ORONO — With winning efforts and just enough depth, the Cheverus Stags collected another Class A boys swimming and diving championship Saturday afternoon at the University of Maine’s Stanley M. Wallace Pool.
The Stags totaled 326 points to extend their record to eight straight Class A titles. Bangor finished second with 295 points, followed by Scarborough (253), Kennebunk (198) and Falmouth (186).
Lewiston finished in eighth place with 101 points, and Edward Little took 22nd with 11 points.
Alex Akers of Lewiston competes in the 200-yard individual medley at the Class A boys’ swimming state championship in Orono on Saturday. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer Buy this Photo
Caleb Suli had the Blue Devils’ best performance, taking third in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1 minute, 52.62 seconds.
Elijah Escobar took ninth for Lewiston in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:00.25. He was followed Suli (1:01.09) in 10th place. Escobar also snatched a 10th-place finish in the 50 freestyle (24.33).
Edward Little’s Andrew Casares battled with with Lewiston’s Alex Akers in the 200-yard individual medley, finishing in ninth with a time of 2:17.39. Akers came in 10th (2:17.44).
Senior Quinton Hastings and junior Brim Peabody paced Cheverus with two victories apiece. Hastings won the 50 (21.58) and 100 freestyles (47.12), and Peabody took the 500 free (4:48.33) and 100 breast stroke (1:00.32). Both also swam on the winning 400 freestyle relay. Stags senior Jack Martin won the 200 individual medley (2:02.10). Six other Cheverus swimmers recorded points.
“We’ve been working on this meet all year long, of who is going (in what events),” Stags coach Kevin Haley, in his 22nd year, said. “It wasn’t easy because of Bangor and Scarborough. But we’ve got a bunch of talented, young kids.”
Bangor senior Carson Prouty was named Performer of the Meet for the second straight year. He won the 100 butterfly (52.53) and backstroke (51.88) and was on the Rams’ winning 200 medley and freestyle relays.
“I would have liked to have gone a little bit faster, but it was great. Going out with four first places really caps it off,” said Prouty, who also plays baseball and has not decided on a college or sport.
Scarborough freshman Ethan Schulz won the 200 freestyle (1:45.81)
Sophomore Anibal Berry-Gaviria of Mt. Ararat easily — and gracefully — defended his diving title with 464.65 points, bettering last year’s total by 114.3 points. Kennebunk junior Aiden Ward was second (389.15) and Falmouth sophomore Milo Smith placed third (319.00).
For Cheverus, the individual wins were fine, but the Stags’ depth won the team title. Martin added a third in the butterfly to his IM win. Chase Cameron (third, fifth), Owen Gallo-Waggoner (fourth, seventh), Clayton Hatch (ninth, 11th), Landon Roma (ninth, 11th), Camden Hom (two 13ths) and Wyatt England (13th, 14th) all scored, filling the gap from graduation last year.
“We still had a good supporting (group) after last year,” Hastings said, “and they really stepped it up.”
The meet began with Bangor taking the 200 medley relay (1:40.77), followed by Cheverus and Scarborough.
Schulz and teammate Gavin McLeod went 1-2 in the 200 freestyle.
The Stags trailed Bangor and Scarborough until the fourth event — the 50 freestyle, won by Hastings, with teammates Cameron (third), Roma (11th) and Hom (13th) also collecting medals. Cheverus (125 points) took the lead for good, ahead of Bangor (103).
The Rams got as close as 257-252 after Prouty’s backstroke win.
“We never thought for one second that it was out of reach,” Prouty said.
But only two events remained. The Rams did not have a contender in the breast stroke (won by Peabody), and Cheverus stacked its 400 free relay team.
The Stags led 286-263 and needed only a ninth-place finish to clinch the title. The foursome of Peabody, Martin, Gallo-Waggoner and Hastings sizzled with a winning time of 3:19.03, which was 3.68 seconds ahead of Scarborough (Schulz, Finn Davis, Evan Waldrop and McLeod). Bangor was third.
“We wanted to end it with a bang,” Hastings said. “Eight straight years. It’s pretty special.”
Haley said he loved the way Hastings finished, but also applauded Peabody’s effort, swimming in three of the meet’s last five events — “doing the 500 free, 100 breast, and then getting out of the pool and swimming the 400 (free relay).”
Scarborough’s Schulz added a second-place in the butterfly to his victory in the 200 free. McLeod was also second in the 500 free.
Falmouth freshman Will Porter recorded two third-places (IM and back) to lead the Yachtsmen to a fourth-place showing. Messalonskee senior Martin Guarnieri recorded a second (IM) and third (breast), Lawrence sophomore Nate Pierce collected a second (back) and third (100 free), and Brunswick senior Nicco Bartone placed second in the breast and fourth in the 100 free.
While the Stags have won eight straight, they have a ways to go for the state record. The Old Town boys won 14 Class B titles from 1985 to 1998.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
