The 2026 Dart Under 13 Boy’ high school football league came to an exhilarating conclusion this past week with Clifton Hunter High School (CHHS) lifting the Consolation Cup and St. Ignatius Catholic claiming the prestigious Champions Cup. Both finals didn’t just meet expectations they completely rewrote the definition of thrillers. On Wednesday, October 14 at the CIFA Field, CHHS defeated Cayman International School (CIS) Boys 13 Blue 3-1 in penalties (3-3 in regulation time) to lift the 2026 Dart Under 13 Boys’ Consolation Cup.
The game itself was a great advertisement for high school football as CHHS jumped into an early lead with Aeden Forde scoring in the very first minute. The young striker added a second in the 23rd minute before CIS’ Jack Henderson pulled a goal back in the 26th minute. CHHS quickly restored their two-goal lead as Tetsu Henderson struck in the 28th minute to make the score 3-1 in favour of the boys from Frank Sound. Expectations were high for the CHHS coaches as time ticked away but CIS showed their resilience as they reduced the deficit in the 30th minute with young Henderson grabbing his second goal of the game. With only a few minutes to go, CIS’ Charles Russell scored in the 55th minute to level the score at 3-3, much to CHHS astonishment. With high school finals going straight to penalties in the event of a tie following full time, the pressure was on for the kickers and goalkeepers.
Five or less penalties would settle this exciting affair. CHHS’s confidence shone through as they successfully slotted home their first three penalties while CIS stumbled and missed two of their three, thus ending the penalty shootout at 3-1 (3-3 in regulation time). If the Consolation Cup final was an exciting affair, the Dart Under 13 Boys’ Champions Cup final equalled and surpassed all levels of excitement. On Thursday, October 15, St. Ignatius Catholic battled Cayman Prep 13A at the Annex Field for the chance to be crowned 2026 Dart Under 13 Boys’ High School Football League champions. From the opening whistle, St. Ignatius were on the front foot as their talismanic number 7, Jayden Wambugo, controlled midfield proceedings, always on the move and looking for the ball.
Cayman Prep seemed more inclined to slow the ball down looking for gaps between the St. Ignatius defenders. In the 12th minute, St. Ignatius struck as Zach Salaveri opened the scoring with a free kick that eluded the grasp of the Prep goalkeeper. In the 20th minute, St. Ignatius doubled their lead as Phoenix Lacasse latched on to rebound to put his school firmly in the driver’s seat at 2-0. Following the halftime break, Cayman Prep emerged with a bit more vigour and their newly found energy paid off as Johnny Jones scored in the 43rd minute.
Revived and in search of the equalizer, Prep’s Cyrus Panton evened the score at 2-2 in the final minute. Just when it looked as if penalties would settle this encounter, St. Ignatius’ Wambugo netted the winner from a free kick in injury time to seal an historical 3-2 victory for the Catholic boys. On hand to present the Dart Cup and the Champions Cup winners and runners-up trophies was Dart representative Dave Scott Jr, himself a St. Ignatius Catholic alum. As Group A runners-up, St. Ignatius’ journey to the final included a 4-1 semi-final win over Group B winners John Gray High School, while Group A winners Cayman Prep 13A defeated Group B runners-up CF High School 4-1 in their semi-final. The 2026 Dart Under 13 high school football leagues conclude with the Dart Under 13 Girls’ Champions Cup games following the Mid-Term Break.