PORTSSMOUTH — A third-place overall finish by Ben Chase helped the Patriots take fourth place out of 14 teams in the Class B cross-country championship at Ponaganset High School on Saturday.

It was an improvement over last year’s fifth-place finish. Chase, who earned First Team All-Class honors, ran the 3.1-mile course in 16 minutes, 29 seconds.

The other runners for Portsmouth were Brennan Seibert (24th place, 17:31), Kaden Kluth (27th, 17:34), Jeff Brady (31st, 17:50), Declan Foster (36th, 18:17), Tanner McHugh, (45th, 18:39) and Brennan Tibbetts, 50th, 18:52.  

‘I was very happy with the performances of our boys,” said head coach Shaun Horgan. “Everyone had a personal best time, which is great to see on the most important meet of the season. This is a focused and hard-working team.  

“I’m happy to see Ben doing so well, and I'm also really excited to see the rest of the team rising to the occasion and making big improvements. Next Saturday is the state meet, so they have an opportunity to see how they stack up with the rest of the state. I think it's going to be a great day for our team.”

The R.I. Junior Varsity Championship was held the same day on the same course. The boys’ JV team finished in a tie for eighth out of 26 teams. The top five finishers for Portsmouth were Joe Hook, Parker West, Garen Seibert, Hayden Shea, and Josh Lawson.

The PHS girls’ cross-country team came in sixth in the Class B championship, with Abby Gilpin (20th, 20:44) leading the Patriots. 

The other top four finishers for Portsmouth were Sabrina Leary (21st, 20:49), Kitty Damon (29th, 21:25), Ryan McNeilly (35th, 22:11) and Kiera Foster (36th, 22:12).