On Saturday, November 10th, Cambridge took on Centennial and Chattahoochee and came out on top with their combined scores. Within the three teams, the scores were put together as three separate meets in one, with each school facing off the others individually. The boys' team also dominated both teams with an incredible showing, while the girls easily topped Chattahoochee but fell just six-points shy of Centennial.
Combined Team Scores:
Cambridge 319.00 v. Chattahoochee 193.00
Cambridge 272 v. Centennial 250.00
Boy' Team Scores:
Cambridge 138.00 v. Chattahoochee 114.00
Cambridge 141.00 v. Centennial 113.00
Girls' Team Scores:
Cambridge 181.00 v. Chattahoochee 79.00
Centennial 137.00 v. Cambridge 131.00
The boys' team started off the meet with an incredibly exciting 200-yard medley relay. The A-Relay (Ben Grottle, Konata Ford, Billy Blood, Matthew Gaines) easily took the lead and held it for the entire race. They sailed into first with a more than 2-second lead over the Centennial A-Relay. Their time of 1:46.61 easily qualified them for state and smashed last year's best time. The B-Relay (Jack O'Connor, Gabe Montes, Aiden Goodnight, John Empoliti) took third to claim valuable points for the Bears.
On the girls' side, the A-Relay (Lauren Jonsson, Jayla Brown, Abby Grottle, Brooke McLain) battled with Centennial's top relay throughout the relay and couldn't close the gap and finished in second. Their time of 2:00.35 easily qualifies them for the state meet. The B-Relay (Camille Brown, Grace Ghent, Claire Kerber, Emma Guy) also finished with a state qualifying time of 2:05.84 and took fourth place.
In the boys' 200-yard freestyle event, Matthew Gaines took first with a full body length ahead of Chattahoochee's top seed. Gaines finishes with a time of 1:51.83 which posts his second state-qualifying swim of the evening. Billy Blood took third, also scoring valuable points for the Bears, followed immediately by Aiden Goodnight in fourth, also scoring points.
For the girls' team, senior captain Lauren Jonsson hung with the leading group throughout the whole race and finished behind Centennial's top seed. Her second place finishing time of 2:04.93 also posts her second state-qualifying swim of the evening. The Bears also took fourth, fifth and sixth place with Morgan Young, Anna Kerber, and Rachel Henderson.
In the boys' 200-yard individual medley, freshmen Michael and Jack O'Connor had outstanding performances. Even though Michael was disqualified for a transition between strokes, his talent couldn't be missed and twin brother Jack was able to finish in fourth and score valuable points.
Abby Grottle started off the 200-IM and took the lead. Well into the race she held easily onto the top spot, but at the end of the breaststroke leg and into freestyle, a Centennial swimmer started to narrow in and it was a race to the finish. Grottle touched just ahead and snagged the first place spot with a time of 2:12.04 and was the third swimmer thus far that evening to already have two state-qualifying times posted. Freshman Claire Kerber took fourth followed by Grace Ghent in fifth.
In the boys' 50-yard freestyle, Konata Ford took fifth followed by John Empoliti in eighth with a new personal best time.
For the girls' team, Brooke McLain took second followed immediately by teammate Emma Guy in third. Delaney Goodell in sixth and Sydney Forbes in eighth also scored points for the Bears.
In the 100-yard butterfly, freshman Ben Grottle easily took first with a time of 57.95. This was Grottle's second state-qualifying time that evening. We will be looking for Grottle to break the school record set by Jake Todd in the 2015 - 2016 season of 55.12 at some point soon. Grottle is definitely a swimmer to keep your eyes on. Teammate Billy Blood is also gunning for a state qualifying time in the event. With his second place finish, he fell just short of the qualifying time, but we know he'll get it in the next few meets, he's THAT close! Aiden Goodnight also scored points for the Bears by taking sixth, also with prospects of competing in the event at the state meet.
For the girls' team, Claire Kerber took third just off the state qualifying time, but we know she'll shave off the one-second she needs to get the state cut in the coming weeks. Freshman Camille Brown finished right after Kerber in fourth. Anna Kerber also scored points in seventh with Rachel Henderson in eighth.
In the 100-yard freestyle event, senior captain Ben Balmes took first overall with a time of 54.55. He was followed up immediately by multiple Cambridge swimmers. Michael O'Connor touched the wall in second, followed by Nick DiPonzio in third.
Cambridge continued to rack up the top finishes. Sophomore Jayla Brown touched the wall in first with a tight race between herself and the top seed from Centennial. Her time of 57.69 qualifies her for the second state event of the evening. Brooke McLain took third, followed by Emma Guy in sixth and Morgan Young in ninth.
