High school boys swimming: East repeats in dominating fashion
Published 12:00 am Thursday, February 1, 2024
East Rowan’s Josh Gardner competes in the 2024 Rowan County swimming championships at the Salisbury YMCA. Photo Credit: Sean Meyers
Eat Rowan’s Will Kesler competes in the 2024 Rowan County swimming championships at the Salisbury YMCA. Photo Credit: Sean Meyers
East Rowan’s Cole Humphreys competes in the 2024 Rowan County swimming championships at the Salisbury YMCA. Photo Credit: Sean Meyers
South Rowan’s Connor Coy competes in the 2024 Rowan County swimming championships at the Salisbury YMCA. Photo Credit: Sean Meyers
East Rowan’s Isaac Cawley competes in the 2024 Rowan County swimming championships at the Salisbury YMCA. Photo Credit: Sean Meyers
Salisbury’s Taki Cook competes in the 2024 Rowan County swimming championships at the Salisbury YMCA. Photo Credit: Sean Meyers
South Rowan’s Marshal Faw competes in the 2024 Rowan County swimming championships at the Salisbury YMCA. Photo Credit: Sean Meyers
By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — East Rowan’s boys swim team was unopposed in the 400 free relay that concluded Friday’s Rowan County Championships at Hurley YMCA.
Four Mustangs swam as solo acts. They could have taken it easy, with the championship long decided, but instead Isaac Cawley, Josh Gardner, Owen Kesler and Cole Humphreys pushed themselves and each other.
“They shaved time,” East head coach Amanda Trexler said proudly. “Swimming by themselves and they shaved time.”
East enjoyed a breakthrough triumph in the 2023 county meet, the first victory ever for the boys. It was no fluke. East repeated with a dominating performance.
There are 11 events, eight individual races and three relays. East went 11-for-11, a clean sweep, a perfect storm.
In five events the Mustangs took the gold and the silver.
Cawley and Gardner were named co-swimmers of the year. Both were undefeated. Both won two individuals events and swam on two winning relays, but East had a lot more power behind them. Four more Mustangs won individual events.
“Watching them win every event was the privilege of a lifetime,” Trexler said.
East amassed 367 points. South Rowan had five runner-up finishes and scored 129 points to take second place. Next were Carson (90), West Rowan (70), Salisbury (33) and North Rowan (24).
Trexler was back in the hectic real world on Monday — lunch duty, bus duty, covering an extra class during her free period — but on Championship Friday she was on Cloud 9. It was one of those days you dream about.
But she’s quick to remind everyone it didn’t just happen by chance. There was a lot of work that set the table for all of Friday’s fun.
“Our swimmers have worked really hard over the course of the season,” Trexler said. “They gained knowledge. They learned new strokes. They improved. They got faster.”
Three days before the Rowan County Championship, East had finished third in the South Piedmont Conference, and that’s a powerful swim conference. The Mustangs knew they should win the county, but there still were performances that went beyond what was anticipated.
“Will Kesler in the 100 breaststroke (1:22.53) was a surprise win,” Trexler said. “The second place in the 100 backstroke by Sam Lisenby was wonderful.”
Cawley won the 50 freestyle (23.62) and 100 backstroke (59.86).
Gardner took care of business in the 100 free (54.31) and 200 IM (2:25.77).
Isaac Cawley has overcome a lot and pushed himself to make region cuts in every event he competed in this year,” Trexler said. “His mother (Karen Cawley) is an amazing assistant coach, and she’s had a front row seat for his senior season. He was tremendous in the county meet. Josh Gardner was also about the best I’ve seen him all year in the county meet. He’s so versatile you can put him in any event where you need to add speed. He was ready and determined to win every event.”
Rodney Hawkins won the 500 free for the Mustangs (5:46.36). Humphreys won the 200 (2:13.62). Bear Schofield won the 100 butterfly (1:09.51).
The most exiting race may have been between two Mustangs. Gardner edged Hawkins in the 200 IM.
Other East runner-up finishes came from Clayton Lowe in the 200 free; Humphreys in the 100 butterfly, and Will Kesler in the 500 free.
The unit of Gardner, Owen Kesler, Humphreys and Cawley won the 200 free relay (1:43.64) as well as the 400 free relay (3:49.38).
Schofield, Will Kesler, Hawkins and Lowe ruled the 200 medley relay (2:05.75) to get the day off to a positive start, and the Mustangs never lost momentum.
Bryson Honeycutt’s bronze in the 200 IM gave East a 1-2-3 finish in that event. Collin Hensley contributed points in the 100 free and 100 backstroke.
South’s Marshal Faw was second in the 50 free and 100 free, while Conner Coy took silver in the 100 breaststroke.
South placed second in the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay, events where Faw and Coy teamed with Landon Richards and Alex Furr.
Ethan Gurley was third in the 500 free for Carson’s best finish.
West’s Wayne Hall was third in the 100 free.
Salisbury’s top finish was a third by Mac Blankenship in the 100 backstroke.
Rylan Furr took the bronze in the 100 breaststroke to lead North.
But there was no stopping the Mustangs.
“A great effort by a hard-working and versatile team,” Trexler said. “Everyone contributed.”
Qualifying swimmers move on to regional action on Feb. 3.
South Piedmont Conference swimmers are in the 3A West Regional at Mecklenburg Aquatic Center.
Central Carolina Conference swimmers are in the 1A/2A Central Regional in Greensboro.
