Tiger Tour paid a visit to Chuck Fruit Aquatic Center on Saturday and orange head bands were abound and in turn an excitement resonated not witnessed at any previous Edwardsville High School boys’ meets.
The EHS boys swim responded with a remarkable final season performance in the Southern Illinois High School Boys Championship Meet with 276 team points. Belleville Althoff followed with 129 points; Granite City was next with 89 points; Highland with 84 points; Father McGivney Catholic with 29 points; and Triad High School with 23 points.
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The meet was a tune-up for the upcoming IHSA sectional meet next Saturday in Springfield.
EHS star Peter Byers performed in his final home meet and he did it with his usual style.
“It felt good,” he said of the Saturday meet, especially in front of the cheering fans.
“It was awesome seeing them turnout. I could heard them while I was doing the breaststroke.”
This year, Byers has taken a leadership role on the team as a senior. He said he enters the sectional meet with similar goals as before and feels he and the team are ready for the challenge.
Edwardsville High School coach Christian Rhoten, who in his first season has continued to build the team to its present plateau, said it was simply “a fun meet.”
“I let the kids pick their events,” he said. “This is the end of the season and I wanted them to be able to swim in the events they wanted. The students came out on the Tiger Tour and brought a new level of excitement to the meet. They were awesome.”
Edwardsville won the 200 yard medley relay with Matthew Grove, Peter Byers, Tyler Morris and Brian Baggette (1:45.20).
Michael Johnson of EHS won the 200 free (1:59.57); Tyler Morris captured the 50 free (22.54); Brandon Johnson won the 1-meter diving (168.50 points); Baggette was first in the 100 freestyle (53.59); the Tigers’ 200 free relay of Grove, Johnson, Morris and Beyers placed first (1:36.65).
Byers won the 100 breast (1:01.18); and the Tigers’ 400 free relay of Baggette, Graham Peterson, Johnson and Beyers were first (3:46.02).
Gunnar Kohlbrecher of Father McGivney Catholic was first in the 500 free (4:58.53).
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