Tiger Shark boys win Putnam County Championship

Thursday, February 12, 2015
Tiger Shark seniors Taylor Secrest, Mitchell Johnson, Zach Secrest, Elijah Brattain and Brayden Watson stand with the Putnam County Trophy. (Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT)

ROACHDALE--Many coaches love to trot out the old Mark Twain line, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog" when talking about their team's performance in high-pressure situations.

In Greencastle's case at the Putnam County Boys' Swimming and Diving Meet, it was more of a case of the number of Tiger Sharks in the fight.

Despite only winning two events, the defending county champions held onto their crown by dispatching North Putnam and South Putnam 253-232-163.

Joseph Davis of North Putnam swims his 200 IM. (Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT)

Greencastle's wins came courtesy of the 200 freestyle relay, swam by Jacob Kessler, Logan Wood, Taylor Secrest and Elijah Brattain, and the 400 freestyle relay, composed of Wood, Brattain, Connor Stimpert and Nathan Gobert.

Tiger Shark head coach Kent Menzel said the team was consistent throughout the evening.

"The boys were steady tonight and they swam very well," Menzel said. "This meet comes at a little bit of an awkward time for us.

Eagle Zane Crosby swims in his 100 freestyle. (Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT)

"We used it as a good, hard workout and I thought the boys swam really, really well. Our (200) medley, 200 (freestyle) and 400 (freestyle) relays were strong right to the end of the meet.

"I was pleased with our B relays all night long, too," Menzel added. "Those boys swam absolutely out of their minds.

"We had a good, steady performance from start to finish, which is what I was looking for and hoping for."

North Putnam did not win the meet but had seven county champions on the night.

The Cougars picked up a pair of wins through Nick Young, who won the 200 and 500 freestyle races, as well as Jonah Creamean, who won the 200 IM and 100 butterfly.

Joseph Davis won the 100 breaststroke, while Kavyn Timm edged teammate Cameron McPherson for the diving title. Davis and Creamean also combined with Andy Rogers and Bailey Allen to win the 200 medley relay.

North Putnam head coach Tony Gray said that despite missing out on the team title, the night was a huge success.

"Tonight was a great night for the Cougars," Gray said. "With Greencastle, we know what we're getting into because they have a storied history, summer swim and now a USA club swim.

"They're 25 years ahead of us and we don't have the depth to compete with them. We feel we wring the most that we can out of the kids we have.

"Tonight, we won seven out of the 12 events," Gray noted. "We just didn't have the depth to fill in the numbers to take the championship, but I couldn't fault any of my kids.

"We set three school records as Nick Young set records in the 200 and 500 freestyle, going under 5:00 in the 500 which is a big mental hurdle to get over. Jonah Creamean reset his 100 butterfly record and turned the tables as he was third at conference and beat the two kids who were in front of him tonight.

"Winning the 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle, 200 IM, diving, 100 butterfly, 500 freestyle and 100 breaststroke means I couldn't ask for a better night," Gray added.

South Putnam picked up three wins Wednesday night as Zane Crosby doubled up in the 50 and 100 freestyle races while Zach Rayce added a title in the 100 backstroke.

Eagle head coach Anna Kendall said the top level performers looked strong but several of the less-heralded members of the squad also had solid nights.

"We had quite a few lifetime bests," Kendall said. "Logan Vandermark and Jake Hutcheson, both first year swimmers, had great nights and dropped quite a bit of time at tonight's meet.

"Nick Chambers swam a great 100 butterfly, Jared Seidler, our other freshman, had a lifetime best in the 200 IM."

The three county schools now each turn their attention to the IHSAA Plainfield Swimming and Diving sectional, featuring the state's No. 1 team in Avon.

Gray said that despite the quality of opposition, the team was ready to tackle the challenge head on.

"We affectionately call the Avon sectional 'the meat grinder,'" Gray said. "There are three kids with Olympic trials cuts, to show you the type of quality we're going up against.

"We've had to raise our game and the kids have taken that challenge. We understand that we have a big task at hand but we're ready to do it."

Kendall said the squad was mentally in the right place heading into the sectional.

"I feel like they are mentally prepared for where they need to be because they're swimming well," Kendall said. "I'm ready to see what they do when they're well rested.

"There's certainly still work to be done but we'll get them there in the next week-and-a-half to the point where they can walk in there with confidence. Maybe it's not so much about winning their event but swimming that lifetime best and ending the season on a high note."

Menzel added by pointing out that sectional week was where a season's worth of work came to the fore.

"This is the meet that Greencastle looks forward to all season long," Menzel pointed out. "Our focal point is the sectional championship.

"Our boys know what they're facing and they know what they need to do to face it. We talk about, nearly every day, what we're here for and that's to swim as well as we can at the sectional meet to get ourselves to the state meet.

"This is what we do," Menzel added. "The boys understand that this has become one of the faster sectionals in the state, they have adapted to that and are ready."

"The quality of swimming in Putnam County is going very high," Menzel said. "Both North Putnam and South Putnam, as well as Greencastle, have great things going on.

"Coach Gray is doing great things at North Putnam and Coach Kendall has been a great leader for South Putnam. That's what is making for an exciting meet.

"All three teams swam great tonight," Menzel added. "For us, this is the set-up for the sectional meet that we were looking for."

