The OCC beat goes on for Generals’ tankers

  • Brian Questel
  • January 19, 2011
  • 268
                        
012411 NEACboysswim Promo: And a one and a two and an … eighth in OCC swimming The OCC beat goes on for Generals’ tankers By Brian Questel The first anything is always special. Wooster High boys’ swim coach Jeff DeHaan would agree, but he certainly isn’t looking down on the latest title in the Generals’ Ohio Cardinal Conference’s swim collection. After slipping by Ashland in a dual meet earlier this season by only 22 points, the Generals roared to their eighth straight OCC crown with 478 points. That put the Generals well in front of Ashland (414) and Mansfield Senior (378) as the Generals rose to the occasion. “For the most part, the boys swam very well,” praised DeHaan. “ We actually outscored the second-place team by more than last year. It was 58 points last year and 64 this year. It was a bigger spread, which surprised me. Ashland was a lot stronger and Mansfield was strong, too. I knew Ashland would be tough with Gabe Reynolds and a couple others coming on strong.” Wooster countered Reynolds, who was the OCC Swimmer of the Year, with senior Chase Hooley, who closed out his career with a pair of individual wins and an OCC record in the 100 breaststroke. Hooley, who watched former teammate Ethan Rudawsky set the 100 breaststroke as a freshman, took it down by a full half-second with a 1:03.94 with his third straight breast win and second crown in the IM, which he took in a dominating four-second win (2:08.46). What disappointed DeHaan was that in an individual award for MVP, Hooley was slighted. Both Reynolds and Hooley won two individual events, along with having a relay win. Reynolds had a fourth relay win, but DeHaan decried that as a tipping point. “It’s an individual award,” said DeHaan, who was the only coach to vote for Hooley. “Chase was the only one to break a record and the relays don’t count. But if we do and you look at Gabe’s medley that won, Chase and Gabe went head-to-head and Chase beat him by a full half-second in his split … 27.20 to 27.70 and that was from a dead start. That’s another nail in the coffin then. “Two wins and a record is better than two records, and you are talking about a senior and a sophomore. You can’t count relays and I don’t know that the other coaches knew if Chase got the record. “Look, I know that that Gabe had a heck of meet and I’m sure he’ll break Kyle Hooley’s (OCC) record. He’s going to have a great career. But, Chase won the last three (OCC) breaststrokes and last year came close to breaking the record; this year he got it by full half-second.” That aside, DeHaan had plenty to cheer about. The Generals had three finishers among the top 10 in every race but one and their worst showing of the day was a single ninth-place showing. Hooley wasn’t the only Generals to find gold, either. Senior Danny Jones won the 100 back by turning a two-second win with a 58.63; junior Jacob Ackerman took the 100 butterfly with a 58.37 and the 200 free relay of Jones, Hooley, B.J. Graham and Phillip Mitchell took first-place honors as they churned to a 1:34.13 showing. There was a pair of seconds as Cooper Orr finished the diving events with a 255.40, a huge bump from NEACs, while the medley unit of Jones, Hooley, Graham and Mitchell picked up a second in that race (1:47.23), seven-hundredths behind the Arrows. “That was huge from Cooper Orr,” said DeHaan. “He went up 75 points from last week’s 11-dive score and he’s 15th-all-time. He went from 31st to 15th in one week. That’s pretty cool.” Jones, who also swam a leg on the third-place 400 free relay with Graham, Ackerman and Garrett Jentes as they touched in 3:34.41, collected a third in the 200 free. Kalten Walter backed Ackerman’s win in the 100 fly with a personal-best third (1:00.72), while Jentes was third in the 500 (5:22.01). Graham was fourth in the 100 free (53.14) and fifth in the 200 free (2:02.18), while Jentes fourth in the 100 breast. Fifths went to Mitchell in the 50 free (24.29) and Daniel Cabrera in the 500 (5:39.83). Beyond those top finishes, DeHaan singled out other top swims, including a pair from freshman Bryan Parker who was seventh in the 50 and sixth in the 100. “Every time Parker swims he gets better in the 50 and in the 100 he was only a tenth off what he did last week,” said DeHaan. “The biggest time drop was Kalten Walter in his 100 fly and he pulled off third place. He was seeded sixth and dropped from a 1:01.7 to 1:00.72, which was better than his taper and shaved time last year. Bryan White had two PB times when he was eighth in the 100 fly (1:05.03) and 500 free (5:45.41, seventh). In the backstroke, Charles Moodispaw had his season-best with a 1:06.55. He’s had struggles with shoulder issues and it’s nice to see him get a nice time drop.” It was the depth of the Generals’ performance that pleased DeHaan. “Dan in 100 back and Ackerman in the 100 fly definitely helped the cause,” he said. “The top guys do what they do, but the second and third guys win the meet. It always depth, especially in a championship meet with all those points being doled out. We finished (with three guys) in the top-10 in every event but one. “That’s how you win by 64 points.” Wooster traveled to Canton to face GlenOak and Perry last night before hosting Jackson today (Jan. 22).


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