(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) HIGH TIDE: Princeton High boys’ swimming star Derek Colaizzo displays his butterfly form in a recent training session. Last Thursday, Colaizzo took second in the 100 freestyle to help the Little Tigers beat Ocean Township 99-71 in the Public B Central Jersey sectional final. The Little Tigers were slated to swim against powerful Mountain Lakes on February 24 in the Public B state semifinals with the winner advancing to the state championship meet on February 28.

Displaying Grit and Finishing Speed, PHS Boys’ Swimmers Win Sectionals

Bill Alden

Peter Deardorff knew something wasn’t right as soon as he hit the water in the 500-yard freestyle last Thursday at the Public B Central Jersey sectional final.

“I dove in and both my feet cramped up,” recalled Deardorff, a sophomore star for the Princeton High boys’ swimming team. “I wasn’t expecting to do anything really.”

Trailing teammate Sean MacKenzie and two swimmers from Ocean Township, Deardorff seemed headed for a mediocre race.

But finding a rhythm in the last 100 yards, Deardorff got the fans at the North Brunswick High pool on their feet as he passed one of his Ocean foes to give the Little Tigers a 1-3 finish in the event.

The grit and finishing speed displayed by Deardorff exemplified the sterling effort produced by top-seeded Little Tigers as they swamped No. 3 Ocean 99-71 to earn the program’s first sectional title since 2006.

Individual winners for PHS in the meet included senior MacKenzie in the 500 free and 100 breast, senior Alex Zantal in the 50 and 100 free races, and freshman Addison Hebert in the 100 breaststroke.

The Little Tigers were slated to swim against powerful Mountain Lakes on February 24 in the Public B state semifinals with the winner advancing to the state championship meet on February 28.

In Deardorff’s view, PHS’ talent through the lineup paved the way to the sectional title.

“We had good frontline swimmers last year but this year we have depth and a good frontline,” said Deardorff, who took second in the 200 free and helped the 200 and 400 free relays to victory. “I think that is the difference.”

A big difference for PHS this season has been the arrival of a superb corps of freshmen which includes Hebert, Derek Colaizzo, Matt Kuhlik, Victor Honore, and Harun Filipovic.

With one high school season under his belt, Deardorff has gone out of his way to help the team’s newcomers.

“The freshmen are good, they are really good additions to the team,” said Deardorff.

“I try and keep them loose. I know when I was a freshman, I got really nervous so I help them with that.”

While PHS head coach Greg Hand was nervous about the matchup with Ocean, it didn’t take long for him realize that his swimmers weren’t going to be denied.

“Overall it was incredible, it was a surprisingly fast day in this format with much less rest than during regular season meets,” said Hand.

“We had personal bests all over the place or times that were very close. The terrific thing was just watching them put those swims together one event after the other. Even by the time we got to the break just four events in, it was pretty clear that this was going to be a fast day. In event after event, lane after lane, it was one of the more impressive meets I have watched.”

Hand was certainly impressed by Deardorff’s stirring effort in the 500 free. “I must have had 10 or 15 seconds when I wasn’t watching him so when I saw him making that move, I was stunned,” said Hand.

“That was one of four great swims for him. In the 200 to go out as hard as he did and make those guys work as hard as they did. It doesn’t matter who won that, he gave everything he had and set the tone for the race. He looked terrific.”

The Little Tigers’ core of seniors gave the team some terrific leadership as they thrived in the pressure of the sectional final.

“I think today was a day when senior leadership meant a lot; Alex was a rock and Sean stood up and swam a whole program of events even though he was sick,” said Hand.

“Alex Pelle as a captain is always a real vocal leader on the team. Brian Lopes has been with us four years and he has paid his dues just like everybody else and contributed today in the 200 free relay. I think the seniors’ set an example today, just the way they were talking to the guys and their overall demeanor was a great influence.”

The senior leadership coupled with MacKenzie’s return to the team in midseason helped the Little Tigers grow into a force.

“We still lost our share in the CVC; we lost to Notre Dame, WW/P-N, Lawrenceville, and WW/P-S South,” noted Hand, whose team improved to 12-4 in dual meets with the win over Ocean.

“We never argue that we are the best around. The pieces started to fall into place. If you are going to score a lot you have to have a couple of strong entries in every event. There were a few events where we had three strong ones.”

And PHS produced its strongest meet when the sectional title was on the line.

“We are really proud of trying to maximize our potential,” asserted Hand.

“It was just a thrill that this is the environment where we had to try to win the big meet and I am proud of the effort.”

Deardorff, for his part, was thrilled to contribute to the championship effort.

“It is the first sectional final I have been to,” said Deardoff. “To win it is really fun.”

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