AIR FORCE ACADEMY – The Class 5A boys state swimming crown fell under new ownership Saturday.
For just the second time in 21 years, Regis Jesuit was dethroned of its title as team champion at the Air Force Natatorium — and that was all because of Fossil Ridge High School.
“To be honest, Regis has been so good for so long that I didn’t really think anybody had a chance of beating them for the foreseeable future,” Fossil coach Mark Morehouse said.
“We got into the season and went, ‘Wow. We’ve got a chance at this.’ From that point on, we became a team on a mission.”
The SaberCats won their first-ever state title by scoring 297 overall points, 23 more than runner-up Regis Jesuit.
It was a cap on an untouched season for Fossil, which went 5-0 in dual meets, notched four first-places finishes at invitationals and brought home its sixth-straight Front Range League championship title this spring.
In Saturday’s finals, the SaberCats took early control after the second event and never surrendered their lead.
“I’ll admit that I was calculating the team scores there after every event,” Morehouse said. “It starting adding up our way, and then it became about holding on to it.”
Fossil reached the podium on three occasions before landing on the top spot. The 200 freestyle relay team of Mason Fine, Matt Willis, Danny Kovac and Walter Dauksherwon in a photo finish, edging Cherry Creek by 0.01 seconds.
“When you look up and see that ‘1’ by your team’s name (on the timing board), you’re just so happy that you could have done that for your team,” said senior captain Dauksher, who anchored the relay. “It’s fulfilling because it’s not only for you, but for others.”
Kovac, a freshman, then added Fossil’s only individual championship in the following event, winning the 100 backstroke in 50.53, a Consideration All-American mark.
Third-place finishes were contributed by Dauksher in both the 200 and 500 free, and from Fine in the 100 fly. Kovac added a fourth-place finish in the 200 IM, and Loren Gillilan was fifth in the 100 fly.
Willis took fifth in the 100 fly and sixth in the 200 free, while Carson Clear was sixth in the 100 back. Teammates Kris Malinin and Fine tied for seventh in the 50 free.
Fossil’s 400 freestyle relay finished second, and its 200 medley relay team took fourth.
Fort Collins was represented by Kurt Seitzinger, who was 12th in dive, and Alex Dragan, with 16th-place finishes in both the 100 free and 100 back.
Rocky Mountain’s Timothy Landau competed in dive, finishing 14th.
Windsor’s 4A finish
Windsor had two individuals and two relays compete in the finals at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in Thornton.
The 200 medley relay team of Justin Krebs, Alan Whitehead, Jacob Wiedeman andColby Horton finished 13th in 1:46.85. Wiedeman and Horton then joined Garrett Ludwick and Tucker Wright on the Wizards’ 200 freestyle relay squad that swam 1:35.61 to finish 15th.
Horton was 15th individually in the 100 backstroke, while Wiedeman finished 16th in the 100 breaststroke.
Follow sports reporter Quentin Sickafoose at twitter.com/QSickafoose.
5A BOYS STATE SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
at US Air Force Academy Natatorium
Team results — Fossil Ridge 297, Regis Jesuit 274, Cherry Creek 209, Boulder 177, Fairview 149, Highlands Ranch 125, Arapahoe 118, Chatfield 115, Lewis-Palmer 108, Grandview 107, Ponderosa 97, Smoky Hill 85, Coronado 71, Pomona 62, Heritage 58, Rampart 47, Lakewood 39, Bear Creek 38, Cherokee Trail 33, Greeley West 33, Broomfield 13, Palisade/Grand Junction/Fruita 10, Fort Collins 8, Fountain-Fort Carson 7, George Washington 6, Loveland 5, Legacy 5, Denver East 4, Rocky Mountain 3.
Individual results (top three) — 200 medley relay — Boulder 1:33.19, Regis Jesuit 1:33.50, Highlands Ranch 1:34.46; 200 free — Samuel Coffman, CC, 1:39.19; Griffin Eiber, ARAP, 1:41.09; Walter Dauksher, FR, 1:41.41; 200 IM — Keegan Foulke, POM, 1:50.13; Michael Zarian, FV, 1:51.90; Quinlan Stuart, RJ, 1:53.08; 50 free — Christian Feiler, BOU, 20.67; William Pieseski, RJ, 21.09; Max Grogan, PON, 21.27; Dive —Kyle Goodwin, RJ, 611.85; Devin Bellamy, SH, 583.55; Alan LeBlang, ARAP, 562.85;100 fly — Gabriele Sasia, HR, 49.16; Chris Nicholson, BOU, 50.52; Mason Fine, FR, 51.16; 100 free — Samuel Coffman, CC, 45.24; Christian Feiler, BOU, 45.68; Griffin Eiber, ARAP, 46.26; 500 free — Michael Zarian, FV, 4:36.98; Aaron Sett, LAKE, 4:38.62; Walter Dauksher, FR, 4:42.81; 200 free relay — Fossil Ridge 1:25.52, Cherry Creek 1:25.53, Grandview 1:25.66; 100 back — Danny Kovac, FR, 50.53; Gabriele Sasia, HR, 50.67; Chris Nicholson, BOU, 50.84; 100 breast — Brody Lewis, GW, 56.60; Quinlan Stuart, RJ, 56.90; Andrew Weiss, RAM, 56.97; 400 free relay — Cherry Creek 3:07.21, Fossil Ridge 3:07.42, Grandview 3:08.37.
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