Mardela High School's Bermudian football coach, Kimandi Binns, is cautiously optimistic his charges can break their jinx against arch rivals and State Champions Pocomoke High School when the US-based teams meet in the regional quarter-finals.

Pocomoke came from a goal down to edge Mardela 2-1 in last year's regional final to book passage to a fifth-straight appearance in the State Championship, which they eventually won.

Mardela have yet to register a win against Pocomoke during Binns' watch and were decisively beaten 3-0 by their rivals on the road during a regular season clash earlier this month.

The Maryland-based school are seeded seventh in the play-offs this year and will enter next Tuesday's away clash as rank underdogs, having only managed three wins during the regular season.

Yet despite his team's poor run of form in the league, former North Village player Binns believes with the right mental approach his men can rise to meet the challenge and progress to the regional semi-finals for the fourth straight year.

"With good preparation we can pull off a serious upset and go onto the regional semi-finals. There is no love lost between us. We have played them (Pocomoke) in two of the last three regional finals and I'm tired of losing to them," said the University of Maryland Eastern Shores Sports hall of famer.