Lap by lap, the volume level in the Ned Hampford Natatorium increased.
From Ryan Scanlan to Charlie Botto to Michael Smerlick to Josh Marx ... as each one completed his turn in the boys’ 400-yard freestyle relay, the Pottsville faithful cheered louder.
As Marx hit the wall for the final time to win the event and clinch the Crimson Tide’s 98-87 victory over Blue Mountain, the Pottsville side of the pool erupted in a celebration that had arms flinging into the air, towels flying and hugs everywhere.
For the first time in four years, the Crimson Tide are Schuylkill League boys’ swimming champions.
“It feels great after all these years,” Marx said. “It’s my first Schuylkill League championship here at Pottsville. It’s a really great experience.
“It’s really good to be out on top after three years sitting them out. It was our turn, and it feels really great.”
The victory by Scanlan, Botto, Smerlick and Marx in the night’s final event capped a meet in which
both Schuylkill League championships were decided.
The Blue Mountain girls dominated from start to finish, cruising to a 105-78 victory over Pottsville that gave the Eagles their second league title in three years. Sisters Rebecca (200 free, 500 free) and Erica Donohue (50 free, 100 breast) each won two individual events and swam on a winning relay as the Eagles (10-1, 7-0 SL) remained unbeaten in league play.
Carleigh Bogotuik (200 IM) and Serena Reidler (100 back) added individual victories as Blue Mountain built a 45-17 lead after four events and never looked back.
Gabby Hammer (diving), Sarah Corse-Campion (100 fly) and Katie Deegan (100 free) recorded individual wins for Pottsville (7-5, 3-3 SL).
“It’s amazing,” Bogotuik said. “We’ve experienced it before, and to have it again, it’s just awesome to finally finish the year off as seniors, with all of these people that I’ve been working with my entire life, and to finally say ‘This one is ours.’ We finished strong and took it.”
Added Rebecca Donohue: “It feels really good that we’re the leaders and we succeeded.”
Unlike the girls’ meet, the boys’ competition was a nip-and-tuck affair filled with close races throughout.
Botto was the first Tide swimmer to step up, giving Pottsville (11-1, 6-0) a 16-14 lead after two events by teaming with Nick Kerby to place 1-2 in the 200 freestyle.
“I needed to score points for my team,” said Botto, a sophomore. “I thought at that point Nick and I could go 1-2.”
After Mark Boran won the 200 IM for Blue Mountain (8-3, 5-2), Marx edged Stephen Johnson and Joey McLaughlin to capture first place in the 50 freestyle.
Marx nipped Johnson 22.89 to 22.97, with McLaughlin clocked at 24.75. It was the fastest time of the season for both Marx and Johnson.
Pottsville led 32-30 heading into diving, the same score it led by during the first dual meet between the teams Jan. 6 in Orwigsburg.
In that matchup, Pottsville used a late surge to win 102-83. This time, it was a little closer.
“It was a real tough meet at Blue Mountain,” said Pottsville coach Ned Hampford, who earned his 21st Schuylkill League boys’ title. “I knew it was going to be tougher up here. I had that feeling when I left there that things went our way and we were fortunate to get some places.”
Blue Mountain won the next four events, as Lyle Luckenbill (diving), Nathanael Marino (100 fly), Johnson (100 free) and Jacob Wessner (500 free) notched victories.
Pottsville, however, placed 2-3 in all four events, and was able to expand its lead to 66-59 entering the 200 freestyle relay.
In the most dramatic race of the night, the quartet of Scanlan, Botto, Michael Logothetides and Marx nipped the foursome of Austin Boyer, Nick Yackenchick, Johnson and McLaughlin by 7 one-hundredths of a second — 1:37.48 to 1:37.56 — to win the event and take a 74-65 lead.
“Coming into the end, I could see him. He was right next to me,” Marx said. “I thought ‘What’s the worst that could happen if I reach out and try to touch the board before him?’ and that’s what I did.
“I had to reach, or I would have taken an extra stroke and maybe have lost the race.”
Blue Mountain kept battling, taking first and third in the 100 backstroke and 100 breaststroke to slice Pottsville’s lead to 88-83 with one event left. Boran and Boyer were 1-3 in the backstroke, while Marino and McLaughlin were 1-3 in the breaststroke.
If the Eagles could place first and third in the 400 freestyle relay, they would win the meet and climb into a tie for first place in the league standings.
Marx and his group make sure that didn’t happen.
“We went for the win,” Hampford said. “It was us against them.”
Botto, who went second, swam the key leg, overcoming an early deficit to put Pottsville ahead for good. Smerlick and Marx made it stand up, winning in 3:36.05.
“I knew we were behind and I wanted to catch up,” Botto said. “I tried my hardest to catch up, and once I did, I wanted to give us the lead.”
