Two first-half goals from Riquelme Phillips and Sebastian James led Naparima College to the 2025 Premier Division title of the Secondary Schools Football League at Lewis Street, San Fernando on Thursday, when they defeated Signal Hill Secondary School 2-0 in a must-win clash.
It was the College fifth Premier Division crown for the southerners behind successful seasons in 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2025.
Either team would have been awarded the title with a win, but the toast of the afternoon went to Naparima, scoring early and holding off the challenges of their counterparts.
Coach Angus Eve credited the all-around support of his staff, his players, the principal and teachers, and all the supporting students of the institution for the success. However, they now face their southern arch-rivals, Presentation College, in the Coca-Cola South Zone InterCol final on Monday.
Presentation is one of just two teams to have beaten Naparima for the season, but it only motivated them in their remaining matches. Eve told the media after yesterday’s encounter that he will have to bring his charges down to the reality of the coming match on Monday.
The Tobagonians made a daring climb from the lower half of the 16-team standings to move all the way to the second position, courtesy of an inferior goal difference to Naparima, with both teams on 34 points. Hampered by a series of postponed matches, the Tobagonians, who are multiple-time winners of the schools’ league title under coach Bertille St Clair and former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke, were made to play some six matches in three weeks to bring them on par with the other teams.
However, the toll of the matches appeared to have had an immediate effect on the players yesterday. Defender Jaquon De Four failed to get distance on his clearance, and the ball fell for Phillips to pounce on the loose ball past goalkeeper Kaleb Romeo for the opener, 1-0.
It was not the start the Tobagonians had hoped for, but a season whose difficulties were tripled by the lack of a recovery period for 14-, 15-, and 16-year-olds. Signal Hill’s metal was once again put to the test. Still, their offer on the field had the southerners backing in intervals. Signal Hill was later pegged back even further in the 19th minute.
This time, from a free kick on top of the Signal Hill goal area in the 19th minute, the ball was flicked down the left flank for Jabari Rodriguez to deliver the ball to the centre of the goal area for Sebastian James to connect one time with the right foot, past Romeo a second time for the 2-0 lead.
The goal was sufficient to take the teams to the interval before the Tobagonians returned, fighting for survival. Following a 5-2 victory over Malick in their last match at home, the Tobagonians were asked to come from behind this time, which proved to be anything but a problem when the prolific Emmanuel Wright curled the ball from a free kick onto the crossbar in the 65th minute, but luck didn’t favour them.
However, they would not be denied. Wright was brought down in the Naparima penalty area, and the referee had no choice but to point to the penalty spot in the 80th minute, where Raevion Marshall stepped up and smashed the ball into the roof of the goal for a 2-1 margin. The Tobagonians fought for their lives in the remaining moments, but time was not on their side as the crowd erupted into wild celebrations at the sound of the referee’s whistle.
The result meant that last year’s champions, Fatima College, secured the fifth-place finish on 32 points, while Signal Hill claimed the third-place spot after a victory in the protest room against St Augustine that took them to 34 points. St Augustine failed to make it to the sister isle to face Signal Hill in early November.
The Tobagonians protested, and a three-man disciplinary committee ruled in favour of the Tobagonians on Monday. However, Guardian Media Sports was told that the matter has been appealed by the St Augustine lads.
YESTERDAY’S RESULTS
Naps 2 (Riquelme Phillips 7th, Sebastian James 19th) vs Signal Hill 1 (Raevion Marshall 80th)
Pres 3 (Roshaun Doobay 7th, Nikosi Foncette 41st, Kwesi Seales 53rd) vs Trinity Moka 2 (Jadon Samuel 54th, Kevez Quintero 67th)
St Benedict’s 5 (Josiah Ochoa 23rd, Elijah David 31st, Adam Pierre 56th, Orande Parris 68th, Ruben Phillip 74th) vs Trinity East 0
Fatima 3 (Jeremiah Nanton 70th, Jonathan Mason 82nd, Raymond Dayal 90+4) vs Malick 1 (Anest De Silva 2nd)
Latest Standings
P*Team*P*W*D*L*GF*GA*GD*Pts
1.Naparima*15*12*1*2*42*8*34*37
2.St Benedict’s*15*12*0*3*46*14*32*36
3.Signal Hill*15*11*1*3*48*17*31*34
4.Presentation*15*11*1*3*40*11*29*34
5.Fatima*15*10*2*3*49*25*24*32
6.St Anthony’s*15*8*1*6*30*25*5*25
7.Arima North*15*6*4*5*34*27*7*22
8.Trinity Moka*15*7*2*6*31*35*-4*23
9.QRC*15*5*4*6*23*25*-2*19
10.St. Mary’s*15*5*3*7*31*23*8*18
11.Trinity East*15*4*1*10*21*55*-34*13
12.Malick*15*3*3*9*30*43*-13*12
13.St Augustine*14*3*3*8*16*43*-27*12
14.San Juan North*14*2*5*7*22*26*-4*11
15.Scarborough*14*2*5*7*18*36*-18*11
16.Carapichaima East*15*0*0*15*7*72*-65*0
