LAS FLORES – A South Coast League swimming giant awoke Tuesday to sweet success.
Dana Hills’ boys, who dropped out of the county rankings after a stumble early this month, flashed their potential with a 91-79 victory at ninth-ranked Tesoro.
The Titans’ top-ranked girls won 10 of 11 races en route to a 133-37 triumph.
The Dolphins’ three-time defending league champion boys swept the relays and notched a pair of critical first-second sweeps in the middle of the meet to cool off a Tesoro squad that finished higher than Dana Hills at the Capistrano Valley Relays.
The Dolphins weren’t at full strength but were noticeably deeper than they were in a nonleague loss at Mission Viejo on March 3.
“That was a wake-up call,” said Dana Hills junior Trent Pellini, who won the 200-yard individual medley (1 minute, 57.47 seconds) and 100 breaststroke (59.12).
“Overall (this) was our best performance of the year as a team, but we still have some key guys missing. … (It was) kind of a statement.”
Related: Tuesday’s leaderboard
Dana Hills raced again without standout Michael Smith (shoulder), Adam Cole (sitout period) and Marcel Rodriguez (medical). But last season’s CIF-SS Division 1 runner-up showed the type of depth that could make it a contender again in May.
Owen Kao rallied Dana Hills to victory in the 200 medley relay. The sophomore out-touched Tesoro by three one-hundredth of a second to bring the Dolphins to the wall in 1:40.05.
Dana Hills also won the 200 (1:30.29) and 400 (3:19.05) freestyle relays but the score was tight throughout. Dana Hills led, 40-38, going into the 100 free and didn’t seal the meet victory until the 400.
Kao (47.87) and Bennett Williams (49.46), the Register’s player of the year in water polo, posted a 1-2 finish in the 100 free. Seniors Shane Forker (4:51.24) and Keyan Boniadi (5:01.51) followed with another 1-2 finish in the 500 freestyle.
“We showed some muscle today,” Dana Hills coach Matt Rosa said. “We showed that Dana Hills is still the team to beat in South Coast.”
Pellini credited sophomore Jake Ward’s second-place touch in the backstroke – by one hundredth of a second – as another important finish. As swimmers exited the 400, Ward dished out cupcakes from his birthday.
“It was good day for Dana,” Pellini said.
Daniel Kim doubled for Tesoro in the butterfly (52.32) and 50 free (22.36). Titans freshman Quinn Neamand won the backstroke in 56.60.
Tesoro’s two-time defending league champion girls team was led by Avery Trudell, who touched first in the 100 free (56.34) and anchored the winning 200 free relay (1:43.63).
“She’s stepping up and gives us even more depth in the sprint freestyle,” Tesoro girls coach Todd Conrad said of the junior. “But the key is just having fun.”
Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com
