Jamaica College to test mettle at Corporate Area Champs

JAMAICA College's (JC) track and field team has been in dominant form all season, both on the track and in the field, and the Old Hope Road team is ready to topple arch-rivals Kingston College (KC) from the pinnacle of high school boys' track and field.

The North Street team are defending champions of both the Corporate Area and the ISSA Boys' and Girls' Championships and, starting this weekend at home, the Duane Johnson-coached team will be hoping to put a dent in KC's pride at the two-day Corporate Championships , which begin on Friday at Ashenheim Stadium, JC.

Johnson is upbeat going into the championships as he prepares to show the depth of his team in what is expected to be task number one ahead of the ISSA Boys' and Girls' Championships next month.

STAR Sports caught up with a very confident Johnson two days before the Corporate Area Championships, and he spoke about his team's expectations over the two days.

EXPECTATIONS

"The Corporate Areal Championships is very important to us this year. We see it as a critical assessment point on the road to the ISSA Boys' and Girls' Championships in March. It gives us a valuable opportunity to evaluate where we are as a team -- technically, physically, and mentally -- and to identify the areas that still need sharpening," said Johnson.

"It also provides a platform for some of the boys who may not currently be in our frontline line-up to step forward and make a statement. Depth wins championships, and this meet allows us to test our depth under pressure."

JC have never won the Corporate Area Championships, and Johnson is hoping for that to change.

"Historically, we have never won the Corporate Area title. The closest we came was in 2021, the same year we went on to win the Boys' Championships. Ironically, we lost regionals to Kingston College by 13 points that year, and we did not contest the jumps, which showed us how crucial every single event is in a championship setting," he stated.

"So for us, this meet is about testing the mettle of our boys. It's about competitive readiness, discipline, and championship habits. We want to see resilience, execution, and hunger. The results will give us a clear picture of what adjustments need to be made as we prepare for the ultimate goal in March," he said.