PRINCETON: Seniors propel Little Tigers to CJ B

PHS boys capture unexpected sectional title

By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
   NORTH BRUNSWICK — Having a strong group of freshmen lend depth to an already solid team helped make this a championship season for the Princeton High boys’ swim team.
   But those freshmen needed to be led, and the Little Tigers had just the right leaders to get that done.
   ”Today was a day when senior leadership meant a lot,” said Princeton coach Greg Hand, whose team topped Ocean Township, 99-71, on Thursday to capture the Central Jersey B Division championship. “Alex (Zantal) was a rock. Sean (MacKenzie) stood up and swam a whole program of events sick. Alex Pelle, a captain and a vocal leader. Brian Lopes has been with us four years and paid his dues and contributed today in the 200 free relay. So I think the senior example today, just the way they were talking to the guys, was a great influence.”
   The seniors helped land the Little Tigers in the state B Division semifinals, where they will face Mountain Lakes today at 3:30 p.m. at West Windsor-Plainsboro North. Just being there is quite an accomplishment for a team that came into the season a little unsure of where it would lead.
   ”At the beginning of the season I didn’t expect this,” said Zantal, who won the 50 free, 100 free and was part of two winning relays. “But after counties I had a lot of confidence in the team. We all had the right mindset and everyone was really focused and on target. I had confidence that we could take this. The team really came together after the first half of the season. The mental thing clicked and we all realized we had a serious chance. The mental thing really improved.”
   In addition to the big day from Zantal, fellow senior MacKenzie also came through in a big way, winning the 200 IM and 500 free, while also being part of two winning relays. Princeton also picked up a win from freshman Addison Hebert in the 100 breaststroke.
   ”It’s a great feeling when you win a race, just getting out of the water and getting high fives from all your friends you really appreciate it more then just getting a good time,” said Hebert, who is part of that strong freshman contingent. “It was really cool knowing that I was a big contributor being just a freshman.”
   Hebert wasn’t the only freshman to come through for the Little Tigers. Derek Calaizzo had an impressive second in the 50 free to go with a fourth in the 100 free, while Matt Kuhlik was second in the 100 free and the 100 backstroke. Victor Honore was third in the backstroke, while Harun Filopovic and Nick Zantal also picked up key points. Sophomore Peter Deardorff also had a big meet with a second in the 200 free and a third in the 500 free.
   ”On paper, we were rated higher with power points, but Ocean is definitely a great team so we knew it was a tough meet,” Calaizzo said. “We knew it was going to be extremely close, so we were not sure we would win this. After counties, where we got third, that was a big turning point. We really thought we would have a chance.”
   Zantal, who has been with the program for four years, could see that the freshmen were going to be a factor. And after a short adjustment period, they were.
   ”Having them get used to the faster pace of the high school meets took a little time,” Zantal said. “And it was a nice boost for us having these freshmen who were kind of our secret weapons. A team sees a bunch of little kids get up on the block and swim ridiculous times, it is a real boost for us. They’re all really good. They are the ace in the hole this year.
   ”The 50 was amazing where we got 1-2-4. That second place was like, wow, I didn’t expect that. Derek really bit the bullet and got it done. And we got a lot of fifths which were really crucial.”
   With a strong senior presence, as well as some top younger swimmers, the Little Tigers are back to being a championship team.
   ”The meet was pretty well set up for us, but the swims kept coming,” said Hand, whose team improved to 12-4 with the win. “In event after even and lane after lane, it was one of the more impressive meets that I have watched. They stepped up as a group. You could see what a unified team it is. The pieces started to fall into place. If you are going to score a lot you have to have a couple of strong entries in each event and a couple of events where you have three strong ones.
   ”We still lost our share in the CVC. But we’re proud that we really maximized our potential. We never argue we’re the best around. This was the environment where we had to try to win the big meet and I am proud of the effort.”