Coach Cooper praises ‘Pres Lions’

The team, dubbed “Presentation College Lions” have been flawless in their campaign and have since amassed a full 30pts on the zonal standings. To date, the dominant team has scored approximately 44 goals and has conceded four. Fully focussed on the zonal title and the coming League and Intercol games, Cooper revealed that his team has been playing as a well-knit and cohesive football unit.

“We have been playing as a connected team and our communication on the field of play must be sharp at all times. Our defensive line, mid-field and forwards are an all-round bunch who understand each other very well. The players’ health is the most important asset for us at this time. Once our players remain healthy, we can go to maximum potential,” he explained.

Today, Presentation will play their penultimate zonal match against second- placed Shiva Boys, who are on 25pts and still have a game-in-hand. Once “Pres” can scrape a win or draw result in this match, they will be crowned South Zone champions, no matter what result is derived in Wednesday’s final meeting against Pleasantville Secondary.

However, Shiva Boys can create a major upset today, if they do pull off a much-needed win against the zone leaders. If the Penal-based team emerges victorious in today’s clash, they will have to ensure another win in their final game to cement their place atop the zonal standings.

But, Cooper held in high regard the commitment and determination of his youthful team and was confident in their abilities for today’s clash. He also commended the fusion of experience and younger team members for playing a key role in the school’s competitive consistency.

“We lost four of our main players last year and we probably have the smallest team in the country. Other schools have approximately 25 players, we just have 18. We also did not draft in any new players this year. The younger ones and the former players have been gelling nicely and we do a lot of rotations with the players on the field. We also have a football programme we host on Sundays for students from Form One to Four.

Here, their athletic levels are carefully evaluated and a selected list is then promoted to the senior school team,” he added.

With the South Zone title just one game away, Presentation College have also projected their competitive thinking into the League and Intercol-legs of the competition. The team’s head coach expressed high levels of optimism going into this part of the tournament and affirmed the importance of a healthy and fit squad.

“Once the guys are healthy, we can achieve even greater things than just the South Zone. That’s our main priority, that the guys remain healthy. We also don’t want them peaking too early in the tournament, when we get further (in the competition) we’ll need as much as we can. Pertaining to the Intercol, we’ll just have to take it one game at a time. We have a good mix of talent,” he continued.

Cooper also lauded his loyal managerial staff for showing great support and faith in the well-groomed football contingent. He openly acknowledged former Naparima College coach (now Presentation assistant coach) Dunstan Williams and the school’s technical director Brian Williams for playing significant roles in assuring the team’s success.

Cooper concluded, “We have a such a unique team this year. Forwards can play mid-fielder roles, mid-fielders can play defensively, our players can pick up for one another. They really are a great football unit.”