By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Conner became the first Northern Kentucky high school to win a Class 3A state championship in boys cross country on Saturday at Bourbon County, and the Cougars did it in impressive fashion.
With all five of its runners among the top 11 finishers in the 5,000-meter race, Conner posted a team score of 40 that was 66 points better than second-place Louisville St. Xavier, a program that had won eight of the last 12 boys Class 3A state meets.
Conner runners celebrate after winning Class 3A boys championship. (Photo from team Twitter account)
“The kids have been talking about making history all year since no (local) boys 3A team had ever won it, so they were really excited,” said Conner coach Ian Johnstone.
The first two Conner runners across the finish line were seniors Ryan Hanak and Joseph Impellittle, who placed fifth and sixth. They were followed by teammates Logan Warth (eighth), Drew Moore (10th) and George Johnson (11th).
They all finished in a span of 26 seconds, a tight pack that none of the other 35 teams in the large-school meet could match.
“It’s kind of what they’ve been working on all year really, running as a group,” Johnstone said. “They expected to go out and run as a pack and stick together.”
After placing second in last year’s state meet and third in 2019, bringing home the Class 3A championship trophy was a long-awaited thrill for the Conner runners. They’re the first team from their high school to win a state title in any sport since 1983.
“It was neat seeing their progression the last couple years,” Johnstone said. “It’s the same group of kids basically, so they really worked for it.”
Local runners won the Class 1A boys and girls state meets and St. Henry took the boys team title for the first time since 2012.
Ryle freshman Allison Kopser posted the fastest time among local girls at the state meet. (Photo from team Twitter account)
Brossart senior Claire Curtsinger finished first in the Class 1A girls race for the second straight year in a time of 19:39 and Beechwood senior Natnael Weldemich won the boys race in 16:59 after placing 15th last year.
St. Henry junior Dixon Ryan came in second behind Weldemich. The next four finishers for the Crusaders were sophomore Luke Durrett (fourth), senior Mark Ryan (15th), sophomore Jeff Stewart (16th) and senior Cameron Fedders (22nd).
Villa Madonna placed second in both the boys and girls Class 1A team standings. Lexington Christian won the girls meet by just four points, 108-112, over Villa Madonna.
Scott placed second in the Class 2A girls state meet. The Eagles top finishers were Maddie Strong (sixth), Dyllan Hasler (10th) and Ansley Lindloff (11th). Highlands placed fourth in Class 2A boys and Ryle placed fifth in Class 3A girls.
Ryle sophomore Allison Kopser came in fifth in the Class 3A girls race. Her time of 19:38 was the fastest recorded by a local girl in all three classes at the state meet. Hanak posted the top time (16:49) among the local boys.
Here are the top 12 times recorded by local runners across all three classes at the state meet:
TOP 12 BOYS TIMES
Ryan Hanak (Conner) 16:49, Joseph Impellitteri (Conner) 16:51, Natnael Weldemich (Beechwood) 16:59, Logan Warth (Conner) 17:07, Drew Moore (Conner) 17:12, George Johnson (Conner) 17:13, Will Sheets (CovCath) 17:22, Dixon Ryan (St. Henry) 17:26, Tiger Bartlett (Ryle) 17:29, Lake Durrett (St. Henry) 17:34, Owen Kovacic (Villa Madonna) 17:35. Jonathan Christopher (Campbell County) 17:36.
TOP 12 GIRLS TIMES
Allison Kopser (Ryle) 19:38, Claire Curtsinger (Brossart) 19:39, Olivia Holbrook (Campbell County) 19:42, Maddie Strong (Scott) 19:45, Amy Klocke (Brossart) 20:17, Dyllan Hasler (Scott) 20:18, Ansley Lindloff (Scott) 20:19, McKenzie McMain (St. Henry) 20:29, Angelina Harris (Ryle) 20:46, Isabel Ginter (Beechwood) 20:48, Ella Taylor (Highlands) 20:54, Cara Weber (Ryle) 21:03.
