Canfield has best finish at state

The Cardinals were eighth in the state meet and set two school records.

By JOE SCALZO

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

CANTON — His high school career had just ended — really well, incidentally — and Canfield senior Eric Davis could only smile and hug each of his three relay teammates. Then his coach, Andrea Linnelli, ran over with tears in her eyes and did the same.

“I’ll never forget this swim,” Davis said.

Or this team.

The best team in school history finished its final race, the 400-yard freestyle relay, with the fastest time in school history (3:09.20) at Saturday’s state swim meet at C.T. Branin Natatorium.

Not a bad way to go out.

“These guys are like my family,” said senior James Hunter, who helped the Cardinals place fourth in the event. “I love these guys. We swam great, we got all our best times. This is the best we’ve ever done. There’s no better way to end this.”

As a team, the Cardinals placed eighth overall — the best showing in school history and a terrific achievement for a public school with no swimming pool — and broke another school record earlier in the day en route to a fourth-place finish in the 200 free relay.

Hunter (15th in the 100 free) and junior Ryan King (11th in the 100 back) added strong individual performances for Canfield.

Senior Jordan Graham, who was an All-Ohio defensive end for the Cardinals in the fall, and sophomore Garrett Trebilcock rounded out the 400 free relay, while King and freshman Gavin Trebilcock joined Davis and Hunter in the 200 free relay.

Davis and Graham started swimming against each other when they were 7, never realizing they’d one day be cornerstones on the best team in Canfield history.

“When I was that young, I never thought I’d see the day when I’d be here with this guy [Graham] at the state championship,” Davis said.

“Um, I thought that,” Graham said, laughing.

Canfield’s success was due, in part, to talent. But the Cardinals made the most of their talent, pushing each other every day in practice to get better.

“It’s a combination of a great group of guys, great chemistry and we all worked really hard to push each other,” said Hunter, who will attend Brown next fall. “That’s what it’s been like for the last four years, and the last two for Garrett. Seeing we could do this and realizing we could. And doing it better every year.

“It’s a great group of guys that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Although the Cardinals had the most successful weekend among area swimmers, the best story belonged to Boardman senior Mike Barringer, who was hospitalized two days before the meet began with what doctors believed was appendicitis.

“I was lying in bed thinking, ‘Did I do all this for nothing?’ ” Barringer said. “I competed all season for this moment.”

After undergoing a bevy of tests — all pointing to appendicitis — Barringer underwent a CAT scan, which proved inconclusive. Barringer woke up the next morning feeling better and was cleared just in time to compete in the meet. He placed 21st in the breaststroke and helped the Spartans to a season-best time of 1:28.24 to finish ninth in the 200 free relay. Boardman had three seniors on the relay — Barringer, Conner O’Halloran and Jared Ebie — and a freshman, Tommy Slagle.

“It’s a great way to finish their careers,” said Boardman coach Terry O’Halloran.

In girls Division II, McDonald freshman Katie Joseph (100 free) and Lakeview freshman Emilee Gysegem (100 breast) each placed fifth in their respective events to earn first team all-Ohio honors for the second straight day.

Both swimmers placed sixth in their events Friday. The top eight in each event earn medals and first team All-Ohio honors.

scalzo@vindy.com