After a season of intense competition, winners have emerged from the 2025 Appleby under-18 high school football leagues.
Cayman Prep and High School reclaimed the boy’s league title, while Cayman International School (CIS) successfully defended their crown in the girl’s division.
The boys’ tournament utilised the Champions Cup and Consolation Cup format for the second consecutive year.
This structure divided the schools into two groups, with the top two from each advancing to the Champions Cup and the remaining schools competing in the Consolation Cup.
Due to a limited number of participating schools, the girls’ competition remained a single-league system.
A one-goal victory for the winning boys
After finishing as runners-up in Group B, Cayman Prep faced a semi-final against the Group A winners, CIS White. Cayman Prep rose to the occasion, securing a 2-0 victory to punch their ticket to the final.
Cayman Prep’s Group A runner up opponent St. Ignatius Catholic School reached the championship match after defeating Group B winners Clifton Hunter High School in the second semi-finals. The match was tied 2-2 at the end of regular play, but St. Ignatius moved forward after winning the penalty shootout 4-2.
The final at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex was a tactical chess match played on wet conditions, and for much of the first half, the defences held firm.
The deadlock was finally broken late in the first period when Roger Johnson II of Cayman Prep capitalised on an insufficiently cleared corner, sending a precise header into the back of the net.
St. Ignatius searched for an equaliser in the second half, but the Prep defence stayed strong and held onto the lead to win their third under-18 championship in six years.
Cayman Prep had beaten CIS 5-2 during the regular season, but the final was a much tighter affair.
Abigail Proud gave Cayman Prep an early lead in the final, but Kaija Danter’s late second-half equaliser forced the match into a penalty shootout.
After both sides converted five consecutive penalties, CIS finally clinched the title in sudden death, winning 7-6 to retain their status as champions.
