Covington Catholic’s tennis team was denied a fourth straight state title in Lexington on Friday in a loss to St. Xavier in the championship.
The Colonels cruised through the opening two rounds with 3-0 and 3-1 victories over Pikeville and North Oldham. They were pushed to the limit before taking down Owensboro Catholic in the semifinals, 3-2.
St. Xavier swept the Colonels in the championship match, 3-0.
Covington Catholic had won team titles in 2023, ’24 and ’25. On Wednesday, singles player Blake Hussey finished state runner-up while the doubles team of Jacob Kramer and Will Tribble were semifinalists.
The week prior, Covington Catholic clinched the boys singles and doubles titles for the sixth straight season behind Hussey, Kramer and Tribble and won the regional team title for the 24th straight season.
The team tournament then started on Thursday.
The rest of the players on the roster are: Gideon Bement, Nicholas Wagner, Shane Davis, Max Hildenbrand and Dylan Warner. Wagner and Warner are the lone seniors on the team.
They are coached by Al Hertsenberg, who was named a National High School Athletic Coaches Association finalist for the 2026 NHSACA national coach of the year in tennis. Hertsenberg led the Colonels to their first team state title in program history during the 2023 season. In 2024, he was inducted into the Northern Kentucky Athletic Directors Association Hall of Fame.