Kingston College and St Catherine High will contest the final of the ISSA Digicel Manning Cup following wins over Hydel High and Jamaica College respectively at the National Stadium on Tuesday.

Kingston College (KC) blanked Hydel High 2-0 while St Catherine bettered Jamaica College (JC) 5-3 on penalties after battling to a 1-1 draw in normal time.

KC and St Catherine High will play the final on Friday inside the National Stadium. Guyanese Matrim Martin netted both goals for KC scoring in the 16^th and 90+1 minutes sending the famed Purples to their second final since 2021.

It was also sweet revenge for KC which was eliminated at the semi-final by Hydel in 2023. This was their eighth straight semifinal appearance.

Vassell Reynolds, who won the daCosta Cup with Ruseas High in 2017, and the Walker Cup and Flow Super Cup with Wolmer’s Boys in 2015 and 2016, said he was excited to be in yet another final.

“Thrilling to say the least, especially after reaching the semi in the first year of a three-year programme,” he told Our Today. “This speaks of growth and continuity. The environment as you know is very tough and challenging and calls for dedication, will and focus and those situations make the feeling more pleasing.”

Meanwhile, Hydel’s coach Devon Anderson said his team just cannot score inside the stadium at this stage of the competition.

“We create opportunity enough for us to go over that hump. We never finish. I mean, it’s like Hydel can’t score a goal in the National Stadium,” said a frustrated Anderson. “I mean, we have been here, I think, three or four times without scoring a goal. But you know goals win match and we didn’t execute.”

Meanwhile, in the first encounter, St Catherine High stunned JC 5-3 on penalties and booked their first Manning Cup final. JC only had themselves to blame as they squandered at least three clearcut opportunities despite looking sluggish throughout.

Romaine Walters gave St Catherine a 12^th-minute lead from the penalty spot but Nashordo Gibbs pulled JC levelled in minute 41 with a simple tap-in from close range.

St Catherine, which looked like they were playing for penalties kicked first and scored all five spot kicks, and they were perfect as Romaine Walters, Nathel Ellis, Dwight Gentles, Josh Reid and Kadean Young all scored.

JC scored their first three kicks through Dontae Logan, Dyllan John and Javaun Mills but fourth kicker Jahmarley Bennett hit the crossbar as the St Catherine players celebrated.