Critical officials’ ruling changes trajectory of Public B swim final
SICKLERVILLE — The Mainland Regional High School boys won the 2023 South Jersey Public B swimming sectional title Wednesday evening, Feb. 15, edging the defending champion Ocean City High School Red Raiders 87-83.
A critical decision by the officials changed the trajectory of the championship meet. With seven events down and four to go, the Ocean City boys were leading their cross-bay rivals 59-51 when the swimmers headed to the blocks for the 200-yard freestyle relay at the Camden County Technical School pool.
There are three relays and four individual events in a high school swim meet. In non-relay events, being first doesn’t guarantee earning more meet points because the total is based on the finishes of all six swimmers. Taking second, third and fourth can actually net more points than winning first and fifth.
In the relays, however, one team always comes out ahead because the first-place finish is worth 8 points, second place 4 and third place 2, adding to the importance of these events.
Ocean City started the meet by winning the first relay, the 200 medley, with Tommy Armstrong, Gavin Neal, Pat Armstrong and Matt Bell clocking in at 1:38.39. Mainland’s Alex Savov, Justin Yon, Liam Kennedy and Dan Tracey were second and Mustangs Ryan Kennedy, Karim Aksenov, Jack Roscoe and Joe Russo were third.
Ocean City started up 8-6.
Six individual events followed — the 200 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 100 freestyle and 500 freestyle. Ocean City pulled ahead by 14 points after the butterfly, then Mainland narrowed the gap with great finishes in the 100 freestyle and 500 freestyle.
With the stands filled with Ocean City and Mainland faithful, and the Red Raiders up by 8 points, 59-51, the teams dove in for the 200 freestyle relay, the fastest of the relays requiring each swimmer to sprint 50 yards.
According to the timing, Ocean City took first and third places and Mainland second. Neal, Bell, Matt Woodside and Jackson Agnellini clocked in at 1:30.19. Mustangs Mason Bushay, Evan Falk, Liam Kennedy and Jack Vasser had a time of 1:31.41 and Red Raiders Mike Kelly, Colin Abbott, Thomas Swift and CJ Denn were third in 1:36.62, two seconds ahead of Mainland’s Yon, Aksenov, Russo and Tracey.
Had that finish stood, Ocean City would have led 69-55.
It didn’t.
The referees disqualified both of Ocean City’s top relays. A DQ can happen in a relay if one swimmer takes off from the blocks before the prior leg touches the wall. DQs aren’t frequent and a double disqualification in one event for two of one team’s relays is rare.
The referees’ ruling flipped what would have been a 14-point lead for the Red Raiders into a 63-61 lead for the Mustangs.
A new battle was on.
Savov, with a time of 54.90 seconds, Bushay and Chris Pozza finished 1-3-4 in the 100 backstroke to give the Mustangs a 74-66 lead. Raiders Tommy Armstrong and Alex Hanson were second and fifth.
The Red Raiders fired back when Neal (1:01.16), Abbott and Kelly finished 1-3-4 in the 100 breaststroke to narrow the gap to 79-77.
It came down to the final 400 freestyle relay. Ocean City needed to win first place to tie the score; an additional third place would give them the win.
The Mustangs prevailed.
Vasser, who had won two individual events earlier, the 200 and 400 freestyle, led off for Mainland and took a narrow lead. Evan Falk and Savov expanded the gap and by the time anchor leg Bushay dove off the blocks, he had nearly a two-body-length lead, but he pushed himself to the limit to stay ahead of powerful Red Raider anchor Pat Armstrong and help his team to the sectional title.
Exhausted, Bushay lay on the pool deck trying to recover alongside swimmers from both teams.
One coach furious, the other reflective
The referees’ ruling infuriated Ocean City coach Shane McGrath, whose team won its first South Jersey title in 60 years in 2022 and looked poised to repeat.
Although happy for the swimmers, Mainland coach Brian Booth said he would rather have not won the meet in that fashion.
“I understand officials are here to do their job,” McGrath said, “and honestly I didn’t see them, but DQ’ing two relays like this, I think the kids got robbed. This meet was ours. We won that meet.
“I’m not mad at Mainland; they swam their best times and did a great job, but our kids lost that meet because of officials trying to be a little too much more in the meet than they needed to be.”
McGrath was proud of his boys.
“We fought. Even after two (disqualifications), we could have crumbled. We still had a chance at the end of that meet and we just didn’t have enough left at the end,” he said.
Coaches spend a lot of time mapping out where to put their swimmers in different events to best match up with their opponents. McGrath said on paper he believed his team had to get second place in the 200 freestyle relay to win the meet, “but once they (disqualified) two relays, we lost 10 points and they gained 12.
“It is what it is, but I just feel bad for the kids,” McGrath said.
