16/04/2026
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The champs can now rest easy as the Schools Division of Isabela weathered a furious late charge from Cagayan to secure its third consecutive CAVRAA Meet overall crown, finishing with a slim eight gold medal edge in one of the most tightly contested races in recent years.
The emerald delegation seemed to have locked in another championship as it established a commanding 10-gold lead over Cagayan during the height of the competition on Day 2, but Cagayan mounted a strong comeback and closed the gap to just two after the conclusion of yesterday's events.
The back-and-forth battle carried right up until the final day, with Isabela clinging to slim one-to-three gold leads, only for Cagayan to retaliate within the hour and keep the title race hanging in the balance.
As of 9:50 a.m. update today, the two tied with 96 golds apiece before Isabela tipped the lead to its favor with a revenge win over Cagayan in the finals of football secondary to break Isabela's gold medal drought in the event after nine years.
The IsabeleΓ±os carried that momentum into the closing stretch, adding three more gold medals in athletics, two in basketball, and another one in elementary football to move further ahead of the gutsy race.
The now grand slam champion ultimately secured the overall championship in both elementary and secondary levels, wrapping up the competition with a narrow win as the division stands at 313 total medals, built on 104 golds, 91 silvers, and 118 bronzes.
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The division found its biggest gold medal spree in athletics as it accounted for 26 gold medals overall, including 15 from track events.
Swimming followed with 14 gold medals, alongside 18 silvers and 21 bronzes, to remain as one of the divisionβs biggest medal contributors.
Gymnastics came through big as well, churning out 24 gold medals, with half of them from womenβs artistic gymnastics.
Arnis and chess each contributed 10 golds apiece. Other notable events include archery, taekwondo, pencak silat, billiards, and wrestling, tossing in three top finishes each.
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Isabelaβs rise to the top did not come without setbacks, as the division finished a heartbreaking second place in 2023, narrowly behind eventual champions Cagayan.
Since then, the management, led by Schools Division Superintendent Rachel Llana and Division Sports Officer Manolo Bagunu, built on a foundation that placed greater emphasis on training and overall sports facilities, leading to the divisionβs strong comeback and dominant back-to-back overall title run.
According to Bagunu, the team carefully analyzed the athletes' performances from 2023 to 2025 to identify gaps and refine their approaches to pull off another legacy-defining campaign.
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Despite the championship finish, Bagunu stressed that there is still work to be done, as the division saw a dip in production in some key events.
Swimming, one of Isabelaβs traditional strongholds, delivered 14 gold medals this year, a significant drop from last yearβs 29.
The emerald delegation also came home limping in one of its strongest events in last yearβs monumental campaign, as its dancesport team went on to be without a gold in this edition of the annual games.
In an interview, SDS Llana said they are bent on introducing a new training mechanism for dancesport to level the playing field for the IsabeleΓ±o danceletes with this year's dancesports overall titlist Santiago City.
The superintendent, who channeled the champion's spirit yesterday after Isabela trailed behind Cagayan in the gold race, also expressed her gratitude to the Provincial Government of Isabela through Gov. Rodolfo T. Albano III and Vice Gov. Francis Faustino "Kiko" A. Dy, for the P23 million financial support to the delegation.
She also thanked the coaches, training staff, and the different committees for their selfless services in ensuring Isabela's successful title defense.
Llana added that despite a double-digit drop in golds from last yearβs 117 to 104, Isabela still managed to sustain its more than 300 total medal output while holding on to the overall crown.
Isabela also received special awards such as the Best Province in Sports, with San Mateo receiving the Best Municipality in Sports award. The delegation was also awarded 1st Runner-Up in the Search for the Most Disciplined Delegation.
Runner-up Cagayan, meanwhile, finished off the competition with 96 golds, 93 silvers, and 97 bronzes, to settle for second place for the third time.
Host division Santiago City, which briefly threatened the top spot, wound up third with 79 golds, 69 silvers, and 58 bronzes.
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