The Bishop Guertin boys cross country team finished third on Saturday in the Race of Champions Division of the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, N.C.

For the second straight week the Cardinals were edged narrowly at the finish line by Bishop Hendricken of Warwick, R.I., who won last week’s Manchester Invitational. Hendricken finished second on Saturday to champion Brookwood High School of Snellville, Ga.

Bishop Guertin senior Francis Hernandez finished fourth in the five kilometer race in 15:23, just 10 seconds behind the winner, Brian Atkinson of Melbourne, Fla. The Cardinals had three runners in the top 15, with Joey Jourdain finishing 14th in 15:49 and junior Jeff Lecoste finishing 15th in 15:51.

Trent Fontanella (52nd, 16:31) Brandon Latham (92nd, 17:01) finished fourth and fifth for Bishop Guertin. Brookfield is the No. 1 ranked team in the Southeast Region, while Bishop Hendricken and Bishop Guertin are ranked fourth and sixth, respectively, in the Northeast according to the DYESTAT web site.