By ALEX SPONSELLER The freshman and junior varsity cross country state championships were held last weekend at East Greenwich High School, and many locals made some noise including the Bishop Hendricken freshmen, who took home their 17th title on the boys side.

“Despite not being able to practice for two weeks leading up to the freshman state meet, the young hawks were extremely resilient and took home the victory. The school was virtual due to a COVID situation and we were not allowed to practice. The team stayed very dedicated over text messages and Zoom calls to reach their goal of winning the school’s 17th freshman state title in cross country since 1979,” said Hendricken coach Daniel Brennan.

Brennan added: “The team was led by Will Olsen’s fourth-place finish. Will has been the top freshman on the team all year and has a bright future. Following Will were Sam Zabbo and Jake Greene, these two athletes have worked very hard all summer and have improved so much since June. The Hawks were losing the race at the mile and 1.5 mile mark to a great team from Ponaganset. The Hawks had a great final push from James Beaulieu and Gabriel McInnis who shut the door on a championship as the team’s fourth and fifth man. Josh and Wilson have worked very hard through spring quarantine and all summer. We hope that their success on Saturday is a sign of things to come for the varsity team at the Class A championship this weekend.”

Brennan also credited his top JV runners’ performances.

“Josh Breard and Wilson Jablonski worked together the whole race gradually moving up and eventually making their move after 2.5 miles. They really showed their strength and couldn’t be happier for the two of them. To call them JV isn’t necessarily fair because they would make every varsity roster in the state except for (Hendricken) and LaSalle.

Here is a look at some of the results from the freshman race:

BOYS

Will Olsen led Hendricken with a fourth-place finish overall, while Cranston West’s Patrick McDonough finished right behind him in fifth. Hendricken’s Sam Zabbo placed 14th overall, followed by teammate Jake Greene in 18th. James Beaulieu placed 24th for the Hawks.

Henry Prendergast placed 25th overall for the Falcons, while teammate Christian Mack took 33rd. Hendricken’s Gabriel McInnis finished 41st, followed by teammate Logan Slezak in 47th.

Ben Evans finished 58th for West, while Cameron Felici was Cranston East’s top finisher at 62nd.

The Hawks took home first place as a team while the Falcons placed fourth overall.

GIRLS

Courtney Rice was West’s top finisher at 22nd place overall, followed by teammate Talia Petit in 61st. Here is a look at some of the results from the junior varsity race:

BOYS

Josh Breard finished first overall while teammate Wilson Jablonski took second. Hendricken’s Mark Byanski finished 21st, followed by teammate Owen Smith at 22nd and Valentino Lombardi at 24th.

Aaron Sullivan placed 35th for the Hawks, followed by teammate Alex Sjoblom in 37th, and Brayton Gazerro in 43rd. Matt Bacardi was West’s top finisher at 44th overall, while Hendricken’s Will Friel took 48th.

Hendricken finished with a fourth-place finish as a team while West placed 10th overall.

GIRLS

West was led by Grayce D’Errico, who placed 71st overall.