POTTSVILLE — Swimming is one of the few high school sports where you can still have a tie.

A bold strategic move by the Pottsville’s girls’ swimming coaches created that deadlock situation Thursday in a Schuylkill League dual meet against North Schuylkill at the Ned Hampford Natatorium.

Trailing by 10 points entering the final event, the Crimson Tide balanced their two 400-yard freestyle relay teams in an effort to finish 1-2. The strategy worked as Pottsville captured the two top two places to force an 80-80 tie with the Spartans.

The quartet of Eli Kim, Izzy Walchak, Carlee Smulligan and Catherine Mohl took first in 4:47.70, while the foursome of Elizabeth Jones, Peyton Eckert, Kahmaya Van Orden and Gianna Laselva placed second in 4:54.78. The 12-2 advantage in points in the event forced the tie.

Laselva (200 free, 500 free) won two individual events for Pottsville (4-4-1, 3-3-1 SL), which lost the first meeting against North Schuylkill 106-57 on Dec. 15 in Fountain Springs. Smulligan (200 IM) and Van Orden (100 breast) also scored individual wins.

Kamryn Wolfe took first in the 100 free and 100 back for North Schuylkill (5-2-1, 4-2-1), while Tatiana Salefski (50 free), Annabelle Bennett (diving) and Keira Blozousky (100 fly) added wins.

North Schuylkill 80, Pottsville 80

200 medley relay — 1. Pottsville A (Laselva, Van Orden, Mohl, Kim) 2:11.22, 2. North Schuylkill A, 3. North Schuylkill B

200 freestyle — 1. Laselva (Potts) 2:13.74, 2. Salefski (NS), 3. Walchak (Potts)

200 IM — 1. Smulligan (Potts) 3:19.93

50 freestyle — 1. Salefski (NS) 27.27, 2. Mohl (Potts), 3. Kim (Potts)

Diving — 1. Bennett (NS) 184.80, 2. Evans (Potts), 3. Drum (NS)

100 butterfly — 1. Blozousky (NS) 1:11.61, 2. K. Nahodil (NS)

100 freestyle — 1. Wolfe (NS) 1:01.55, 2. Mohl (Potts), 3. Eckert (Potts)

500 freestyle — 1. Laselva (Potts) 5:46.79, 2. Lucht (NS), 3. Towey (NS)

200 freestyle relay — 1. North Schuylkill A (Wolfe, Blozousky, E. Nahodil, Lucht) 2:03.41, 2. Pottsville B, 3. North Schuylkill B

100 backstroke — 1. Wolfe (NS) 1:16.67, 2. Walchak (Potts), 3. Smulligan (Potts)

100 breaststroke — 1. Van Orden (Potts) 1:22.64, 2. Blozousky (NS)

400 freestyle relay — 1. Pottsville B (Kim, Walchak, Smulligan, Mohl) 4:47.70, 2. Pottsville A , 3. North Schuylkill A

Girls’ Swimming

Blue Mountain 122, Marian 34

ORWIGSBURG — Isabella Lafko (200 free, 500 free) and Anna Kaplafka (50 free, 100 free) each won two events as the Eagles cruised past the Fillies (0-7, 0-6 SL) at the Glen Belmont Natatorium.

Anna Oettl (diving), Alayna Hensel (100 fly) and Molly Stone (100 breast) added wins for Blue Mountain (9-0, 7-0).

Lydia Strucko broke her own pool record in the 100 backstroke with a time of 58.21. She had set the previous mark of 59.32 in 2024.

200 medley relay — 1. Blue Mountain (Crossen, Stone, Grabowski, Bellan-Huchery) 2:16.03, 2. Marian A

200 freestyle — 1. Lafko (BM) 2:15.28, 2. Crossen (BM), 3. Daynorovicz (BM)

200 IM — 1. Strucko (Mar) 2:14.41, 2. Hensel (BM), 3. Stone (BM)

50 freestyle — 1. Kaplafka (BM) 28.04, 2. Bellan-Huchery (BM), 3. Bones (Mar)

Diving — 1. Oettl (BM) 154.20, 2. White (BM), 3. Satterfield (BM)

