The Bishop Hendricken swim team doesn’t have a ton of depth. Fortunately for the Hawks, they don’t need much.

Hendricken was shorthanded earlier this month at the annual Read-Watmough Invitational, where the Hawks earned the top finish of any Rhode Island team and placed fourth overall. The team was shorthanded again late last week when it hosted undefeated East Greenwich, but the battle of the unbeatens didn’t last very long.

The Hawks went one-two in each of the first three events on Thursday, racing out to a 23-3 lead and putting the meet out of reach almost before it began. Hendricken grabbed first in five more races down the stretch, rolling to a 64-30 victory to keep its perfect record intact.

“I told the guys there was a chance we could go 1-2 in the first three events and that, if we did that, the ballgame was over,” Hendricken coach Dave Hanson said. “We did that and it put us up 23-3 after three races. After that, no matter what East Greenwich did, they weren’t going to catch us. Teams aren’t going to catch us if we get that big a lead early: we’re too good.”

Alex Powers, Matt Maxwell, Ian Dinwoodie and Hunter Lemoi got things started quickly for Hendricken, teaming up to win the 200 medley relay (2:02) in the meet’s first race. Each member of that quartet also went on to win individual events as well.

Dinwoodie took first in the 200 freestyle (2:06), with freshman Mike Fedorenko grabbing the No. 2 spot. Powers won the 200 I.M., followed closely by sophomore Andrew Robinson. Lemoi posted the best finish in the 100 freestyle (57.84) and Maxwell won the 100 breaststroke.

Hendricken also got a handful of strong performances from the rest of its lineup, despite the absence of standout seniors like Demetrius Palmer and Ward Pettibone. Robinson and John Kilpatrick went 1-2 in the 400 freestyle, Powers and David Evans went 1-2 in the 100 backstroke and the Hawks’ team of Fedorenko, Robinson, Dinwoodie and Powers won the 400 freestyle relay by a full length of the pool.

“The kids swam very well,” Hanson said. “A lot of kids like Powers, Robinson and Kilpatrick have really stepped up. It’s really just going to be a matter of staying healthy for us. Even though we won, I can’t rob Peter to pay Paul like I used to be able to. We don’t have that same depth this year.”

The Hawks had an up-close view of how quickly and injury can derail a team. Barrington put the Hawks to the test before falling 54-40 in the season opener, but the Eagles’ fortunes changed with the loss of senior Tim Cameron, the team’s top swimmer, who is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. Since losing Cameron, Barrington dropped a 52-42 decision to East Greenwich and was doubled up by the Hawks at the Read/Watmough meet.

“It’s unfortunate what happened to Barrington,” Hanson said. “They lost their best swimmer and you never want to see that happen to anybody. He’s a nice kid and a great swimmer. When we swam them earlier in the season he won two races and Barrington won two more relays just because of him. Losing him like that makes it a little easier for us, but it also shows us how important it is to stay healthy. We have some guys that we can’t afford to lose either.”

Hendricken took on La Salle yesterday and will close out its regular season schedule at home against North Kingstown [0-3] on Thursday at 4 p.m. The Hawks will compete in the Division I championship meet on Feb. 7 and will look to extend their state championship streak to 21 on Feb. 13.

“We have to stay healthy,” Hanson said. “I said at the beginning of the year that the only thing that was going to hurt us was our depth, and it is hurting us a little bit now. But we’re working in the right direction and I’m pleased with what I’ve seen so far. I think the only thing that can beat us is us.”