-Kern DeFreitas (Trinidad Express)

Naparima College and Presentation College San Fernando will renew their South Zone rivalry in today’s Coca Cola InterCol zonal final at Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella from 4 p.m.

Their motives for wanting the trophy are very different.

For Naparima, re-establishing themselves as the dominant force in the South Zone and on the national stage is priority, along with grabbing their first trophy of the year.

Their Val Turton/Carl Osborne Foundation arch-rivals, ’Pres’, want to make up for a lost opportunity after losing the Secondary Schools Football League ’Big Five’ final. They are also keen to share in the success ’Naps’ have brought to the South Zone in recent years.

The match has special significance for Pres coach Shawn Cooper, who is not only a ’Pres Sando’ alum, he is also a former Naparima College coach who has shared in their successes--which include a six-year reign as South Zone League champs from 2003-2008--before taking up the challenge on the Presentation bench two years ago.

Cooper is looking for a ’bit of revenge’ against Naparima, who edged Pres on kicks from the penalty spot last season after a 0-0 scoreline, and 2-1 a year before that, with a last-gasp injury time goal.

’What I could say is it’s going to be a magnificent final,’ Cooper told the Express yesterday, ’because both camps are gearing up for the game. I think both teams are well prepared and they are looking forward to defending their title, we are trying to lift it out of their hands.’

The ’confident’ Pres head coach is expecting a tough battle and his team is still smarting from the humbling 2-0 loss to St Augustine Secondary in the Big Five final. He described his biggest challenge as getting his team mentally focussed on their task and expects a win from them if they do so.

’Other tournaments still had to be won. That was part of the problem against St Augustine,’ Cooper admitted.

Cooper said it is important for his team to get something from the match and sweep the South Zone, and acknowledged that their League success means nothing, with the finite nature of the InterCol.

’They will try their best to not reach another final and not get anything (from it).’

Dunstan Williams, Cooper’s opposite number, wants to beat Presentation for the first time this year, after a 1-1 draw and a 2-0 loss against them in their two encounters this year.

’The rivalry is there, but we’re going to play attractive football and hopefully come away with our first trophy for the year,’ Williams stated.

Williams attributed Naparima’s poor run of form--which followed a lead halfway through the League--to a loss of some players during the season to national duty, as well as missed opportunities.

Things are looking up now, he assured.

’Now the guys are a little more settled, the team is together, and we have worked very hard the last couple of weeks.’

The last bit of motivation for the Naps players is their departure last year at the hands of St Anthony’s College at the quarter-final round, just two matches away from a chance for a national sweep.

’It is a big incentive (to win this year), not only because we had a poor League season, but last year we didn’t put our best foot forward in the National InterCol as well. This group want to prove to the country that we should have been in the InterCol final last year.’

Whichever team wins today, both will have a shot at the National title.