LEXINGTON, KY — The night before the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Class 2A track and field state championships, Covington Catholic head coach Jeremy Mosher’s message was to set the tone for future teams, not simply win.
The Colonels, now winners of three straight outdoor team titles, are moving up to Class 3A next year and wanted to put on a performance that they knew would compete in the state’s largest class.
“I think the guys took that to heart and they were outstanding today. I think a lot of performances would be really competitive (in Class 3A),” Mosher said.
He used baseball terms to describe how every athlete exceeded expectations, saying they hit doubles rather than getting on base via walk or fielder’s choice. Covington Catholic won five events and scored points in all but three events to score 105.5 points and more than double up Lexington Catholic, which finished with 51.
It started with a quick 20 points as Jackson Germann, Luke O’Hara, Joe Mayer and Jack Salyers won the 4×800 meter relay before Jacob Keller won the 110-meter hurdles out of lane two. His time of 15.29 seconds was his fourth-fastest of the season but his sixth win of the season.
“I had a bad race last week. I was a little bit sick, but I just came in here and raced through the weather,” Keller said.
In the downtime between Keller’s win and Rhett Blettner’s 400-meter dash title, the 4×200 meter relay team of Blettner, Charlie Ink, Jack Fender and Garrett Gallagher took second place and the 4×100 meter relay team of Gallagher, Fender, Will Danneman and Ryan Tenhundfeld took third place.
Moments after Blettner’s triumph, Paul Klosinski put on a dominant display to win the vault, taking his first attempt at 12 feet, 6 inches and not missing until the final height of 15 feet. He cleared each bar with ease by adapting his run to the weather, taking 10 steps instead of his usual 14.
The weather and a top-notch field made for one of the best competitions of the year. Despite Bourbon County’s Mark Perraut missing more preliminary jumps, the gold and silver came down to the final jump as Perraut came within inches of clearing the bar at 15 feet.
“It just makes me know my next jump’s gotta be better than the last after seeing them. They were really good jumps,” Klosinski said.
The Colonels won the final two events as junior Braden Franxman outkicked his teammate Joe Mayer to win the 3,200-meter run in a new state meet record of 9:17.61, and Blettner, Fender, Germann and Sam Stout claimed the 4×400 meter relay title.
Franxman and Mayer took the lead on the second lap, running together until the final 250 meters when Franxman put a gap on Mayer.
“Nobody I’d rather have it be. It was a rough fall for me for a while. It was a rough spring, really rough winter, and Braden has been the guy consistently that shows up every day, ready to put the work in, ready to be awesome,” Mayer said. “We were out there warming up and I looked at him and I said, ‘No mercy. I’m not gonna give you any, you’re not gonna give me any.”
Franxman added: “I’ve been looking for this all season. Joe and the team have been great people to train with and get here. I came in looking for first and made it happen.”
In three years in Class 2A, the Colonels won eight of nine team titles between cross country, indoor and outdoor track. Outside of an 11-point loss to Lexington Catholic at the 2025 cross country state meet, they were downright dominant. While their last 3A cross country team title came in 1994 and the most recent 3A track and field title was 2009, they are well-positioned in their soon-to-be return.
Which Northern Kentucky Class 2A track and field athletes finished on the podium?
Boys 4×800 meter relay: 1. Covington Catholic (Jackson Germann, Luke O’Hara, Joe Mayer, Jack Salyers)
Girls 100-meter hurdles: 6. Ken’yanna Johnson, Holmes
Boys 110-meter hurdles: 1. Jacob Keller, Covington Catholic
Boys 4×200 meter relay: 2. Covington Catholic (Rhett Blettner, Charlie Ink, Jack Fender, Garrett Gallagher)
Boys 1,600-meter run: 6. Drew Kurtzner, Covington Catholic
Boys 4×100 meter relay: 3. Covington Catholic (Will Danneman, Jack Fender, Garrett Gallagher, Ryan Tenhundfeld)
Boys 400-meter dash: 1. Rhett Blettner, Covington Catholic
Boys 300-meter hurdles: 4. Jacob Keller, Covington Catholic; 5. Dominic Terzo, Covington Catholic
Boys 800-meter run: 7. Jack Salyers, Covington Catholic; 8. Joel Barczak, Covington Catholic
Boys 200-meter dash: 7. Garrett Gallagher, Covington Catholic
Boys 3,200-meter run: 1. Braden Franxman, Covington Catholic; 2. Joe Mayer, Covington Catholic
Boys 4×400 meter relay: 1. Covington Catholic (Jack Fender, Jackson Germann, Sam Stout, Rhett Blettner)
Boys discus: 7. Quentin Jones, Covington Catholic
Boys shot put: 6. Matthew Woolf, Covington Catholic
Boys pole vault: 1. Paul Klosinski, Covington Catholic; T-8. Landon Dailey, Covington Catholic
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Covington Catholic gets 3-peat as KHSAA Class 2A track state champions
Reporting by Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
