Courtesy of Tom Nash, Pottstown Mercury
http://papreplive.com/2017/01/17/46492/
PHOENIXVILLE >> Neither one of them will deny it.
There’s certainly a bit of an inter-squad rivalry going on between Perkiomen Valley teammates Ethan Hinz and Ryan Keenan.
“We’ve got a good thing going,” said the sophomore Keenan of his competitive edge with freshman teammate Hinz. “It’s definitely competitive, but it’s also friendly. We go back and forth in practice and we’re always racing neck-and-neck.”
That competitiveness is paying off for the Vikings this season, their latest result a 107-63 win over Phoenixville on Tuesday afternoon at the Phoenixville YMCA. On the girls side, the Phantoms claimed a 112-58 win — their first over Perkiomen Valley in program history.
Keenan and Hinz put their rivalry on grand display during the 400-meter freestyle, where Keenan swam a 4:24.36, just pulling away from Hinz (4:27.62) during the closing stretch of the race. Together, the pairing bettered the field by over 23 seconds — the next-best finisher Phoenixville’s Kyler Lewis at 4:50.89.
“I don’t like to be beat,” Hinz said sternly before cracking a smile. “I was trying to beat him the whole time, but I got pretty tired late and he was able to grab (the win). It definitely gives me something to set my sights on.”
Together, the pairing combined for three individual firsts and were also part of three first-place relays on the meet as the PV boys improved to 4-1 in the Pioneer Athletic Conference and 5-1 overall. Hinz swam the first leg of PV’s 400 free relay with Keenan right on his toes as the pairing gave teammates Logan Newman and Michael Yannantuono plenty of cushion to claim it at 3:59.72.
Hinz posted the top time in the 200 individual medley (2:24.95) and also swam the breaststroke of the Phantoms’ 200 medley relay (1:59.53). Keenan took top honors in the 200 free (2:04.72) and also swam the second leg of the 200 free relay, which finished up at 1:45.53.
Although they both turned in successful days for the Vikings, don’t think for a second that either will take their foot off the pedal any time soon.
“We’ve got two, three more meets coming in the next week or so,” said Hinz, “so I’m thinking I can definitely get him by the end of the week.”
The competition between Hinz and Keenan is just a small serving sample of what head coach Brian Zeigler is hoping will begin to rub off on the rest of his Vikings team.
“Veterans are leading the way, showing the tradition of Perk Valley,” he said, “and our underclassmen are starting to pick up on it. That’s made it a very exciting season for us so far.”
Matthew Marsh was also a four-race winner Tuesday, taking top individual honors in the 50 free (25.84) and 100 back (1:07.34) and mixing in relay wins with the 200 medley and 200 free contingents.
Dominic Sposato posted the lone Phoenixville (3-2 PAC; 4-3 overall) win with a 1:14.62 in the 100 ******.
“We competed,” said Phoenixville head coach Dan Weinstein. “Some of our relays kept it close and our boys swam well. Not much more that we can ask for — Perk Valley is a strong team.”
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Weinstein was noticeably much more upbeat in talking about the girls result — their first win over Perk Valley just a season after they fell just short (96-80) in last year’s meet.
“We had last year’s meet on our mind, definitely,” said Weinstein. “We know they lost a lot to graduation and they’re young, but I’d be lying if I said we didn’t have this one circled on the calendar.
“You get up for Perk Valley — they’re always a heavy in the league. So it’s really nice to come away with this one.”
The Phantoms (5-0 PAC, 6-1 overall) ran the table Tuesday, winning all but two events en route to the win over Perk Valley (2-3, 2-4).
Seniors Maddie Cooke and Emily Fabius each posted two top individual times and both swam as part of the 200 medley relay (2:07.02) and the 200 free relay (1:57.17).
Cooke, a Penn State University commit, took individual firsts in the 50 free (27.67) and the 100 ****** (1:17.16). Fabius took individual honors in the 200 IM (2:39.60) and the 100 fly (1:10.75) while Liz Hussin was atop the charts in the 400 free (5:08.67) and the 100 back (1:15.38).
Although it’s taken them some time, Zeigler says the PV girls have started to find out who’s who among the Vikings.
“Really during the winter break, we came together as a group and found our identity,” he said. “Now it’s just a matter of building on it and building for the future.”
‘Cat’s Pajamas
Next week’s girls matchup between Phoenixville and Owen J. Roberts — PAC champions two of the past three seasons — surely won’t disappoint.
Weinstein hopes the meet will bring about an atmosphere that his girls will thrive under.
“When you go to Owen J. and look around in their natatorium, it’s full of banners — a ton of All-Americans and school records,” he said. “So just to even consider that we’re competing with them for a championship, it’s something special.”
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