Afterward, Hampford got choked up when talking about his squad, most of which hadn’t swam competitively until joining the high school team as sophomores two years ago.
“We’ve come a long way,” Hampford said. “These seniors, most of them joined us when they were sophomores and had little or no swimming background. It was pretty tough.
“Last year they showed some spark and as they got experience, they started doing things better. I thought we had a shot this year, I really did.
“Tonight was a tough meet,” he continued. “When push came to shove, those kids were there. I’m proud ... very proud.
“It was a team victory. They’re not as talented as some of our other teams in the past who were very successful, but they made up for it in heart.”
GIRLS
Blue Mountain 105, Pottsville 78
200 medley relay — 1. Blue Mountain (Jacobson, E. Donohue, Laughlin, Gormley) 2:05.17, 2. Blue Mountain, 3. Pottsville
200 freestyle — 1. R. Donohue (BM) 2:13.09, 2. M. Consugar (P), 3. Laubenstine (BM), 4. M. Krause (BM), 5. L. Turnitza (P)
200 IM — 1. Bogotuik (BM) 2:33.63, 2. Jacobson (BM), 3. Young (P), 4. K. Zehner (BM), 5. R. Consugar (P)
50 freestyle — 1. E. Donohue (BM) 27.02, 2. Deegan (P), 3. Gormley (BM), 4. Fellows (P), 5. Reidler (BM)
Diving — 1. Hammer (P) 172.15, 2. Barrett (BM), 3. Setlock (P)
100 butterfly — 1. Corse-Campion (P) 1:07.32, 2. Pascuzzo (BM), 3. Laughlin (BM), 4. E. Zehner (BM), 5. Lecher (P)
100 freestyle — 1. Deegan (P) 1:00.50, 2. Bogotuik (BM), 3. Gormley (BM), 4. Berdanier (P), 5. G. Krause (BM)
500 freestyle — 1. R. Donohue (BM) 5:58.87, 2. M. Consugar (P), 3. Zanis (P), 4. Jacobson (BM), 5. M. Krause (BM)
200 freestyle relay — 1. Pottsville (Corse-Campion, Fellows, Berdanier, Deegan) 1:50.11, 2. Blue Mountain, 3. Pottsville
100 backstroke — 1. Reidler (BM) 1:08.49, 2. Corse-Campion (P), 3. Pascuzzo (BM), 4. J. Turnitza (P), 5. R. Consugar (P)
100 breaststroke — 1. E. Donohue (BM) 1:15.77, 2. Young (P), 3. Fellows (P), 4. Sternick (P), 5. Elser (BM)
400 freestyle relay — 1. Blue Mountain (Jacobson, M. Krause, Bogotuik, R. Donohue) 4:08.26, 2. Pottsville, 3. Blue Mountain
BOYS
Pottsville 98, Blue Mountain 87
200 medley relay — 1. Blue Mountain (Boran, Yackenchick, Wessner, McLaughlin) 1:49.84, 2. Pottsville, 3. Pottsville
200 freestyle — 1. Botto (P) 2:03.41, 2. Kerby (P), 3. Boyer (BM), 4. Yackenchick (BM), 5. Hughes (BM)
200 IM — 1. Boran (BM) 2:09.58, 2. Steinhart (P), 3. Logothetides (P), 4. Wessner (BM), 5. Spece (P)
50 freestyle — 1. J. Marx (P) 22.89, 2. Johnson (BM), 3. McLaughlin (BM), 4. Smerlick (P), 5. Wilson (BM)
Diving — 1. Luckenbill (BM) 168.55, 2. Alisauckas (P), 3. Hossler (P), 4. Sham (BM), 5. Brennan (P)
100 butterfly — 1. Marino (BM) 56.52, 2. Logothetides (P), 3. Wojciechowsky (P), 4. J. Turnitza (P)
100 freestyle — 1. Johnson (BM) 51.02, 2. J. Marx (P), 3. Botto (P), 4. Scanlan (P), 5. Wilson (BM)
500 freestyle — 1. Wessner (BM) 5:45.99, 2. Kerby (P), 3. Spece (P), 4. Hughes (BM), 5. Wojciechowsky (P)
200 freestyle relay — 1. Pottsville (Scanlan, Botto, Logothetides, J. Marx) 1:37.48, 2. Blue Mountain, 3. Blue Mountain
100 backstroke — 1. Boran (BM) 56.44, 2. Smerlick (P), 3. Boyer (BM), 4. N. Marx (P), 5. J. Turnitza (P)
100 breaststroke — 1. Marino (BM) 1:06.72, 2. Steinhart (P), 3. McLaughlin (BM), 4. Howell (P), 5. Kelly (P)
400 freestyle relay — 1. Pottsville (Scanlan, Botto, Smerlick, J. Marx) 3:36.05, 2. Blue Mountain, 3. Pottsville