ONONDAGA COUNTY – At different points this winter the Liverpool boys swim team got an up-close look at the talent on the Baldwinsville roster which had produced an undefeated mark, along with a string of state qualifying times and school records.
And when the Warriors went head-to-head with the Bees Tuesday night, it would go in B’ville’s favor as, by a 99-84 margin, it completed a perfect run through the Salt City Athletic Conference Metro division, winning eight of the 12 events on the card.
Jack Cavallerano had a part in three of the four events Liverpool won, two of them on his own. In the 100-yard butterfly, Cavallerano went 52.50 seconds, crushing the 58.19 from the Bees’ Matt Lange, with James Hayden third in 59.52.
Before this, in the 50 freestyle, Cavallerano’s 22.45 seconds was nearly a full second quicker than B’ville’s Alex Nicita, while in the 200 freestyle relay Joey Lisi, Nate Alexander and Sean O’Neil joined Cavallerano to go 1:33.95 to the Bees’ 1:36.86.
Lisi had a close battle in the 100 backstroke with Lange, his 56.11 seconds topped by Lange’s 55.78 after Lisi posted a season-best 2:04.67 in the 200 individual medley, only to fall to Lucas Clay’s 2:00.46 for the Bees. Tristan Vang was third in the 100 breaststroke in 1:11.49.
Alexander had the other indiviudal win, pulling away to take the 500 freestyle in 5;12.50, more than 13 seconds clearer of the field. In 1:54.26, Alexander just behind Mikey White (1:51.68) in a quick 200 freestyle. Colin Gridley’s 218.15 points was second to the 287.10 form B’vlle’s Nick Pompo.
The 100 freestyle had O’Neil, in 52.25 seconds, a runner-up to White’s 51.12. Cavallerano, Alexander, Hayden and Bryce Shutts swam the 400 freestyle relay in 3:38.74, but B’ville won it in 3:29.56.
While all this was going on, Cicero-North Syracuse rolled past Syracuse City 88-72 at Nottingham High School, where everyone will gather again in mid-February for the Section III championships.
Again winning twice, Jake Griffin went 55.83 seconds in the 100 backstroke and went 22.31 in the 50 freestyle as part of a 1-2 finish with Brandon Keil, who posted 24.17.
Nate Ornoski earned 298.40 points in diving, beating out Carter Canastra (251.60) and Chris Koegel (222.60). The Northstars also went 1-2-3 in the 200 freestyle, Leo Alexander winning in 2:02.95 ahead of Ryan Lasher (2:04.50) as Logan Tyo finished third, though Lasher would take the 100 freestyle in 56.17 seconds and Alexander was second (5:41.89) in the 500 freestyle.
Lukan Byrak, in 2:38.12, edged Syracuse’s Matias Romano (2:39.01) in the 200 IM. Reece Balduzzi was second in the 100 breaststroke (1:15.76), but helped Jake Griffin, Caden Griffin and Aaron Purdy go 1:52.33 in the 200 medley relay.
Keil, Byrak, Caden Griffin and Bryson Duncan swimming the 200 freestyle relay in 1:42.48 to edge Syracuse’s 1:44.44, while in the 400 freestyle relay Lasher, Alexander and the Griffins finished in 3:48.05.
By far, the big highlight for the week on C-NS’s side came in Saturday’s Burgos Diving Invitational at Nottingham, where Ornoski earned a spot in the March 1 state meet.
Picking up 468.10 points, Ornoski easily surpassed the 450-point state qualifying standard, joining B’ville’s Alex Pompo (471.25) and Jamesville-DeWItt/CBA’s Cameron Corona (467.00) in doing so behind the winner, Central Square’s Truman Reminicky, who had 490.05. Koegel, with 356.50 points, edged Canastra (356.05) for eighth place.
