A young Bishop O’Connell Knights the boys’ team placed fifth this season Division I state private-school cross country championship.

With three freshmen among the high school team’s top six finishers, the Knights scored 161 points, trailing Potomac School (with 63) in the 5,000 meters Panorama farms course near Charlottesville on Thursday (November 7).

“We’re a young team and working to get better and figure it out,” O’Connell coach Jim Connor said.

O’Connell’s top finisher was junior Lance Jayme in 14th in 17:05.16, with sophomore Jayse Brefcznski 18th (17:13.95). Freshmen Peter Fleenor and Ryan Street were the team’s next two finishers, respectively, in 21st (17:24.07) and 35th (17:56.32).

Junior Patrick Porter was 75th (19:00.84) and freshman Kyle Jayme was 76th (19:03.78). Other runners in the meet for O’Connell included two sophomores and a junior.

In the girls Division I state meet, O’Connell finished ninth. The team’s top runner was freshman Grace Fumich in 30th place in 22:12.44.

Senior Danielle Rodriguez was 47th (22:52.05) and senior Delaney Park 48th (22:53.69). Three other rookies ran in the race for O’Connell and finished in the top 100.

One of the team’s best runners, Sadie Smith, was absent from the competition. Smith also competes on the school’s girls soccer team, which had a game later in the evening closer to home, making it logistically impossible to compete in both events.