Bishop’s Camp, St. Vincent’s, JN Petit crowned Loyola Football Cup champions

Bishop’s Camp, St. Vincent’s, JN Petit crowned Loyola Football Cup champions

Bishop’s Camp rally to clinch U-12 crown; St. Vincent’s and JN Petit deny hosts Loyola titles in U-14 and U-16 finals

PUNE, October 18: The Bishop’s School, Camp, St. Vincent’s High School and JN Petit Technical School emerged champions in their respective age groups as the Loyola Football Cup 2026 concluded with three keenly contested title clashes at the Loyola H.S. Ground, Pashan, here on Sunday.

The Loyola Football Cup was organised by Loyola School and Ex-Loyola Alumni Network (ELAN) and sponsored by Tata Autocomp.

The concluding day belonged to the three eventual champions, with Bishop’s Camp scripting a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Vidya Valley School in the Under-12 final, while St. Vincent’s High School and JN Petit Technical School dashed hosts Loyola High School’s hopes of a double triumph by winning the Under-14 and Under-16 titles respectively.

The Under-12 final provided an exciting contest as Bishop’s Camp overturned an early deficit to get the better of Vidya Valley School.

Vidya Valley, who entered the final following an impressive campaign, made the first breakthrough when Aditya Dwivedi found the target in the 19th minute to put his side ahead.

However, Bishop’s Camp refused to be subdued and fought their way back into contention. Their persistence paid off seven minutes later when prolific scorer Pranav Menon converted a penalty in the 26th minute to restore parity.

The equaliser shifted the momentum in Bishop’s Camp’s favour, and Ehan Pathan delivered the decisive blow five minutes later, scoring in the 31st minute to put his team 2-1 ahead. Bishop’s Camp held on to their slender advantage to complete a fine comeback and lay claim to the Under-12 crown.

For Pranav, who had been among the goals throughout the competition, the equaliser proved crucial in turning the contest around, while Ehan emerged as the match-winner.

Rayyan's double powers St. Vincent’s

In the Under-14 final, St. Vincent’s High School produced a commanding performance to register a comprehensive 3-0 victory over hosts Loyola High School.

Rayyan Punjabi was the architect of the triumph, scoring twice, while Arjun Sawant added another to ensure St. Vincent’s finished their campaign on a winning note.

Rayyan opened the scoring in the 14th minute to hand St. Vincent’s an early advantage. Before Loyola could recover, Arjun Sawant doubled the lead in the 20th minute, leaving the hosts with an uphill task.

With a two-goal cushion, St. Vincent’s maintained their grip on the contest. Rayyan returned to complete his brace in the 46th minute, putting the result beyond Loyola’s reach and sealing a deserving 3-0 triumph.

The victory was particularly satisfying for St. Vincent’s, who capped their campaign with the Under-14 championship after overcoming the challenge of the hosts in the title clash.

JN Petit spoil Loyola’s U-16 title hopes

The Under-16 final also ended in disappointment for the home side as JN Petit Technical School registered a clinical 2-0 victory over Loyola High School to emerge champions.

Having booked their place in the summit clash with a narrow 1-0 semifinal victory over Bishop’s Co-Ed School, Undri, JN Petit carried their winning momentum into the final.

Rugved Ghule provided the opening breakthrough in the 28th minute to put JN Petit in front and leave Loyola chasing the game.

The hosts, who had entered the final following a 2-0 semifinal victory over Vidya Bhavan High School, were unable to find the equaliser.

JN Petit strengthened their position when Yug Chowhan struck in the 51st minute, doubling the advantage and effectively settling the championship contest.

Incidentally, Yug had also scored the match-winner in JN Petit’s semifinal victory, making his contribution in the final another significant moment in the school’s successful title campaign.

For hosts Loyola, the concluding day brought mixed emotions. Although they had enjoyed an impressive run to reach two finals, they had to settle for runners-up honours in both the Under-14 and Under-16 categories.

Nevertheless, their presence in two championship matches underlined the hosts’ competitive showing in the tournament.

The tournament concluded with the prize distribution ceremony, where the champions and runners-up were felicitated.

The prizes were given away by Dr. Arvind Goyal, Vice Chairman, Tata Autocomp. Alo gracing the occasion were, Kaustubh Mhadgut, General Manager, Tata Autocomp; Father Nelton, Principal, Loyola High School; Father Titus, Principal, St. Vincent’s High School; Father Anish, Director, St. Vincent’s College; Nitin Joshi, President, ELAN; Harjeet Matharu, Vice President, ELAN; Rohit Naik, Secretary, ELAN; Prateek Jawale, Treasurer, ELAN; and Manoj Walvekar, Committee Member, ELAN.

RESULTS – Finals

U-12: The Bishop’s School, Camp 2 (Pranav Menon 26’ pen; Ehan Pathan 31’) bt Vidya Valley School 1 (Aditya Dwivedi 19’).

U-14: St. Vincent’s H.S. 3 (Rayyan Punjabi 14’, 46’; Arjun Sawant 20’) bt Loyola High School 0.

U-16: JN Petit Technical School 2 (Rugved Ghule 28’; Yug Chowhan 51’) bt Loyola High School