Head Coach Jerome Kirby said winning a third-straight JISA Preparatory Schools’ Athletics Championships title was the sweetest yet after Sts Peter and Paul held off St Andrew Prep in a battle that went down to the final race on Saturday.

Sts Peter and Paul scored 200 points, just five more than St Andrew Prep’s 195 as the challengers pushed the defending champions all the way before the title was decided in the final event.

The purple and white-clad Sts Peter and Paul, who won their first title in 2024, have now secured three consecutive championships.

“This is the third-straight championship for us winning the title. It’s the greatest feeling,” Kirby told the Jamaica Observer.

“I don’t know what other word I can input there. I’m the happiest coach right now, you know. Very emotional because it has been a journey,” Kirby said.

After ending Hydel Prep’s dominance in 2024 and retaining the title in 2025, Sts Peter and Paul faced their sternest challenge yet as St Andrew Prep emerged as their main rival this season.

This was Kirby’s fifth year in charge of Sts Peter and Paul. In his first season the team finished second in 2022 and were fourth in 2023 before winning titles in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

“The hardest one was this one on Saturday because it came down to the last race. It was very, very intense. Never had this experience before and I don’t wish to have it again,” Kirby said.

Sts Peter and Paul Head Coach Jerome Kirby (left) holds up three fingers after winning the school’s third JISA Preparatory Schools’ Athletics Championships while fellow coach Nimroy Turgott hoists the trophy at the end of the final day at the National Stadium on Saturday.

“St Andrew really did well this year. We anticipated it,” Kirby said.

With four races remaining, Sts Peter and Paul held a slim three-point lead. Their advantage grew to 14 points after the next two relays, including the Class Three 4x100m relay in which St Andrew Prep had no entrants.

St Andrew Prep responded by winning the Girls’ Open 4x200m relay while Sts Peter and Paul finished fifth, reducing the lead to seven points heading into the final event.

The championship then came down to the last race. St Andrew Prep won the event and collected 12 points, but Sts Peter and Paul finished second and earned 10 points, enough to retain the title by five points.

“I actually spoke that the championship would come down to the last race. I said this from April of this year after being at the first track meet,” Kirby said.

“So St Andrew really, really stepped out and, boy, it’s the greatest feeling for us to retain the title.

“So, we just have to be thankful. It’s all about giving thanks,” Kirby said.

Kirby credited fellow coaches Nimroy Turgott and Pamella Hewitt for their roles in the team’s success and said the programme would continue working to remain among the top teams next season.