ONTARIO, Ohio — Deb Henry may have to go duck hunting Sunday afternoon. Ontario’s swimming coach might not have enough rewards to hand out after her boys team boat raced the field at the Northern Ohio League championships Saturday at the Ontario Middle School pool.
The Warriors piled up 176 points, easily outdistancing second-place Sandusky (95). Shelby (81) was third, followed by Tiffin Columbian (60), Norwalk (48) and Willard (28).
Henry awards duck paraphernalia to swimmers who make significant time improvements or reach other personal targets.
“Ducks are our incentive. The kids earn ducks if they get time drops or meet their goals,” said Henry, whose traditional meet attire includes duck headgear. “Sometimes they get out of the water and that is the first thing they ask, ‘Do I get a duck today?’
“At our meeting on Monday we will be passing out a lot of ducks.”
How dominant were the Warriors? Ontario won all three relays and swept the top two spots in seven of the eight individual events.
“It was crazy. That was probably the best overall meet we’ve ever had,” said senior Chad Wright, who won the 200 yard individual medley (2:00.61) and the 100 butterfly (54.56) and swam legs on the winning 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay teams. “As far as excitement and records and the way everyone was going crazy, it was really fun.
“After today, with some of the times we threw down, I’d say we are ahead of where I thought we would be.”
Tyler Watson matched Wright with a pair of individual wins in the 100 freestyle (49.00) and the 100 backstroke (55.75). Andrew Jolley won the 200 freestyle (1:56.24), while Naz Tkachenko won the 50 freestyle (22.41) and Jared Watson won the 500 freestyle (5:02.92).
Tyler Watson and Steven Toth teamed with Wright and Tkachenko to win the 200 medley relay in 1:41.10. The foursome of Jimmy Sheldon, Tkachenko, Wright and Tyler Watson won the 200 free relay in 1:30.91 and the quartet of Jared Watson, Jolley, Sheldon and Toth teamed up to win the 400 free relay in 3:27.90.
“It’s really exciting because there are a bunch of guys who have really improved so we can mix and match with our relays and still be fast,” Wright said. “We feel like we have a good shot of placing high at the state meet.”
Second-place finishes for the Warriors went to Daniel Hufford in the 200 freestyle, Jared Watson in the 200 IM, Sheldon in the 50 free, Kyle Cordrey in the 100 butterfly, Tkachenko in the 100 free, Toth in the 500 free and 100 breast and Jolley in the 100 breaststroke.
Shelby’s Jon Davis was third in the 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle.
Girls Race: The Sandusky girls were every bit as dominant as the Ontario boys, piling up 178 points. Tiffin Columbian (102) was second, followed by Ontario (81) and Shelby (70). Norwalk and Willard tied for fifth with 34 points.
Shelby’s Rachel Ensman was second in the 100 breaststroke (1:19.04), while teammate Baylie White was third in the 100 freestyle (59.77). Ontario’s Casi Sheppard was third in the 500 freestyle (27.35).
Shelby’s 200 medley relay team of Sarah Stroup, Ensman, White and Rachel Baker was third in 2:07.34, while the quartet of White, Sidney Conn, Baker and Ensman was third in 1:53.16. Ontario’s 400 freestyle relay team of Amy Williams, Sheppard, Ashley Little and Alley Rehfeldt was third in 4:21.42.
“My girls did really, really well,” Henry said. “We were going for second place, but we had a couple girls who were sick and that made the difference.”
Tournament Time Approaching: With the sectional tournament three weeks away, Henry was already looking forward to the postseason.
“Our guys are getting times probably ahead of where they should be right now because they’re not tapered at all,” Henry said. “To get almost every (NOL) record, this is cool.
“It was a good meet.”