At North Putnam

Putnam County Boys' Swimming and Diving Meet

Team Scores

Greencastle 253, North Putnam 232, South Putnam 163

200 Medley Relay -- 1. North Putnam (Rogers, Davis, Creamean, Allen) 1:48.33; 2. Greencastle (Johnson, Z. Secrest, Kessler, T. Secrest) 1:54.25; 3. South Putnam (Chambers, Seidler, Rayce, Crosby) 1:54.54; 4. Greencastle (Gobert, Watson, Headley, C. Lewis) 2:00.85; 5. North Putnam (M. Timm, Noble, K. Timm, McPherson) 2:05.12; 6. South Putnam (H. Fields, A. Fields, Pitts, Duggan) 2:05.74

200 Freestyle -- 1. Young (NP) 1:51.09; 2. Stimpert (G) 2:03.36; 3. Wood (G) 2:04.92; 4. M. Timm (NP) 2:06.05; 5. Custis (G) 2:09.89; 6. Hutcheson (SP) 2:15.38; 7. Sheldon (NP) 2:18.70; 8. Vandermark (SP) 2:30.77; 9. Gillen (G) 2:31.27; 10. E. Lewis (G) 2:31.49; 11. Evens (SP) 2:33.36

200 IM -- 1. Creamean (NP) 2:11.06; 2. Davis (NP) 2:13.49; 3. Gobert (G) 2:27.71; 4. C. Lewis (G) 2:33.17; 5. Seidler (SP) 2:44.62; 6. Watson (G) 2:46.20; 7. H. Fields (SP) 2:49.99; 8. B. Wunderlich (NP) 2:55.03; 9. Watson (SP) 3:14.33

50 Freestyle -- 1. Crosby (SP) 23.03; 2. Brattain (G) 23.70; 3. Allen (NP) 23.95; 4. T. Secrest (G) 24.59; 5. Kessler (G) 24.64; 6. McPherson (NP) 26.95; 7. Pitts (SP) 27.71; 8. Ruble (NP) 27.90; 9. Duggan (SP) 28.09; 10. Reed (SP) 28.51; 11. Smiley (G) 28.78; 12. C. Wunderlich (NP) 29.83; 13. Shelton (NP) 30.23

Diving -- 1. K. Timm (NP) 199.10; 2. McPherson (NP) 193.55; 3. Ruble (NP) 171.20; 4. Bennett (G) 159.20; 5. Manion (G) 132.20; 6. Smiley (G) 128.60; 7. Kendall (G) 106.20

100 Butterfly -- 1. Creamean (NP) 57.31; 2. Rayce (SP) 58.04; 3. Brattain (G) 59.67; 4. Kessler (G) 1:01.66; 5. Rogers (NP) 1:02.87; 6. Pitts (SP) 1:07.25; 7. Chambers (SP) 1:15.95; 8. Z. Secrest (G) 1:19.72; 9. Thompson (NP) 1:29.94

100 Freestyle -- 1. Crosby (SP) 50.98; 2. Allen (NP) 54.23; 3. Wood (G) 55.41; 4. Custis (G) 58.35; 5. Sheldon (NP) 1:00.68; 6. Johnson (G) 1:02.46; 7. Vandermark (SP) 1:05.84; 8. Duggan (SP) 1:07.32; 9. Asher (NP) 1:08.26; 10. C. Wunderlich (NP) 1:08.88; 11. Shelton (NP) 1:10.33

500 Freestyle -- 1. Young (NP) 4:57.48; 2. Stimpert (G) 5:33.66; 3. Headley (G) 5:52.73; 4. Noble (NP) 5:59.12; 5. A. Fields (SP) 6:00.80; 6. C. Lewis (G) 6:04.81; 7. Hutcheson (SP) 6:07.66; 8. Thompson (NP) 6:31.38; 9. Evens (SP) 6:51.79; 10. E. Lewis (G) 7:07.68

200 Freestyle Relay -- 1. Greencastle (Kessler, Wood, T. Secrest, Brattain) 1:35.40; 2. North Putnam (Allen, Creamean, Davis, Young) 1:35.94; 3. Greencastle (Custis, Z. Secrest, Smiley, Stimpert) 1:51.46; 4. North Putnam (Ruble, C. Wunderlich, Sheldon, McPherson) 1:51.92; 5. South Putnam (H. Fields, Reed, Hutcheson, Duggan) 1:57.29; 6. South Putnam (Seidler, Watson, Evens, Vandermark) 2:02.49

100 Backstroke -- 1. Rayce (SP) 59.21; 2. Johnson (G) 1:04.84; 3. M. Timm (NP) 1:05.00; 4. Gobert (G) 1:05.95; 5. Rogers (NP) 1:08.31; 6. Chambers (SP) 1:12.45; 7. H. Fields (SP) 1:17.94; 8. Gillen (G) 1:18.95; 9. Asher (NP) 1:19.81; 10. Manion (G) 1:33.98

100 Breaststroke -- 1. Davis (NP) 1:08.96; 2. Z. Secrest (G) 1:13.47; 3. Headley (G) 1:14.93; 4. T. Secrest (G) 1:14.94; 5. A. Fields (SP) 1:17.34; 6. Watson (G) 1:17.66; 7. Seidler (SP) 1:19.53; 8. Noble (NP) 1:24.28; 9. Watson (SP) 1:24.43; 10. B. Wunderlich (NP) 1:27.19

400 Freestyle Relay -- 1. Greencastle (Wood, Stimpert, Gobert, Brattain) 3:40.63; 2. South Putnam (Crosby, Chambers, Piits, Rayce) 3:48.84; 3. North Putnam (Rogers, M. Timm, Sheldon, Young) 3:49.55; 4. Greencastle (Custis, C. Lewis, Johnson, Headley) 4:04.11; 5. South Putnam (Reed, Vandermark, Evens, Hutcheson) 4:31.19; 6. North Putnam (Asher, Thompson, Shelton, Noble) 4:47.75

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