A hat-trick from Roger Kirk on Friday secured Blanchisseuse Secondary's spot in this year's Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Championship Division "Big 5" playoffs.
Blanchisseuse (26 points) got a 4-1 win over Diego Martin Central to clinch the North Zone Championship crown, staving off the threat of Trinity College Moka (25 points) by a solitary point on the final day.
Trinity got a 3-0 victory in their final game of the league campaign against Tranquillity Secondary, but it was not enough to wrest the north crown from the firm grip of the unbeaten Blanchisseuse team.
In the "Big 5" playoffs, the five zonal winners will be competing for three spots to gain promotion for the 2024 SSFL premier division season. The other four teams confirmed as zonal winners are St Augustine Secondary (East), Signal Hill Secondary (Tobago), Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School (Central) and Moruga Secondary (South).
In the South zone, Moruga (30 points) finished the season with a perfect record as they rattled off a tenth straight win on Friday, getting a 3-1 victory over Siparia West Secondary. Second-placed team Ste Madeleine Secondary (24 points) ended their league campaign with an exciting 3-2 win over ASJA Boys College (San Fernando) at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella. Khalil Perez, Adriel Asseviero and Tyrell Dyeth scored for Ste Madeleine.
In the Central zone, Miracle Ministries celebrated their own zonal feat as they defeated Carapichaima West Secondary by a 5-3 margin in a thriller. Jabari Rodriguez scored a hat-trick for Miracle Ministries. Judah Chinapoo and Kyle Holder got the other goals for the boys from Couva. Miracle Ministries contested the "Big 5" playoffs last year after winning the Central zone,Tyrese but they were unable to seal promotion to the premier division. This year, they will aim to go one step further.
At the University of TT (UTT) O'Meara Campus, captain Tyrese Andrews and his St Augustine team were able to lift the zonal trophy as they played to a 2-2 draw with Valencia Secondary. Elijah Baptiste and Jahmarley Caleb scored the goals for the "Green Machine," who are aiming to make a swift return to the premier division after being relegated last season. St Augustine (23 points) clinched the East crown on Tuesday after a 1-0 win over Holy Cross College.
Tobago's Signal Hill also booked their "Big 5" place on Tuesday, as they got a thumping 5-0 win over Roxborough Secondary to pull away from the reach of Scarborough Secondary and the chasing pack to lift the Tobago title.
The start date for the "Big 5" is still to be finalised by the SSFL.
SOURCE: T&T Newsday
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