The wetter the better

The Cardinals are seeded sixth in both relays entering this weekend's state meet.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
SALEM -- Before the conference meet, the boys on the Canfield High swim team dyed their hair black. Then, before sectionals, then went with mohawks. Now their heads are shaved.
And if they win a state title?
"I'll shave my head," said Cardinals coach Andrea Linnelli.
"Really? She said that?" said junior Eric Davis. "She didn't tell me that. We'll have to push hard for that."
Meet the Cardinals. They started with 18 boys at the beginning of the season and five are still swimming.
They're a close-knit team -- they hang out at each other's houses, both in season and out -- and they're a fun team.
For instance, before the season, they took turns toilet papering the freshmen's houses. ("We took it easy on them," said Davis.)
Light moments
They joke around with their coach. (Before getting interviewed, Linnelli looked at Davis, smiled and said, "Mind your manners, young boy." His response? "Yes, ma'am.")
And they joke around with each other. ("Matt Carlozzi, one of the seniors, gets it the worst," Davis said. "We play a bunch of jokes on him and give him nicknames. But he takes it pretty well.")
"They're like the seven dwarfs, except there's five of them," said Linnelli.
And this weekend, Davis will be the busiest.
He qualified in two individual events, joining freshman Garrett Trebilcock as Canfield's only individual qualifiers, and will swim in two relays. He'll be especially busy Saturday when he swims three events.
"I'm used to it," he said. "I'll swim eight times a day sometimes during the season and we have two-a-days before the season. It shouldn't be a problem."
Davis will join James Hunter, Jordan Graham and Ryan King in the 200 free relay (those four finished seventh in the event at last year's state meet) and Hunter, Graham and Trebilcock in the 400 free relay (which took 13th in Canton last year).
After tasting success last season, they immediately turned their attention to this year.
"We wanted to get even faster," said Hunter.
Unison
So, like all top swimmers, they trained countless hours in the offseason. They challenged each other -- none wanted to be the weak link -- and they benefited from gaining Trebilcock, who was already an outstanding swimmer. Trebilcock had been a standout in USA Swimming in his age group and has fit in seamlessly.
The Cardinals are seeded sixth in both relays entering this weekend.
"We want to place even higher and maybe go top five," said Hunter. "I think both relays are equally strong and they have an equal shot of doing it. It depends on what the other teams do."
The big key to their success has been their chemistry.
"These guys are my best friends," Hunter said. "They're like a second family. We're all very supportive of each other and even the guys who didn't make it [to the state meet] are asking us how we're doing.
"It's a good support system and we all like to have a good time."
Davis agreed.
"We do everything together," he said. "We're a close team. More close than any of the other teams I've seen."
And the best part is, they'll all be back next year.
"They're just a great group of guys," said Linnelli. "We're really looking forward to this weekend."
scalzo@vindy.com