Bad timing sinks Generals in opener, but times bode well for future

  • By Brian Questel
  • December 11, 2010
  • 301
                        
Wooster High boys swim coach Jeff DeHaan summed up Saturday’s opener with two words: “Bad timing.” That was his synopsis after the Generals’ opening quad meet at Youngstown State University. The Generals finished third behind Youngstown Boardman (163 points) and Canfield (155) with 124 points. All three of those teams finished well in front of Warren Harding (90). “We were 1-2, so we didn’t start out the season like I’d hoped,” said DeHaan. “I knew Boardman would be tough. They have a seasoned, veteran squad. We only nipped them by 11 points in (last year’s NCAC) championship meet. They’re the team to beat in NEAC. “Three of our top swimmers were out with illness - Daniel Cabrera-Baez Cabraria, Danny Jones and Brandon Buss were all sick. If you have three of your top guys out, you’re not going to compete the way you should, and it was bad timing to start out with two of our toughest competitors. It’s not what we envisioned, but it’s the winter season and it just happened all at once this week. “You can’t expect to have three guys out and the rest to shoulder the burden,” he added. “I had to totally revamp the lineup and move guys around. We had some events where we had our numbers 3-4 guys going against the other team’s 1-2.” While the wins didn’t come, DeHaan saw the big picture. “The times were impressive,” he said. “Our freshman class was swimming against juniors and seniors, and Bryan Parker and B.J. Graham had all personal best times every time they got in the water. I told the guys we’d find out their character with those three out... and for those two to jump in and have PB times to try help us out was exciting to see. “We had 124 points, Canfield 155 and Boardman 163, so it seems like we were a long way off. But, if you added in the points we would have gotten and the points they would have lost, we would have been right in there.” Wooster’s only win came from Garrett Jentes in the 500 with his 5:19.35 performance, while Chase Hooley posted a second in the 200 IM (2:07.75) and a third 100 breaststroke (1:03.26). Jentes was right behind him in fourth (1:06.68), while Cooper Orr was second in the diving with 143.50 points, followed by Brady Kelly in third (114.60). Jacob Ackerman was fourth in the 100 butterfly (59.32), while Graham (100 back) and Ryan Vincent (100 free) rounded out the top five individual performances. Orr, a freshman, made a dramatic entrance in his first meet. “Cooper Orr did a fantastic job on the diving board for his first meet,” said DeHaan. “It’s always interesting to see what freshmen and first-years do with a crowd and different boards. He’s already on the top 40 list with six dives. He had a 143 and is 25th all-time already. He had five nice dives, getting fives and sixes, but then lost it on his last one. He’s only going to get better and better.” Even without better places, DeHaan saw a number of promising performances after his scramble to reshape the Generals’ lineup on the bus trip to Youngstown. “Graham (in the 200 free) had a four-second drop off his tapered and shaved time from Zones in April and in his 100 back he had a three-second drop,” he said. “Parker had his best times in the 50 and 100. I had only planned for him in two relays, but he swam two relays and two individuals and he had time drops of two seconds in 100 and a half-second in the 50. Kalten Walter, a sophomore, was unbelievable for missing three days of school earlier in the week and having a stuffed-up head. He was only a couple days removed from being out of school and he was one who stepped up knowing we needed extra help. His most impressive race as the 100 fly … and he had three of four PBs. That was a heck of a way to start the year. “Among the juniors, Joel Jones had PB times in three of four events – the 50 and 100 free and 50 relay split – and Cody Neidig had his best splits in the 50 free relay and 50 back in the medley. He was doing sprints faster than his tapered and shaved times. Jacob Ackerman had a couple nice swims. He had a PB in the leadoff 400 free relay leg by a second, and his fly time broke a minute. Last year he didn’t break a minute until (the) OCC (Ohio Cardinal Conference championships). “Charles Moodispaw moved from the B relay to the A and he led off the 200 free relay. His dead start 50 was one second faster than anything he had done,” added DeHaan. “We had all these PBs in the first meet… so that bodes well for the future that we would react that well to the added pressure. We sent the lineup around a half-hour out of Wooster, and then Danny called from his doctor’s appointment and said he wouldn’t be coming, so we had to send it around a second time. They didn’t know until an hour before they swam what their added duties were and that they would be without one of their senior captains.”


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