100 butterfly — 1. Hensel (BM) 1:09.44, 2. Seidel (BM)

100 freestyle — 1. Kaplafka (BM) 1:01.30, 2. Bellan-Huchery (BM), 3. Evert (Mar)

500 freestyle — 1. Lafko (BM) 5:56.32, 2. Crossen (BM), 3. Daynorovicz (BM)

200 freestyle relay — 1. Blue Mountain A (Kaplafka, Seidel, Hensel, Lafko) 1:51.46, 2. Blue Mountain B, 3. Marian A

100 backstroke — 1. Strucko (Mar) 58.21 (pool record), 2. Seidel (BM), 3. Beiswinger (BM)

100 breaststroke — 1. Stone (BM) 1:25.72, 2. Bones (Mar), 3. Beiswinger (BM)

400 freestyle relay — 1. Blue Mountain A (Kaplafka, Seidel, Lafko, Hensel) 4:08.12

Girls’ Swimming

Tamaqua 95, Mahanoy Area 49

MAHANOY CITY — Shaylee Gormley (50 free, 100 free) and Savannah Wilson (100 fly, 100 breast) each won two individual events and swam on two winning relays as the Blue Raiders downed the Golden Bears.

Janna Brown (200 free), Kate Behun (500 free) and Audrey Nattress (100 back) added individual wins for Tamaqua (7-2, 5-1 SL), which won 10 of 11 events. Lily Brown took first in the 200 IM for Mahanoy Area (1-6, 1-6).

200 medley relay — 1. Tamaqua A (Behun, Wilson, Nattress, Jones) 2:04.13, 2. Mahanoy Area A

200 freestyle — 1. Brown (Tam) 2:19.63, 2. Fazio (Mah), 3. Whitecavage (Mah)

200 IM — 1. Brown (Mah) 2:19.31, 2. Behun (Tam), 3. Jones (Tam)

50 freestyle — 1. Gormley (Tam) 25.57, 2. Fazio (Mah), 3. Whitecavage (Mah)

Diving — No event

100 butterfly — 1. Wilson (Tam) 1:04.41, 2. Kardisco (Mah)

100 freestyle — 1. Gormley (Tam) 57.14, 2. Brown (Tam), 3. Scully (Mah)

500 freestyle — 1. Behun (Tam) 6:09.66, 2. L. Clemson (Tam)

200 freestyle relay — 1. Tamaqua A (Nattress, Brown, Jones, Gormley) 1:51.67, 2. Mahanoy Area A

100 backstroke — 1. Nattress (Tam) 1:14.81, 2. L. Clemson (Tam), 3. Scully (Mah)

100 breaststroke — 1. Wilson (Tam) 1:10.11, 2. Brown (Mah), 3. Kardisco (Mah)

400 freestyle relay — 1. Tamaqua A (Brown, Behun, Gormley, Wilson) 4:17.80

Boys’ Swimming

Pottsville 90, North Schuylkill 76

POTTSVILLE — John Mohl (200 free, 100 fly) and Noah Bevan (50 free, 100 free) each won two individual events and swam on two winning freestyle relays as the Crimson Tide downed the Spartans at the Ned Hampford Natatorium.

Adam Klinger (diving) added a win for Pottsville (7-2, 6-1 SL), which swept the relays.

Brendan Fetterolf (200 IM, 500 free) won two events for North Schuylkill (5-3, 4-3), which had its five-meet win streak snapped. Owen Mentzer (100 back) and David Luna (100 breast) also notched wins for the Spartans.

200 medley relay — 1. Pottsville (Maroukis, Tang, Walsh, Scharadin) 2:01.19, 2. North Schuylkill A

200 freestyle — 1. Mohl (Potts) 2:03.28, 2. Weremedic (NS), 3. Strauss (Potts)

200 IM — 1. Fetterolf (NS) 2:20.81, 2. Mangianello (NS), 3. Walsh (Potts)

50 freestyle — 1. Bevan (Potts) 23.27, 2. Mentzer (NS), 3. Bressler (Potts)

Diving — 1. Klinger (Potts) 257.10, 2. Prestileo (Potts)

100 butterfly — 1. Mohl (Potts) 59.30, 2. Weremedic (NS), 3. Hayes (NS)

