If only the San Benito girls team could spare some of their
depth, and perhaps even some of their points. While their female
counterparts turned Saturday’s Tri-County Athletic League Finals
into an open-and-shut case, winning their third straight TCAL crown
by nearly 100 points, the Baler boys were locked in a three-team
race for the league title. San Benito trailed Salinas by four
points, and led third-place Palma by all of three points, with
three events to go. But although it had only one loss during the
regular season
— and that came against Palma — San Benito’s youthfulness and
lack of depth eventually led to its undoing on Saturday.
SALINAS
If only the San Benito girls team could spare some of their depth, and perhaps even some of their points.
While their female counterparts turned Saturday’s Tri-County Athletic League Finals into an open-and-shut case, winning their third straight TCAL crown by nearly 100 points, the Baler boys were locked in a three-team race for the league title.
San Benito trailed Salinas by four points, and led third-place Palma by all of three points, with three events to go.
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But although it had only one loss during the regular season — and that came against Palma — San Benito’s youthfulness and lack of depth eventually led to its undoing on Saturday. The TCAL Championships are, after all, won or lost not necessarily on the performance of those who finish in first place, but by those other swimmers who score points in the top 12.
And while it was Salinas which edged Palma by a 299-287 margin for the team title, San Benito finished in nearby third place — just 26 points out of the top spot.
“They came so close. They were amazing,” San Benito head coach Christine Schafer said. “At the end of the day, you can’t be mad at a kid when they’re doing their best time, and they’re all doing their best times.
“But at the end of the day, someone else did a better time.”
As two-time defending league champions, San Benito’s performance on Saturday at Everett Alvarez High School in Salinas was overshadowed by that of Palma and Salinas. But for a team without a single senior this year, it wasn’t to be overlooked.
Quinn Six led the Baler boys with a pair of first-place finishes, clocking a time of 22.51 seconds in the 50 free and a time of 49.93 seconds in the 100 free, the latter of which equaled a Central Coast Section qualifying time.
“Any time you break 50 seconds in the 100 free, it feels really good,” said Six, who has now qualified toward CCS in three different events, including the 50 free and 200 IM.
“I just wanted to break it again,” he said.
While only those who finish within the top 12 can score points for their team, TCAL rules stipulate that a team can only place as many as four swimmers within the top 12. But due to a lack of depth, the Balers had only one event — the 500 freestyle — in which they managed to place four swimmers.
Even without earning the top spot in the 500 freestyle, San Benito still placed Jaret Barios (4th, 5:25.85), Joseph Franco (8th, 6:04.54), Albert Rodriguez (9th, 6:06.92) and Nick Kemppainen (11th, 6:15.40) in the top 12, and still managed to rack-up much needed depth points in order to keep pace with Salinas and Palma.
But point totals like that — without placing anyone in the top three — were hard to come by for the Balers, while the Cowboys and Chieftains routinely placed three and four swimmers in the top 12 in several different events to pull ahead in the very end.
“We were just short of teammates this year,” Six said.
Still, the San Benito foursome of Six, Alex Dones, Adrian Martinez and Nathan Thomas managed to earn first place in the 200-yard medley relay in 1:51.25, while Martinez took second in the 200-yard IM in 2:15.20 and Dones placed third in the 100-yard fly in 1:02.94.
Martinez and Thomas, meanwhile, finished 2-3 in the 100-yard breast event in 1:09.00 and 1:10.89, respectively.
“They all swam unbelievable races,” Schafer said, “so I was really proud of them.”
But again, if only the San Benito girls team could spare some of their depth.
The Baler girls led from wire-to-wire Saturday and posted similar results to last year’s dominating performance, when they ran roughshod on the competition and defeated second-place Salinas by 122 points.
Although Saturday’s performance was perhaps not as convincing, it was still a 370-277 victory over runner-up Gilroy.
“They just blew everybody away,” Schafer said.
And it was the depth that shined. While the 200-yard medley relay (1:56.91) and 200-yard free relay (1:46.84) each finished first, the Balers had just one individual champion in Czsarina Isleta, who took first in the 200-yard freestyle in 2:03.82.
The sophomore’s time fell just short of being CCS-worthy, however.
“Yes, it was a bummer. But it’s OK,” said Isleta, who had qualified to the CCS in every event this season, except the 200 free. Saturday was her final chance.
“I was so concentrated on that race during warm-ups,” Isleta added. “I was trying to improve on every little thing. But …”
Isleta missed the CCS cut by 33 one-hundredths of a second in the end.
Other impressive times from Saturday included Brianna Huntley in the 200 IM (3rd, 2:37.10), Caitlin Schafer in the 50 free (2nd, 26.23) and 100 breast (2nd, 1:14.10), Celina Stotler in the 100 fly (3rd, 1:07.87), Rachel Estep in the 100 back (2nd, 1:06.79), and both Isleta (2nd, 55.95) and Katarina Ortiz (3rd, 1:01.20) in the 100 free.
Jessie Drogemuller also displayed her usual flare for the dramatic on Saturday. One year after she posted a CCS-qualifying time in the 500 free at TCALs, the San Benito senior did it again during the final meet of the season on Saturday. But this time, she left no room to spare.
Drogemuller recorded a 5:34.19 on Saturday in the 500 free — the exact cut in order to advance to CCS.
“I always wait ’til the end. I always wait ’til TCALs,” she said. “I guess that’s when I’m the most excited. It’s this adrenaline rush. It kicks in.”
This will mark the third time Drogemuller has qualified to CCS, each time advancing in the 500 free.
Of course, never has she managed to hit the CCS cut right on the nose.
“It was crazy,” she said. “But this is how I wanted to end my season — just get my cut.”
Tri-County Athletic League Finals
Boys: 1, Salinas, 299; 2, Palma, 287; 3, San Benito, 273; 4, Everett Alvarez, 139; 5, Gilroy, 119; 6, North Salinas, 67; 7, Alisal, 66.
Girls: 1, San Benito, 370; 2, Gilroy, 277; 3, Salinas, 254; 4, Notre Dame, 125; 4, Everett Alvarez, 125; 6, North Salinas, 71; 7, Alisal, 28.
