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Known for their prowess in cricket, especially this past season, when their under-16s shared the title with Manchester High and their Headley Cup team made it to the semi-finals, Tacky High's ISSA/WATA daCosta Cup coach, David Pryce, expects that they will progress deep into schoolboy football competition.

In the preliminary round of the competition, Tacky, situated in Gayle, St Mary, topped their group ahead of St Mary High to advance to the second round, where they will meet Cedric Titus at Drax Hall on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The return leg will be played at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

"This is the second year in a row we have topped our group. It was 16 years ago the school last achieved this feat.

"Last year we were beaten by Glenmuir in the second round, but this time around we expect a much better result, and the boys are ready for their second-round match against Cedric Titus, who we think are good," Pryce said in a recent interview with STAR Sports.

DOMINANT TEAM

Tacky dominated their zone early with a winning streak, before suffering back-to-back defeats from Horace Clarke and St Mary High. They returned to winning ways to finish the group stage.

"Those defeats were a blessing in disguise, as the guys were getting complacent. That shook them up somewhat. It really helped in making the necessary adjustments for the next stage. The objective we set out at the start of the season was definitely going into the next round," Pryce said.

He believes their 40 goals in the season is a testament to their most substantial area on the pitch so far.

"The team has scored plenty of goals, and this is definitely the team's strength. We have to work some more in the defensive area to make the team more complete," he stated.

The coach singled out some players he thinks have made their mark this season.

"I think striker Giovanni McLean, who has scored some 13 goals, has been excellent, along with Romario Gibbs, who had some 28 assists; and with Deandre Jackson and former St Mary High player Jevaughn Davis, (they) have been our standout players throughout the season," Pryce said.

He praised the school community for the support given to the programme.

"The support in this area is good, led by principal and sports master Mr Errol Bascoe and Javeen Hinds, the team's manager. Hinds keeps the team together, being the dorm master, and he also helps prepare the meals for the players," said Pryce.

He is in his second stint as coach, having returned last year after two years at the helm in 2017-2018.