100 freestyle — 1. Bevan (Potts) 51.31, 2. Mangianello (NS), 3. Maroukis (Potts)

500 freestyle — 1. Fetterolf (NS) 5:15.08, 2. Heidelbaugh (NS), 3. Urban (Potts)

200 freestyle relay — 1. Pottsville A (Mohl, Bressler, Walsh, Bevan) 1:34.75, 2. North Schuylkill A, 3. Pottsville B

100 backstroke — 1. Mentzer (NS) 1:00.36, 2. Maroukis (Potts), 3. McGurl (NS)

100 breaststroke — 1. Luna (NS) 1:17.89, 2. Tang (Potts)

400 freestyle relay — 1. Pottsville A (Mohl, Bressler, Walsh, Bevan) 3:34.27, 2. North Schuylkill A, 3. Pottsville B

Boys’ Swimming

Tamaqua 54, Mahanoy Area 18

MAHANOY CITY — Will Behun (50 free) and Ben Hunsicker (100 free) notched victories as the Blue Raiders (2-7, 2-4 SL) defeated the Golden Bears (0-7, 0-7).

Blake Brown won two events for Mahanoy Area, placing first in the 200 free and 100 back.

200 medley relay — No event

200 freestyle — 1. Brown (Mah) 2:17.77, 2. Hunsicker (Tam), 3. Sanchez (Tam)

200 IM — No event

50 freestyle — 1. Behun (Tam) 27.96, 2. Kline (Tam), 3. Williams (Mah)

Diving — No event

100 butterfly — No event

100 freestyle — 1. Hunsicker (Tam) 1:06.72, 2. Sanchez (Tam), 3. Williams (Mah)

500 freestyle — No event

200 freestyle relay — 1. Tamaqua A (Behun, Kline, Hunsicker, Sanchez) 2:02.11

100 backstroke — 1. Brown (Mah) 1:13.25, 2. Behun (Tam), 3. Kline (Tam)

100 breaststroke — No event

400 freestyle relay — 1. Tamaqua A (Hunsicker, Sanchez, Kline, Behun) 5:09.45

Boys’ Swimming

Blue Mountain 129, Marian 24

ORWIGSBURG — Porter Sarnes (200 free, 500 free) and Brody Moyer (100 fly, 100 back) each won a pair of events as the Eagles cruised past the Colts at the Glen Belmont Natatorium.

Seth Nester (200 IM), Kevin Frederick (diving) and Zach Scala (100 breast) added wins for Blue Mountain (9-0, 7-0 SL).

Michael Strucko won the 50 free and 100 free for Marian (1-6, 1-5), setting Schuylkill League top times this season in both events. Strucko went 21.85 in the 50 free and 48.37 in the 100 free.

200 medley relay — 1. Blue Mountain A (Nester, Scala, Magdeburg, Kamarousky) 1:52.75, 2. Blue Mountain B

200 freestyle — 1. Sarnes (BM) 1:54.01, 2. Kamarousky (BM), 3. Magdeburg (BM)

200 IM — 1. Nester (BM) 2:16.70, 2. Keck (BM)

50 freestyle — 1. Strucko (Mar) 21.85, 2. A. Varney (BM), 3. Scala (BM)

Diving — 1. Frederick (BM) 65.65

100 butterfly — 1. Moyer (BM) 56.48, 2. Nester (BM), 3. Frantz (BM)

100 freestyle — 1. Strucko (Mar) 48.37, 2. A. Varney (BM), 3. Kamarousky (BM)

500 freestyle — 1. Sarnes (BM) 5:01.64, 2. Magdeburg (BM), 3. Frantz (BM)

200 freestyle relay — 1. Blue Mountain A (Scala, Sarnes, A. Varney, Moyer) 1:35.13, 2. Blue Mountain B

100 backstroke — 1. Moyer (BM) 56.79, 2. E. Varney (BM), 3. March (BM)

100 breaststroke — 1. Scala (BM) 1:10.57, 2. Keck (BM), 3. R. Metters (Mar)

400 freestyle relay — 1. Blue Mountain A (A. Varney, Sarnes, Kamarousky, Moyer) 3:32.58