SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - Championship teams aren't built overnight.
While the recipe for success differs for every title-winning team, one of the key ingredients is a signature win.
It's way too early in the season to tell if the Pottsville boys and Schuylkill Haven girls' swim teams will capture Schuylkill League championships this season, or even next.
Youthful clubs loaded with talented underclassmen, the dual-meet victories each squad earned Wednesday could go a long way into their respective quest for a crown.
On the boys' side, Michael Logothetides paced a balanced effort with four victories as the Crimson Tide rolled past Schuylkill Haven 109½-73½. The victory avenges two straight losses to the Hurricanes.
The Schuylkill Haven girls, meanwhile, rode a big night by junior Allison Adams and four more wins by freshman Mary Zimmerman to defeat the Crimson Tide 94-82. It was the Hurricanes' first victory over Pottsville in school history.
"The past two years, it's been rough," said Logothetides, who won the 100 fly, 500 free and swam on Pottsville's winning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams. "This year, we decided we really have to work hard. We can really do some great things this year, if we really set our minds to it.
"What we did today, after two years of losing to them, it was 'Wow.' "
After winning 20 Schuylkill League titles in 22 years, Pottsville was defeated by Schuylkill Haven in 2011-12, then lost to both Schuylkill Haven and Blue Mountain last season.
This year figured to be a rebuilding year of sorts for the Crimson Tide with only three seniors, one of which is first-year diver Patrick McDonald. McDonald teamed with Kyle Brennan and Ed Hossler to sweep diving Wednesday.
Pottsville's underclassmen, however, stepped to the forefront against the
Hurricanes (1-1, 0-1 SL), giving the Tide (2-1, 1-0) depth that was too much for the Hurricanes to overcome.
Junior Josh Marx won the 50 free and swam key legs on two winning relays, while freshman Michael Smerlick took the 100 backstroke and finished second to Marx in the 50 free. Freshman Charlie Botto, juniors Tanner Steinhart and Nick Kerby and senior Tim Panchari also chipped in key second- and third-place finishes.
Schuylkill Haven got a pair of victories from its two senior leaders, Billy Sieck (200 free, 100 free) and Nick Semanco (200 IM, 100 breaststroke), but the Tide won or tied nine of the 12 events.
"Coming into the season, you don't know what to expect," Pottsville coach Ned Hampford said. "You have an idea where you'd like to see your guys ... we're way ahead of schedule.
"There's no doubt that Haven has a very solid team. We had some kids step up. This was a very important meet for us. I'm happy with the way our kids swam. They did a good job."
The Schuylkill Haven girls haven't had a winning season in more than a decade, maybe even ever. In available records that date back to the 2002-03 season, the Hurricanes have compiled a 33-96-1 record, 24-54-1 in league play.
The past two seasons have been extremely lean, as Haven was 4-19, 2-8 in league play.
This year, however, the Hurricanes have a deep roster loaded with talented underclassmen. When the final score posted on the scoreboard, the faces on the Haven girls beamed with joy as they hugged their teammates in celebration.
"This is the first time we've ever beat Pottsville. First time," Schuylkill Haven coach Sharon Wenrich said. "This is huge. This is enormous.
"For them, this has to be so motivating. To beat what we normally consider a much stronger team than us, that was just wonderful.
"I'm just elated right now. For as broken hearted as I am about the boys, I am just over the moon for the girls. This is a big feather in their cap."
Adams, a state qualifier two seasons ago as a freshman, is the most experienced of the group and stepped up when her team needed it the most Wednesday.
With the Hurricanes holding a 67-63 lead with three events left, Adams broke the school record with a time of 1:04.58 to win the 100 backstroke, beating Pottsville's Sarah Corse-Campion, who had earlier won the 100 butterfly.
When freshman Crystal Reber took third and sophomore Megan Ditzler finished fifth, the Hurricanes extended their lead to 77-69.
"It didn't even feel like I was going that fast," Adams said. "The last lap, I was choking on water going into it, and I was like 'Oh no.' I was totally shocked when I saw the time.
"I knew I was there to swim when I was racing Sarah because she comes from the same (YMCA) team and she's such a good swimmer. Me winning, I felt like it gave my team excitement and motivation to bring home the win."
Two events later, Adams swam the lead leg on the Hurricanes' 400 freestyle relay team that took first in a school-record 3:59.16, combining with senior Andrea Slotterback, Taylor Felty and Zimmerman to clinch the victory.
Zimmerman won the 200 and 500 freestyle events, while Felty placed first in the 200 IM and Slotterback anchored a key Haven win in the 200 freestyle relay.
Senior Janna Daley and junior Elizabeth Bayliff added key second- and third-place finishes, while freshman Tamika Ebling was second in the 100 breaststroke and swam on two winning relays.
Michaela Zanis (100 free), Gabrielle Hammer (diving) and Paige Fellows (100 breast) won events for Pottsville (0-3, 0-1).
For the Hurricanes, the win is a key momentum-builder heading into a Jan. 2 clash with defending champion Blue Mountain.
"It showing people that Haven isn't some small team, that we actually have good swimmers and we're going to make a difference," Adams said. "It definitely is going to give us motivation over the Christmas break to keep working hard."