Defending champions Excelsior buoyed by newcomers

Keon Broderick, head coach of defending Manning Cup champions Excelsior High School, says that although preparations for the upcoming schoolboy football season have not gone exactly as planned, he remains confident that his team will be ready when the competition kicks off this month.

The Mountain View-based school ended a 21-year wait for the Manning Cup title last season by defeating Jamaica College 2-0 in the final. Excelsior then completed the schoolboy football double by beating daCosta Cup champions St Elizabeth Technical High School by the same scoreline in the Olivier Shield.

However, Excelsior will enter the new season without several key players, including leading goalscorer Kimarley Scott, Terrence Williams, Cavan Salmon and Demario White.