BSSAC Update: St Michael School Emerges as Strong Contender in Both Boys' and Girls' Divisions

The Barbados Secondary Schools’ Athletic Championship (BSSAC) isn’t going to be a one man show.

While Combermere still remain in control of the boys’ division, the St Michael School are now the ones to beat among the girls, having wrestled control from Combermere at the end of the second and final semifinal on Tuesday.

Combermere entered the day leading both divisions, with high hopes of heading into Thursday and Friday’s two final days with the strong possibility of doing the double.

However, to do so they will have to get past St Michael, whose 94.5 points have propelled them to the front of the girls’ division. Combermere is a close second on 89 points while the Alleyne School is in third position with 80 points.

The lads from Waterford (116 points) are still in command of the boys’ division, however, with second placed Queen’s College some 24 points behind (92 points) and Harrison College third on 87 points.

Trailing Combermere by seven points at the end of Monday’s first semifinal, St Michael picked up 12.5 valuable points in the Under-15 girls’ high jump final, while their arch-rivals gathered none.

They did so thanks to Shania Mottley who claimed gold with a leap of 1.56 metres, while her teammate Sarama James finished tied sixth to earn 2.5 points.

Queen’s College’s Jazara Lavine and Shamyra Scantlebury of Springer Memorial finished second and third respectively after they both cleared 1.47 metres.

Harrison College continued their dominance in the distance events when Zindzele Renwick-Williams swept to victory in the junior boys’ 3000 metres in a time of 11:19.61, well ahead of Nathan Carew of St George Secondary (11:35.23), with St Leonard’s Boys’ Jayden Springer winning bronze in 11:35.51.

Meanwhile, Eliezer Williams of Coleridge and Parry copped gold in the Under-15 boys’ long jump with his effort measured at 6.06 metres. Josiah Gill of Queen’s College was second with a leap of 5.99m and Christ Church Foundation’s Tyrell Clarke third in 5.82m.

In the Under-13 boys’ high jump final, Nathan Redman of St Leonard’s Boys’ jumped his way to the gold medal with his 1.50 metres effort. Davonte Greene of Lester Vaughan (1.44m) and the St Michael School’s Brent Lashley (1.38m), finished second and third respectively.

Aragorn Straker of Combermere will be the favourite to do the sprint double after clocking the fastest time in the Under-20 boys’ 200 metres.

Straker’s time of 21.59 to win Heat 2, was comfortably ahead of Heat 1 winner Ke’iron Haynes of Lodge (21.87) as well as Christ Church Foundation’s Jayden Green, whose time of 21.90 was good enough to clinch Heat 3.

The Under-17 boys’ 200 metres final will be a mouthwatering contest with Jahkye Brewster of Lodge (22.70), Coleridge and Parry’s Geovanny Lee (22.74), Ethan McCollin of St Michael (22.83) and Harrison College’s Aidan Moore (22.87) headed for a titanic showdown.

randybennett@barbadostoday.bb