The Bishop O'Connell Knights, an injury-riddled squad since the first game of the regular season, ended its 2023 high-school football campaign with a 30-9 road loss to the St. Paul VI Panthers on Nov. 3, after leading 9-0 in the first half.
Turnovers were costly for the Knights, as their season ended with a 3-7 overall record and 0-4 mark in the Metro Division of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, missing the league's playoffs.
Senior place-kicker Tyler Fontenot, who will play in college at Yale University, gave O'Connell the 9-0 lead by making three first-half field goals, in order, of 36, 45 and 42 yards, the last with 6:26 left until halftime. The Knights did not score again.
For the season, Fontenot booted eight field goals, and missed two from 60-plus yards.
Mikhai Martin and Nathan Harrison were the leading rushers against Paul VI, with 41 and 34 yards, respectively. Knights' quarterback Mark Sirianni passed for 87 yards but was intercepted twice. Frank Johnson caught four passes, Aidan Munroe three and Aidan Joseph and Joe Williams one each.
On special teams, Munroe blocked a field goal on a long sprint rush from the right flat.
On defense, Harrison, Williams, Zach Harrison, Jack Digges, Magoo Robertson and Scott Anderson (sack and fumble recovery) were leading tacklers. Digges and Williams each had three tackles for losses. Munroe defending three passes.
The Knights started their fourth-string quarterback in Sirianni because of injuries to the others. Other starters were missing, as well, for O'Connell against Paul VI, and in other recent games because of injuries.
"It was a tough year but the kids fought hard," O'Connell coach Todd Sabatino said.
Without the injuries, especially to the loss of starting quarterback Jonathan Nguyen in the first game for the rest of the season, Sabatino was confident O'Connell could have won more games.
