Before the Liverpool boys swim team could point toward a pre-Christmas showdown with Watertown, it first had to work past New Hartford in last Wednesday night’s home meet.
The Warriors did so, topping the Spartans 101-77 with another stellar set of times from a variety of swimmers, again led by Tom Griffin, who tore through the 100-yard backstroke in a state-qualifying time of 54.79 seconds.
Already, Griffin had helped Ryan Wilhelm, Evan Kline and Kyle Richardson take the 200 medley relay in 1:49.28 to open the meet, while Griffin O’Neil, Curtis Merrick, Michael Piraino and Brandon Nguyen went 1:37.28 to win the 200 freestyle relay.
Merrick’s big individual moment came in the 100 freestyle, where he roared to a win in 50.55 seconds as Kline (55.83 seconds) took the runner-up spot. O’Neil would get first place in the 200 freestyle in 1:52.25.
Matt Geary, in 58.12 seconds, held off Richardson (59.19 seconds) to win the 100 butterfly. Nguyen was in third place as Griffin Merkling took the 200 individual medley in 2:10.55 over Johannes Vorbach, who was second in 2:12.40.
J.J. Ross swam the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.77, beating out O’Neil (1:06.68) as Will Allen was second in the 500 freestyle (5:45.51) and Uriy Grabovvy was second (186.55 points) in diving. Ross, Vorbach, Wilhelm and Abe Hurtic swam the 400 freestyle relay in 3:47.45.
While that was going on, at Le Moyne College Cicero-North Syracuse took on Baldwinsville, and lost, 100-83, to the Bees.
And this happened despite the Northstars prevailing in the 200 medley relay, where Sean Payrot, Eli Ward, Payton Connors and Adam Rein went 1:49.35 to beat B’ville (1:51.54).
However, the Bees had John Licciardello (200 freestyle, 500 freestyle), Nick Schultz (200 IM, 100 breaststroke) and Alex Hiltbrand (50 freestyle, 100 backstroke) win two races apiece, more than what the Northstars could overcome.
Dan Shaw did win the diving competition with 115.90 points, edging teammate Crispin Coombs (114.80 points) as Payrot needed 50.27 seconds to edge Ryan Hiltbrand (50.29 seconds) and win the 100 freestyle. Payrot was second in the 50 freestyle in 22.64 seconds.
Connors was second in the 100 backstroke in 1:01.21 and runner-up in the 200 IM in 2:16.67 before Rein took second place in the 100 breaststroke in 1:13.93, with Robert Walter in third place.
To close out the meet, Payrot, Ward, Connors and Logan Petralia went 3:38.95 in the 400 freestyle relay, but B’ville prevailed in a swift 3:30.17. C-NS resumes its season Jan. 3 at West Genesee.