If it wasn’t real life, it would have been quite a sneaky ploy.
But Thompson Valley coach Tom Hewson sounded too nervous and barely relieved Tuesday night for a recent subpar performance to have been anything other than truth.
Though it did not look this way less than a month ago, his Class 4A team is ready and favored for this weekend’s two-day state swimming and diving meet – with 5A held at Edora Pool Ice Center in Fort Collins and 4A at Loveland’s Mountain View High School.
“We didn’t show too well at Cheyenne Mountain’s meet (on April 8). We behaved well in the hotel and tipped good at the restaurants. We actually did everything well except compete,” Hewson said. “Things have come together better since. We just needed some more time.”
Hewson said the Eagles’ performance could have triggered a boost of confidence for Cheyenne Mountain and Pine Creek, two teams present at that meet a month ago that are considered by many to be among a three-way race for the 4A team title this weekend.
Defending state champion Montrose and two-time runner-up Pueblo Centennial should be the leading contenders for the remaining spots in the top five, but Thompson Valley, with its depth and balance, has jelled at the right time.
“I don’t know that anybody will be able to touch them,” said Silas Almgren, in his 15th year as coach at Montrose.
Pueblo Centennial coach Bob Haley agreed by saying, “The driver’s seat seems to belong to Thompson Valley.”
The Eagles have won three 4A state titles in Hewson’s 14 years, with the last coming in 1998. If coaches and psych (stats) sheets are an indication, the drought may be over.
Aside from its four divers, Thompson Valley’s advantages start with senior Sam Shook, who will swim for former Columbine and Fort Collins-area coach Tom Johnson at the University of Wyoming. Shook is a four-second favorite in the 200-yard individual medley and a two-second favorite in the 100 breaststroke, and he can propel any of the three relay events.
But there will be plenty of talent from other schools in the pool and, as Haley said: “That’s why you go swim the meet. A DQ here or there would change things really fast.”
Kris Findorff of Cheyenne Mountain, which won three titles from 2000-02, is the fastest sprinter in the field and stands as the front-runner to win the 50 and 100 freestyles.
Montrose’s John Thomas and Greeley West’s Eli Bell should challenge Findorff in the 100 freestyle, and Bell owns the season’s fastest time in the 200 freestyle.
Pueblo Centennial’s Jon Banker, the 4A state record-holder in the 100 butterfly (50.89 seconds) who is headed for University of Washington, will be hard to touch in the 100 backstroke and fly.
In Class 5A, Regis as always is the beginning and end of the story. The Raiders have won 10 consecutive team titles and 12 of the past 13, and they appear just as skilled and deep as ever. Senior Chris Good is the only Raider favored to win an individual event (100 backstroke), but sheer quality numbers tilt the meet in Regis’ favor.
Seniors Ryan Danielson, Chris Dini, Brent Haselden, Max Maris, Greg Mengel and Seth Urban all rank in the top 10 in their respective events. Standout freshman Jay Kim Han and sophomores John Buckley and Charlie Patch offer a bright future.
Monarch, Arapahoe, Smoky Hill, Heritage, Fairview and Cherry Creek will try to catch Regis, and some of those teams have the horses to stay in the chase.
“Monarch has a lot of quality points and not a lot of places where they will fall off,” Regis coach Mike Doherty said. “But the team that scares you is Arapahoe. They have the same depth we have.”
Monarch seniors Tom Koza- czynski (50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke), Zach Ruske (100 freestyle) and Matt Lundy (500 freestyle) all could win individual titles. But the Coyotes’ strength is in the big-point relays.
Arapahoe has plenty of speed in the pool, led by juniors Eric Anderssen, Marty Erzinger and Vinny Crispino, but the Warriors are really a diving machine.
State record-holder Aaron Feight will dive for the University of Denver next year and is as close as it comes to a lock to win a second state title. Austin Barrand finished third a year ago, and Tripp Hipple placed 11th; both could do better this year.
Heritage is anchored by sophomore Mark Dylla, state champion in the 500 freestyle and 100 butterfly as a freshman. And Smoky Hill’s Kevin Ellis, the 500 freestyle champion two years ago who is bound for Dartmouth College, is capable of scoring big points.
