Chiefs think depth should equal success at districts

MOSES LAKE - Three changes are in store for this weekend's 4A district swimming and diving meet that makes Moses Lake coach Tony St. Onge excited.

The Chiefs finished third in the recently-completed Columbia Basin League season, compiling a 3-2 record to finish behind Richland (5-0) and Wenatchee (4-1). But Moses Lake has the kind of depth that could be a difference-maker for the district meet's format.

"The difference now is you get to count your fourth swimmer (per event) at districts," St. Onge said. "Now you don't count any of the 'B' relays at districts, and now we get to add one more diver."

Those factors could add up to an improved Chiefs lineup, though St. Onge cautions that his team will need more than that to win a district championship.

"That could close some of that gap," he said. "There will still be somewhat of a gap to close after that. But that's three areas we know we're going to automatically improve in going into the meet."

Moses Lake is sending 22 competitors to the meet at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, and actually qualified eight other individuals who won't be making the trip. A handful of Chiefs have already sewn up a spot at the 4A state championships in two weeks, and a few others are barely short of an automatic qualifying time in their respective events.

One of those individuals is junior Marshall Goodrich, who is already going to state in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4 minutes, 57.50 seconds. But Goodrich, perhaps the Chiefs' most talented swimmer, is still looking to nail down an automatic berth in the 200-yard individual medley - a state-qualifying event for him in 2007.

Senior Eric Butterfield will be part of two relay teams at the state meet in Federal Way, but is looking to get there individually in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle events.

The top two finishers at districts, regardless of time, will qualify for state, but St. Onge thinks a top-two finish virtually requires his swimmers to turn in season-best times.

How will the Chiefs make up those precious few tenths of a second? Streamlining their technique is a good start.

"The motto for this week is this is the 'Dome of Perfection,'" St. Onge said Thursday under the school's insulated pool dome. "We've been absolutely emphasizing good technique.

"They're not going to do a lot this week to improve endurance - that's taken the last 11 weeks," he added. But if they improve their technique a little bit and they're in a positive frame of mind, that can result in huge drops."

Moses Lake already has three divers headed to Federal Way in seniors Chad Borg and Bobby Jackson, and junior Jay Bowser. Senior Carl Borg could join them if he makes a splash in Ellensburg - and he certainly could have an impact on the final team standings because of the aforementioned format changes.

The 200- and 400-yard freestyle relay teams - both comprised of Butterfield, Goodrich, Nick Kardong and Jeremy Grant - have also turned in state-qualifying times. They can still improve upon their seeding at state, but another option the Chiefs might exercise is to shuffle the relay lineups in hopes of qualifying the 200-yard medley relay squad.

St. Onge said that decision wouldn't be made until late Friday night, when the coaches have a chance to project the final team scores and see what will work best.

Other Chiefs to watch for in Ellensburg could include Grant in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke; senior Dylan Grigg in the 100-yard butterfly; and senior Austin Massart in the 100-yard breaststroke.

Moses Lake is sending four qualifiers for each individual event. If everyone is able to escape Friday's preliminary rounds, the Chiefs' depth should play a factor. The top eight from prelims swim in Saturday's finals, while the next eight compete in the consolation finals.

St. Onge expects Moses Lake to be in the mix for the district title alongside Richland, Wenatchee and Eisenhower.

"Wenatchee only got us by four points at their pool," he said. "Eisenhower's going to be right in there, too - they've got some stud swimmers."

The coach also expects his four senior co-captains - Butterfield, Grant, Massart and Chad Borg - to lead the team's approach of "relaxed concentration."

"They knew this week that they had to do a little bit better job of focusing," St. Onge said. "They're all experienced. They've all demonstrated the ability to come through in the big meet in the past."