HS Swimming: Blue Mountain finds winning formula to sweep Pottsville
Blue Mountain's Sage Kaplafka, left, and Pottsville's Adalia LaSelva prepare to start the girls' 50-yard freestyle during a Schuylkill League dual meet at the Ned Hampford Natatorium. (Photo by Leroy Boyer).
POTTSVILLE — Year after year, the Blue Mountain swim program follows the same championship-winning formula.
Take the existing standout swimmers who have excelled at the league, district and state levels and infuse them with a group of young newcomers from the Blue Mountain Recreation Sharks youth program to replace those lost to graduation.
That perfect blend of veterans and up-and-coming freshmen has produced 10 straight Schuylkill League girls’ titles, 10 of the last 12 Schuylkill League boys’ crowns and both the boys’ and girls’ District 11 Class AA team titles for the past six years.
That formula figured to be tested this season after Blue Mountain lost a bevy of state-caliber swimmers, many of whom now compete at the collegiate level.
Thursday, this year’s freshmen showed they’re the right ingredients to keep the cycle going.
Seniors Noah Powers, Sage Kaplafka and Julia Crossen each won two individual events and swam on two winning relay teams and freshmen Porter Sarnes, Zach Scala, Lola Machamer and Alayna Hensel each had a hand in multiple victories as the Eagles swept Pottsville in a Schuylkill League dual meet at the Ned Hampford Natatorium.
The Blue Mountain girls rolled to a 120-56 victory while the Eagles’ boys captured a 103-77 victory. Both squads improved to 4-0 on the season, 3-0 in league play.
“We’re very fortunate that our freshmen have all come from either another club program or from our program as well,” Coach Sarnes said. “We’re very fortunate to have very talented kids who have worked hard all throughout their youth programs. All girls all came up through our Sharks program.
“They’ve stepped up. We graduated major point-scorers and my freshmen have stepped up and scored those points.”
It’s easy to build a team around Powers, the two-time state champion that showed off his talents again Thursday.
The Virginia-bound senior won the 50-yard freestyle in a pool-record 21.10, took first in the 100 butterfly in 53.28 and anchored the Eagles’ winning 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay teams.
But it takes more than just one star swimmer to have a successful team.
Key youngsters from last season, juniors Gabe Kamarousky and Liam Magdeburg and sophomores Aidan Varney and Brody Moyer, give the Eagles depth and talent around Powers and compensate for the loss of two-time state medalist Matheson Bair to graduation.
Thursday, Magdeburg and Kamarousky went 1-2 in the 200 freestyle, while Varney won the 100 freestyle and Moyer took first in the 100 backstroke. Moyer and Varney also swam on two winning relays, helping Blue Mountain sweep those events.
Sarnes, the coach’s son, took first in the 200 IM and 500 freestyle while Scala, who moved into the Blue Mountain district from Long Island, New York, was second in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke and swam on two winning relays.
Blue Mountain won 10 of 12 events against the Crimson Tide (2-1, 2-1), with Adam Klinger (diving) and Marty Davis (100 breaststroke) getting wins for Pottsville.
“Losing Matheson was tough,” Pete Sarnes said. “Having the strength of the newcomers coming in, I can blend them in with the older core that’s here … Gabe Kamarousky, Noah, Varney. They fill in the spots that we graduated. To have this team step up like that, it’s huge.”
On the girls’ side, Kaplafka and Crossen are the senior leaders of a squad that graduated state medalists Victoria Ellex, Paige Bensinger and Mollie Sarnes.
They were leaders Thursday, with Kaplafka taking first in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke and Crossen winning the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle while they teamed to win the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.
Blue Mountain’s divers are back, too, with Kamryn Moran, Shyanna White and Hailey Scheuer going 1-2-3 in that event.
Around them, however, is a group of newcomers that includes senior Kaitlyn Zulli, junior Arpita Mishra, sophomore Isabella Lafko and freshmen Alayna Hensel, Lola Machamer, Ella Crossen, Grace Zulli and Emma Beiswinger.
They all gained valuable points Thursday, with Lafko (200 IM), Machamer (100 free) and Hensel (100 back) all winning events. The Eagles won 11 of the 12 events, with Pottsville’s Adalia LaSelva (100 fly) preventing the shutout.
“Every one of those girls filled a need that we had,” Pete Sarnes said of his newcomers. “As a head coach, I couldn’t ask for a better freshman class.”