In the race that everyone dreads, Cambridge continued the wrack up the first-place finishes. In a race that is typically not very exciting, Matthew Gaines found a way to get everyone on their feet. Very quickly, Gaines and the top seed from Centennial separated themselves from the crowd. Gaines set the pace and as the race went on the Centennial swimmer crept up and challenged Gaines in a race to the end. Experienced and a competitor to the core, Gaines was not going to allow himself to take second. In a burst of energy, Gaines touches the wall just a second ahead and clocks a time of 4:45.37, which is just an incredible time. Gaines swam the event in 4:37.94 at state last year and is looking to break his own record, which he is looking easily on schedule to do. Gaines clocked his third state qualifying time of the evening. Gabe Montes also took one for the team and swam the event to score points in fourth overall.
Again, the Bears did not disappoint as the girls took to the pool. Abby Grottle, the 6A state champion in the 500-yard freestyle at state last year, was not going to settle for anything else but first. Grottle is also a fierce competitor and sets her own pace. Sometimes she lets swimmers catch up to her because she knows she always has energy on reserve to blow them away at the end. In this race, Grottle took off and never looked back. Some tried to hold her pace but just couldn't hang on. Grottle touched the wall over three-second ahead of the Centennial swimmer. Her time of 5:08.85 was her third state qualifying time of the evening. Lauren Jonsson swam an incredible race and did just what the team needed her to do. Another state meet finalist last year in the 500-yard freestyle, Jonsson is looking to return to the event and improve her final placement in her senior season. Her time of 5:26.66 qualified her for her third state event for the evening. Libby Jones also scored points for the Bears by taking sixth place overall.
In the boys' 200-yard freestyle relay, the A-relay (Ben Balmes, Nick DiPonzio, Michael O'Connor, Konata Ford) posted quality splits and took second with a state-qualifying time of 1:39.36. For the girls' team, the A-Relay (Delaney Goodell, Rachel Henderson, Adyson LeeMaster, Sydney Chambers) took third overall to the top relay from Centennial and Chattahoochee.
In the boys' 100-yard backstroke, Ben Grottle punched his ticket for his third state qualifying time by easily taking first with a time of 58.34. Jack O'Connor finished after Grottle with a second-place finishing time of 1:02.23, just off the state qualifying time. Nick DiPonzio took fifth.
For the girls' team, Libby Jones had an impressive swim and took third overall. Camille Brown took fifth, followed by Sydney Chambers in sixth.
In the last individual event of the evening, senior Konata Ford took second overall in the 100-yard breaststroke, the event to which he has gone to state for the last two years and currently holds the school record. Ben Balmes took fourth followed by teammate Gabe Montes in fifth.
For the girls' team, Jayla Brown was in a three-way race to the touch with the top Centennial and Chattahoochee swimmers. Down to the end it was a photo finish and Brown was clocked in second overall. Her time of 1:10.97 punched her third state qualifying event ticket for the evening. Grace Ghent took sixth, followed by Amelia Duffner in seventh and senior captain Adyson LeeMaster in ninth.
For the last event of the evening, the boys' team certainly did not disappoint. Leaving everyone in the dust, the boys' 400-yard freestyle A-Relay (Ben Grottle, Matthew Gaines, Ben Balmes, Billy Blood) easily sailed into first with a time of 3:32.30. The swim was the fourth qualifying event of the evening for Gaines and Grottle. The leadoff leg for Gaines was also a state qualifying split in the 100-yard freestyle.
The girls' A-relay (Abby Grottle, Jayla Brown, Lauren Jonsson, Brooke McLain) fought the top Centennial relay for the finish. Grottle sent off the team with a lead by touching the wall with a state-qualifying leadoff split for the 100-yard freestyle, but the girls couldn't hang on to the lead and touched just after the Centennial team, which gave the Centennial girls' team the overall meet victory for the night. The Cambridge relay time of 3:53.32 easily gave them their state qualifying time. Grottle, Brown, and Jonsson each qualified for state in all of their competing events for the evening. The Cambridge B-Relay (Emma Guy, Camille Brown, Claire Kerber, Grace Ghent) took third and earned valuable points for the Bears to keep the gap close between the two teams and ultimately give the combined team score victory to the Bears.
Cambridge is looking at a truly historically talented squad this year. After a couple rebuilding years, the Bears boys' team is top notch and looking to tally up a number of major victories this season and make a huge showing at the state meet in February. The girls' team, historically strong, has added a number of new freshman that will make major contributions while having some of the seasoned swimmers provide stability, depth and experience that should set them up for a lot of success.
The Bears will be hosting their first meet of the season next Friday, November 16th at the Cumming Aquatic Center at 8:15 PM. The Bears will host Roswell, Westlake and North Springs. This will be the first meet for the swimmers and divers to compete together.
Come support your athletes on Friday evening!
