Chris Caporale, sports@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School junior Griffin Rades set two conference records Friday and will try for a repeat trip to state with strong performances at the WIAA Division 2 sectional Saturday in Stevens Point.
Led by junior Griffin Rades, who set two conference records at the Great Northern Conference meet Friday, the Shawano Community High School boys swim team will set its sights on a bigger prize Saturday at the WIAA Division 2 sectional meet in Stevens Point.
To advance to state, Rades and his teammates will need to place first or post one of the next 12 fastest Division 2 sectional times.
Rades, who held the conference record (2 minutes, 11.29 seconds) in the 200-yard individual medley last season, demolished the mark Friday in Tomahawk, turning in a time of 2:04.57.
Later in the meet, he swam a time of 1:03.93 in the 100 breaststroke, besting the record set by 2015 SCHS graduate Zach Soper by nearly a full second.
Although the Hawks did not successfully defend their Great Northern title, finishing third, they seem to have momentum heading into the sectional.
Two weeks ago, the Hawks placed 11th at the Small Team State meet in Plymouth with only nine swimmers.
“There were some people there talking about us, so I like that,” SCHS head coach Jeff Easter said.
The first-year head coach doesn’t exactly know what to expect from the competition on Saturday.
“I suspect maybe we will get one or two guys that go (to state),” Easter said.
Shawano, led by then-seniors Zach Soper, Rolando Colon and Jake Klister, finished 14th at the WIAA Division 2 state meet last year.
Rades is the only swimmer for the Hawks with state meet experience, having competed on two relays teams with the three seniors last year.
He enters the sectional meet with the second best time in the 100 breaststroke, behind Ashwaubenon’s Eric Van Dyck (1:03.68), and third best time in the 200 individual medley, behind Evan Marquardt (2:03.03), of Rice Lake, and Max White (2:04.00), of Ashwaubenon.
Shawano’s 200-yard medley relay team, anchored by Rades, has the fourth best time of the sectional qualifiers.
No other Hawks entries are in the top 5 of their events.
WIAA Division 2 Sectional
UW-Stevens Point
Shawano seed times
200-yard medley relay: 4. Shawano, 1:51.29.
200 freestyle: 12. Connor Angeli, 2:10.98.
200 IM: 3. Griffin Rades, 2:04.57; 13. Cayman Kunschke, 2:36.83.
50 freestyle: 6. Jeffrey Green, 24.37; 23. Tyler Buerman, 25.79; 27. Kyle Easter, 26.31; 36. Matt Cajigas, 28.86.
100 butterfly: 7. James Krueger, 1:01.90; 13. Chase Lhotka, 1:12.84.
100 freestyle: 23. Tyler Buerman, 58.83; 27. Kyle Easter, 1:00.67.
500 freestyle: 9. Connor Angeli, 5:49.20.
200 freestyle relay: 10. Shawano, 1:42.52.
100 backstroke: 8. James Kruger, 1:06.12.
100 breaststroke: 2. Griffin Rades, 1:03.93; 11. Nathan Kane, 1:13.46; 21. Cayman Kunschke, 1:17.39.
400 freestyle relay: 7. Shawano, 3:43.53.