Boys swim: Youthful Wolves looking ahead toward league meet

Experience.

South Kitsap’s swim and dive team lacks it, but coach Cliff Rousell said he hopes his youthful team can gain some as it moves into the postseason this week.

Rousell hoped to qualify more swimmers for Friday’s Class 4A Narrows League meet at Foss High School, but that did not happen during Monday’s 112-69 loss against Central Kitsap in the regular-season finale for both schools.

The Wolves did not practice last week as school was closed for the Martin Luther King holiday and then because of snow.

“This time of the year we’re working on finesse, polish and technique,” Rousell said. “I think that’s where the missed practices cost us. To lose a week in the water is pretty significant at this time of the year.”

Despite that, Rousell was happy with how his team performed against the Cougars.

“We saw a lot of best times posted for our guys at the end of the dual meet season,” he said.

Among the swimmers, Rousell said seniors Ethan Cossey and Michael Idle, juniors Damien DeRego, Christopher Dutt, Ryan Gamber, Daniel Gonzalez and Sebastian Krafczyk and sophomore Quinn Gilmore all have qualified for the league meet. Rousell said Monday he had not set a lineup for the league meet, but those swimmers would compete in the 200-yard freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50, 100 and 500 freestyle and 100 breaststroke.

The Wolves also might send one or two relay teams to the league meet, which Rousell said could shuffle the lineup as they vie for berths to districts Feb. 3-4 at Curtis High School.

Only DeRego, who won the 100 freestyle in 50.62 seconds Monday, has a qualifying time among South’s swimmers for districts.

“I was kind of exhausted because I’m out of shape,” DeRego said. “Despite that, I’m happy because we didn’t have any practice and I got close to my times.”

DeRego also qualified for state in that event last year. His best chance to be joined there by a teammate might come from the dive squad. Senior Jesse Lebeda-Sutton was a state participant last year and he already has district-qualifying score along with junior Drew Surowiec. Senior Zak Beerman will attempt to join them during Thursday’s league dive meet.

“We still have strength in diving,” Rousell said.

The Wolves graduated three state dive participants from last year, including champion Joe Rose.

Central Kitsap 112, at South Kitsap 69

200 medley relay-1, Central Kitsap (Tyler Frogness, Jason Soria, Camdon Hatch, Brendan Weiner) 1:48.27. 200 freestyle-1, Quinn Gilmore (SK) 2:12.9. 200 individual medley-1, Jason Soria (CK) 2:14.22. 50 freestyle-1, Brendan Weiner (CK) 22.83. 100 butterfly-1, Hatch (CK) 59.12. 100 freestyle-1, Damien DeRego (SK) 50.62. 500 freestyle-1, Soria (CK) 5:21.01. 200 freestyle relay-1, Central Kitsap (Weiner, Alex Clithero, Frogness, Lowell Fahs) 1:42.54. 100 backstroke-1, Frogness (CK) 1:09.07. 100 backstroke-1, Weiner (CK) 1:04.0. 400 freestyle relay-1, Central Kitsap (Benjamin Cheung, Hatch, Fahs, Soria) 3:51.81.

Contact Port Orchard Independent Staff Writer Chris Chancellor at cchancellor@portorchardindependent.com or (360) 876-4414.

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