A new-look San Juan North Secondary School team will try to defend their Secondary Schools Football League East Zone crown when the season kicks off this afternoon. But this will be a tough task considering the loss of so many of their key players.
Fraser noted that it was indeed "a very new team," with the average age of the players being 17 years old and with just three boys returning to the squad from last season.
He indicated that it was too early to assess the team's strengths and weaknesses but noted the inclusion of defender Dariel Apparicio who was in the team last year. His experience is expected play a key role in holding the defence together while San Juan try to find their footing.
At the other end of the East Zone spectrum, Trinity College East will be trying to up the ante in 2009 despite having lost some of their players from last season who helped them survive their first year in the top flight.
Trinity East finished fifth last season and were knocked out of InterCol in the first round. But the team's manger Nigel Ojagir insisted that it was a learning experience and hopes that the players returning from last season can go on to help the team reach higher heights this term.
Ojagir said: "Most of the senior players have moved on and the younger ones who played one or two matches last season will now have to step up and come to the fore and some of the players who you did not see last year will get a chance this season."
Some of the of the more experienced players in the team include attacking midfielder Jan-Paul Aqui-Blanc and defensive mid-fielder Akinkhu Trotman. These players are expected to bring some of their experience from last season to the team and the manager hopes that their development over the course of last season will take the team forward this year.
Ojagir added: "This team is a more balanced squad from the one that finished fifth last season and we are hoping to come in third or fourth (this) season and further develop the team and move up in the league and try to make it at least to the quarter-finals of the InterCol tournament...We are definitely looking for a stronger run this season."
Sangre Grande Secondary are the newcomers this time around and they will certainly be looking to make their presence known to the established teams.
Their coach Merlin Alexander, who is currently recuperating from illness, had expected to field a very strong team this season but poor results in exams have forced five key players out of the squad.
"We have had some good preparation so far and the assistant coach Curtis James has been doing a good job with the team," Alexander noted nevertheless.
"I have not been with the team over the last six weeks but they have been doing training in the gym and some running so we expect a very fit team and we are hoping to be one of the surprise teams in the zone," he added.
Anothergood run is also expected from St Augustine Secondary, the 2006 zonal and national league champs, who have one of the more experienced teams in the Zone, having retained their two national Under-17 players, Vernell Ramirez and Xavion Navaro and brought in a few new faces to the fill the gap left by outgoing skipper Oswald Wyllie defender Emmanuel Alexander and goalkeeper Vaughn Charles.
The team will still be a force to be reckoned with though, with the replacements coming up from the competitive under-16 level as well as moving from the bench onto the field.
"Gustine" coach Michael Grayson said his team is a fairly balanced one with a strong midfield led by their national Under-17 representatives. He said: "The team is where they need to be right now in terms of their fitness and preparation.
"The team just completed the annual camp over the weekend and are fit and ready for action. There were some small injuries but the team should be ready for the kickoff on Thursday."
The other teams in the zone include El Dorado East Secondary who had their moments last season, defeating both San Juan and St Augustine in the League, and they will be seeking some more consistency this year after bowing out of the RBTT InterCol to Toco Secondary on penalties last season.
Arima North Secondary are the other school in the Zone and kick off at home against San Juan.
All matches kick off at 3:45 p.m.
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