" of St Augustine 4-1 thanks to a Jasai Theophilus double. Elsewhere, Trinity College East (six points) earned their second win of the season when a late Dexter Croal goal gave them a thrilling 4-3 result over Malick Secondary, with Kyle James scoring a brace to help Signal Hill Secondary (six points) hand the cellar-placed Caripichaima East Secondary their eighth straight loss. Arima North Secondary (ten points) and St Anthony's College (seven points) played to a 1-1 draw at the Arima Velodrome after trading goals in the 15th and 16th minutes of the match.

Standings:

Team*GP*W*D*L*GF*GA*GD*Pts

Fatima*7*6*1*0*22*9*13*19

Naparima*6*6*0*0*20*1*19*18

Presentation (Sando)*7*6*0*1*17*6*11*18

QRC*8*5*1*2*16*12*4*16

St Mary's College*8*3*4*1*25*14*11*13

St Benedict's*6*4*0*2*16*8*8*12

Arima North*8*2*4*2*15*14*1*10

St Augustine*7*2*3*2*9*14*-5*9

St Anthony's College*5*2*1*2*16*10*6*7

Signal Hill*4*2*0*2*14*7*7*6

Trinity Moka*7*2*0*5*11*21*-10*6

Trinity East*7*2*0*5*9*26*-17*6

Malick*7*1*2*4*16*18*-2*5

San Juan North*6*1*2*3*12*16*-4*5

Scarborough*7*0*2*5*7*24*-17*2

Carapichaima East*8*0*0*8*5*29*-24*0