OJR, Methacton tie in dual meet
FAIRVIEW VILLAGE — When both teams are competing for first place in the Pioneer Athletic Conference, there is bound to be drama.
The drama was evident for the boys meet as Methacton overcame a 87-85 deficit in the final heat, eventually tying Owen J. Roberts in a 93-93 tie on Tuesday afternoon at Methacton High School.
The OJR girls, on the other hand, handily defeated Methacton 101-85, and placed first in eight out of their 12 total heats.
Methacton’s boys came off the boards fast, touching first in four out of the first five heats.
“We had to be very resilient in order to crawl back and get some points in some close races,’ said OJR head coach Kevin Bott. “We knew that they would have some early events that were very strong for them and we knew that if we could hang in there with them for a while, we could eventually get back into it.’
Matthew Schulz had four first-place finishes on the day for the Warriors (4-1-1) including the 200 IM (2:00.18), the 100 butterfly (52.71) the pool record-breaking 200 medley relay (1:38.30) and the pool record-breaking 400 free relay (3:16.65) that tied it up when the Warriors were trailing 87-85 going into the final heat.
“A tie definitely beats a loss, so there’s nothing we should really hang our heads about,’ Schulz said. “We were really hoping for a win so we could force a three-way tie (with Perkiomen Valley) at the top of the PAC-10. But it’s hard to ask much more from these guys with how hard we put our hearts out there.’
Gil Price and Leon Lin added three first place finishes for Methacton, both competing in the 200 medley relay and the 400 free relay. Price also touched first in the 50 free (22.14) while Lin finished atop the 100 back (57.64).
For OJR (5-0-1 PAC-10), Ryan Bowker placed first in three heats including the 200 free (1:49.92), the 500 free (5:03.00) all while anchoring the 200 free relay (1:34.36).
“We couldn’t have asked for much more from everyone today,’ said Bowker. “Everyone was swimming their best and putting up really good times which is what it’s all about at this point of the season.’
For Methacton head coach John Welsh, a tie does justice to both teams, since neither really deserved a loss.
“A tie pretty much summed up the boys meet perfectly,’ said Welsh. “Both teams really wanted to win this, and knew how much was at stake. There’s really nothing for these guys to be ashamed of, they broke pool records and had their best times of the year. I’m still very proud of the way we fought from start to finish.’
