President of the Hanover Charity Football Association Michael Reid (right), presents the Leading Goalscorer trophy to Horace Maxwell of Rusea's during the awards ceremony at the school's auditorium on Saturday night. - Photo by Claudia Gardner

Lucea, Hanover:

The Emerson 'Diggy' Henry-coached Rusea's High School was the toast of Saturday night's Hanover Charity Football Association's official presentation ceremony in Lucea, following their 4-0 defeat of Green Island High School earlier in the afternoon in the finals of the Hanover High Schools Challenge Cup competition.

Rusea's were led to what was their first football championship title of the year, with a goal each from the imposing midfielder Roydel Moncrieffe and Keniel Brown and a double strike from the hard-running Horace Maxwell.

Rusea's took home the Hanover High Schools Challenge Cup, the Colin Miller Champions Shield and the winners prize of $50,000 cash, while Green Island took home $20,000 and the second place trophy.

In the sectional awards of that competition, Green Island High School goalkeeper Randre Graham was awarded Best Goalkeeper; the Most Outstanding Defender award went to the dimunitive Garfield Duncan of Rusea's; while the Leading Goalscorer Award also went to a Rusea's player, Horace Maxwell, who scored three goals in his team's two games. All players received medals, while all sectional awardees received cash prizes and trophies.

LHS Trophy

There was also much fanfare in the Rusea's High School auditorium where the ceremony was held as presentations for the recent Lloyd H. Stewart football tournament, which was won by Prosper FC of Lucea who beat Elgin Town FC 1-0 in that finals to capture the $30,000 winners prize and the LHS Trophy.

In the sectional awards of the LHS football competition, Chambers Pen FC took home the Best Dressed team award; Omar Nelson of Prosper captured the leading goalscorer award; Julian Titus of Prosper received the Most Valuable Player award and the most disciplined team award went to Central FC who committed the fewest infringements during the tournament.

A special presentation was also made to 68-year-old Derrick Malcolm, one of Hanover's pioneering footballers who was lauded among the Hanoverians who stamped their class in their domination of local football between the 1960s to the 1970s for the Boys Brigade FC.

Malcolm, who hails from Prosper Road in Lucea, regularly attends football matches in the town with the younger footballers and was lauded as one of Hanover's best defenders of all time.

Both competitions were sponsored by Hanoverian Lloyd 'Bagga' Stewart who hails from Johnson Town in Lucea.

- C.G.