Harmony boys win 5th title in a row

By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

The Osceola High girls won their first Orange Belt Conference swimming championship since 2002, and the Harmony High boys dominated to win for the fifth year in a row Wednesday at the Makinson Aquatic Center.

Osceola (135.5) nipped five-time defending champion Harmony (128.5) and Gateway (115) in a thrilling competition that wasn’t decided until the last event, the 400-meter freestyle relay. St. Cloud (87), Celebration (37) and Poinciana (8) followed.

Harmony’s boys (233.5) won all 12 events. Osceola (137.5), Gateway (67), St. Cloud (31), Celebration (30) and Poinciana (9) followed.

The top three girls teams were within a few points of each other most of the afternoon.

“I knew we had it if we finished second (in the 400 relay),” OHS Coach Krystle Singleton, who led the Kowgirls to three OBC championships from 2000-02, said.

That’s exactly what the relay team (Kendall Castillow, Sarah Lambert, Jenny Gutierrez and Miranda Harris) did, placing second in a race that Harmony won.

Singleton said Osceola, which had only one champion Wednesday in diver Jordan Copeland (235.15), won the meet in typical OHS fashion.

“Everybody won, everybody contributed. If we didn’t get first or second, we got fourth, fifth and sixth,” she said. “It’s the way it’s been all season. It’s just a great group of kids who train hard and give everything they have. They all won it.”

Amber Hammock, Jenna Adams, Caitlyn Phelps, Rose Donaldson, Taylor Murphy, Samantha Manguiat, Holland O’Donnell, Katie Jordan and Brooke Barron all scored for Osceola.

Harmony’s girls, who defeated OHS in a dual meet two weeks ago, didn’t surrender their OBC championship easily.

“We swam a great meet. I can’t complain about a thing that our team did,” Lady Longhorns Coach Lori O’Rourke said. “Give credit to Osceola, they have a good team.”

Freshman Katherine Davis won the 100 free (58.92) and 200 free (2:10.14) titles, and Lindsey Saute won the 500 free (5:49.51) for Harmony.

The Lady Longhorns won the 400 relay with Saute, Davis, Kelby Toomey and Allison Felitti.

Gateway proved to be the wild card at the meet. The Lady Panthers won the most championships (six) with Alex Martinez (200 IM, 2:24.58; 100 butterfly, 1:05.87), Suanny Zamora (100 back, 1:05.99), Melissa Morgan (50 free, 27.32), the 200 free relay (1:50.72) and the 200 medley relay (2:03.65). Zamora, Martinez, Morgan and Jodi Hennen swam both relays. Martinez won the four events she entered.

The medley relay set a school record, Coach Vonnie Kochensparger said.

“The girls swam awesome; really, really well,” she said. “We had tons of PRs. The thing that really hurt us is that we didn’t have any divers. We didn’t get a point there.”

St. Cloud’s Samantha Deason won the 100 breaststroke (1:16.36).

Coach Terry Brown said his Harmony boys team has been concentrating on the district and regional meets, but the team was focused on the OBC Wednesday.

“The guys did a great job. They were prepared, and they wanted it,” Brown said. “Our goal was to not lose and event.”

The Horns’ individual champions were Mitchell Mungall (200 free, 1:56.20; 500 free, 5:33.56), Lawrence McVicker (diving, 270.15, a school record), Justin Kennedy (100 fly, 58.92; 100 breaststroke, 1:07.19), Luke Roberts (100 free, 51.76; 50 free, 23.31), Tyler Cunningham (100 back, 59.71; 200 IM, 2:10.17).

The relay champions: 200 free (John Roberts, Jesse Tetreault, Brice Howard, Luke Roberts, 1:35.09); 200 medley: (Cunningham, Brandon Graber, Sam Steele, Tetreault, 1:49.25); 400 free: (Luke Roberts, Mitchell Mungall, John Roberts, Cunningham, 3:32.94).

Luke Roberts and Tyler Cunningham won the maximum four OBC titles.

Eighteen Harmony swimmers scored, including Jonathan Jacobson, Matt Frankenberg, Josh Saute, Nicholas Clark, Logan Tindall, Christian Smith and Zachary Stone.

Osceola boys coach Trish Abell liked her team’s performance.

“The boys swam very well; we did great head to head. For them to compete like this is great,” she said.

Paul Gurski, Caleb Furguson, Tim Locksmith, Adam Lentz, Michael Pierson, Alex Adames and Casey Raines all placed among the top four of their events Wednesday.

Harmony and St. Cloud visit the Orlando YMCA Aquatic Center Thursday for the 2A-6 district meet; Osceola and Gateway go to the Aquatic Center Friday for the 3A-3 meet. Celebration and Poinciana compete at the 2A-7 meet at Winter Haven Thursday.