“It’s not the way you want to win,” Booth said. “You want to win straight up. It’s never how you want to win, on a DQ. On top of that, my boys swam really well. I’m really proud.
“We knew we were going to be down in the beginning. We were hoping a couple things would go our way. I took a chance in the 200 free relay putting the four I had up there and they beat us. They did. They (officials) said they jumped. I didn’t see it. I’m down the other end of the pool. That’s the officials’ job,” Booth said.
“But I’m proud of even my last relay to come back and hold on to get the victory. We were gassed, but I give credit to my boys for just sticking through and fighting hard and being good kids,” Booth said.
“I was nervous,” he said about the final event. “I didn’t think we could do it. I was hoping we could do it. Zack (Vasser) led off and had a great lead-off leg, got us out in front. Evan (Falk) held on. Alex (Savov) I think pulled away a little bit on the third leg and Mason (Bushay), he had a tough meet today. Doing the 200 free relay, right into the 100 backstroke right into the last relay. That’s why he’s one of my best swimmers. He was willing to do it today and I give him all the credit.”
Camaraderie between the teams
Ocean City and Mainland have fierce rivalries in just about every sport given their proximity and history, but many of these swimmers know each other from club swimming and lifeguarding on the local beach patrols.
Although the fierceness was crystal clear during the races, the camaraderie showed up between them, with the swimmers talking to each other and congratulating each other on their performances.
“It’s a bit of emotions,” said Bushay, one of three seniors on the team. “That’s a great team, O.C. I love every person there. It is a tough loss. I’m so happy for our guys and I feel for their guys because I still love every single one of them. I know everyone on both teams just left it out there and we all feel like this.”
“It took a big lead from my teammates,” Bushay said of anchoring the final relay. “It was pretty exhausting before that. They gave me the lead I needed to feel confident in myself. Each one of them did what they had to do and I finished it. I probably put up a mediocre time but they put in the work. They put me in a good spot.”
He said it feels good to be a South Jersey champion “since we had so many people step up today when we needed them to.” That started by getting second and third in the opening medley relay, he said, “and then it rolled from there. People were winning races. Alex Savov stepped up for me big time in the 100 back, winning that one. Evan out-touched some people.” (Falk was second behind Bushay in the 100 freestyle). “Zack won his races. Liam (Kennedy) and Alex were touch, touch. We had people getting fifth, Dan (Tracey) putting up a point, getting those points we needed. Every point mattered.”
“O.C., gotta give it to them. They’re a great competitor,” said Vasser, a senior. “It’s always great racing them, a lot of fun. It feels great to win, but I didn’t like to win that way. But a win is a win and I’m happy to come out on top.”
“We had tough races all around leading up to that (final) relay and we knew the situation going into that,” Vasser said. “We had to rally up the team, get everyone fired up for that last relay, tell everyone, ‘Last race. Give it all you’ve got. It’s four laps until you’re done.’ Everyone knew the situation and it was tiring, but we got it done.”
“Everybody on our team really wanted it,” senior Evan Falk said. “It’s been our goal since the beginning of the year to win South Jerseys so to put it together in the last meet really means a lot. This is my last go at it. It really means a lot to go out on top after two years of not being able to win in. Everybody put in a lot of work throughout the year and it really paid off.”
Looking as exhausted as his teammates, Falk added, “That’s what it took to win. Everybody had to give it everything they had. It’s our biggest race of the year up to this point so we knew if we wanted to win we had to give it everything regardless. That’s what everyone did. I’m happy about it. Everybody on our team is happy about it, but I feel really tired right now. I’m sure I’ll feel better in a few hours.”
Other races
Vasser won the 200 freestyle in 1:45.08 with teammate Brian Falk second. Woodside, Kelly and Mitchell Zappone were second, third and fourth for Ocean City.
Pat Armstrong won the 200 individual medley in 1:57.76 with Denn and Abbott third and fourth. Mainland’s Yon and Aksenov were second and fifth.
Neal (21.67 seconds), Agnellini and Bell were first, second and fifth in the 50 freestyle. Liam Kennedy and Evan Falk were third and fourth.
Pat Armstrong won his second individual event in the 100 butterfly in 52.81 seconds with Denn fourth. Kennedy, Savov and Tracey were second, third and fifth for Mainland.
Bushay (47.59) and Falk went 1-2 in the 100 freestyle. Agnellini, Tommy Armstrong and Bell were third, fourth and fifth.
Vasser won his second individual event, the 500 freestyle, in 4:56.74 with Brian Falk second for Mainland. Woodside, Zappone and Ryan Slaven were second, fourth and fifth for Ocean City.
Ocean City finished the season with a 9-4 record. Mainland is 8-4 heading into the Public B state semifinals this week. As the No. 4 seed, the Mustangs are going up against top seed Chatham (13-0) at 6:30 p.m. today (Wednesday) at Gloucester County Institute of Technology.
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
