Pine-Richland edges Butler in Section 2-3A meet
BUTLER TWP — Butler got exactly what coach Troy Kroll expected out of Wednesday night’s home WPIAL Section 2-3A meet against Pine-Richland.
“Both sides had a chance,” Kroll said. “It was just a great chess match. I’ve been looking at results, and we’ve been working the hardest we can. We knew it was going to be a great meet and it was.”
“It turned out exactly as it was going to be billed.”
Seven of the eight individual girls events were decided by 2.51 seconds or less, with Pine-Richland winning four of that type on the way to a 102-84 victory.
The Golden Tornado’s Addison Vance (1:03.59) barely edged out the visitors’ Allison Schomaker (1:03.88) in the 100-yard butterfly, Emma Pflugh took the 100 freestyle by under a second, and Rachel Smith narrowly beat Anna Schomaker in the 100 backstroke.
“It makes us get better times and it helps us get better in a competition,” Smith said of the neck-and-neck competition. “We have to put up a fight to be able to beat them.”
The outcomes also highlight how impactful the specifics can be.
“It’s not about just putting the time in, it’s what you do with the time,” Kroll said. “You’ve got to practice the turns, you’ve got to practice the finishes. You have to do those little things directly.”
Along with Vance, Julie DeMeio, and Megan Reay, Smith was part of Butler’s only other win, in the 200 medley relay.
“Practice makes perfect,” Smith said. “If you do better at your turns and catch up, it’ll be better for your race.”
The Rams’ girls took first-place in four of the final five races, helping them to pull away toward the end of the meet.
Pine-Richland 93, Butler (boys) 75
With the 400 freestyle relay to go, Butler’s boys had a chance to close out the night on a high note. With an injury to one of the members of the quartet, though, the Golden Tornado had no choice but to pull the plug on a strong effort.
“We just ran out of people,” Kroll said. “Some of the boys were like, ‘We’d swim in it.’ I was like, ‘You can’t swim five events.’ It just showed the fight in the boys.”
Tommy Fiechuk was injured while swimming the 100 backstroke, the same event that Pine-Richland took a permanent lead during with Reece Rupert’s close win over Jackson Morgus.
Dash Thieme (200 IM), Keaton Matteson (50 freestyle), and Ben Grossman (100 breaststroke) had individual triumphs for Butler.
“They put Butler above themselves and swam some different events, did some little things to just help the team,” Kroll said. “It was team first. It was about the brand.”
Boys
Pine-Richland 93, Butler 75
200 medley relay: Butler (Jackson Morgus, Ben Grossman, Keaton Matteson, Noah Collins) 1:46.08
200 freestyle: Andrew Kirkpatrick (PR) 1:55.66
200 individual medley: Dash Thieme (B) 2:19.93
50 freestyle: Keaton Matteson (B) 22.38
1-meter diving: Owen Davis (B) 153.20
100 butterfly: Reece Rupert (PR) 55.58
100 freestyle: Keaton Matteson (B) 50.54
500 freestyle: Davin Biagini (PR) 5:53.40
200 freestyle relay: Butler (Keaton Matteson, Ben Grossman, Jackson Morgus, Noah Collins) 1:33.22
100 backstroke: Reece Rupert (PR) 57.45
100 breaststroke: Ben Grossman (B) 1:08.27
400 freestyle relay: Pine-Richland (Gavin Rupert, Andrew Kirkpatrick, Henry Hynds, Reece Rupert) 3:46.65
Girls
Pine-Richland 102, Butler 84
200 medley relay: Butler (Rachel Smith, Julie DeMeio, Addison Vance, Meghan Reay) 2:00.82
200 freestyle: Riley Shafer (PR) 2:02.48
200 individual medley: Sarah Shaffer (PR) 2:15.96
50 freestyle: Allison Schomaker (PR) 26.17
1-meter diving: Kendyll Jerry (PR) 237.55
100 butterfly: Addison Vance (B) 1:03.39
100 freestyle: Emma Pflugh (B) 57.44
500 freestyle: Riley Shafer (PR) 5:30.31
200 freestyle relay: Pine-Richland (Allison Schomaker, Bree Arthur, Riley Shafer, Sarah Shaffer) 1:44.78
100 backstroke: Rachel Smith (B) 1:06.48
100 breaststroke: Sarah Shaffer (PR) 1:08.02
400 freestyle relay: Pine-Richland (Riley Shafer, Sarah Shaffer, Anna Schomaker, Allison Schomaker) 3:50.65
