EAGLE HARBOR - Orange Park's boys swim teams may have surprised the Fleming Island swim squad with their sprint abilities as the Raiders' boys won a 94-76 dual match at the Eagle Harbor Swim Complex on Sept. 30.

For the girls, Fleming Island won convincingly 137-17 with the Golden Eagles taking the combined win 213-111.

With the Raiders' boys taking the 1-2 spots in the 200 medley relay, the scores got jump started to Orange Park. Fleming Island answered with William Shoesmith and Jake Hall taking individual wins in the 200 individual medley and 500 free for Shoesmith and Hall winning in the 200 free with a second place to Orange Park's Ashton Juarez in the 100 butterfly in a very close 58.00-59.48 split.

Juarez also won the 50 free in 24.07 over Fleming Island's Taylor White (24.69).
For the girls, Fleming Island dominated with Elizabeth Loehr winning the 200 free and 500 free with teammates Brooke Reynolds and Keira Fetzner in second and third in the 200. Kensey Yarbrough winning the 200 individual medley with Fleming Island getting a 1-2-3 finish.

Reynolds won in the 50 free over Orange Park's Adelle Crawford while Fleming Island went top three in the 100 fly with Gloria Flagge, Fetzner and Kate Streets.
Fleming Island went 1-2-3 in the 100 free led by Katelyn Moore with Yarbrough and Caroline Kuhl putting all three under one minute.
Orange Park got a win in the 100 free from Dakota Blake over White and Fleming Island senior Derek Ettinger. Blake also won the 100 backstroke over Orange Park's Nicholas Santana.

The 100 breaststroke was won by Fleming Island's Summer Vanwagenen for the girls and Orange Park's Princeton Williams. Fleming Island won both 400 free relays decisively.

Clay hosts St. Johns Country Day School

At Rolling Hills, St. Johns Country Day School first year coach Jacqueline Kroggel, along with assistant coach Aubrey Clark, a state champion swimmer for Fleming Island High, took the invitation to swim against Clay High School. The match was between the St. Johns school and a Clay County school that has been a long time since the last match.

"We wanted to be able to swim against as many teams that would want to compete against us," said Kroggel, who was instrumental in a First Coast Summer Swim League championship title at her Pace Island summer swim team this past summer. "We want to compete, plain and simple."

In the match, with Clay High winning both ends of the meet; 159-88 for the girls, 120-114 for the boys, the closest race of the day belonged to the 50 free between Clay High's Noah Stotler and St. Johns' Gaige Jackson.

"Gaige is a good one," said Kroggel. "And he made it interesting in the 50."

Stotler won in 22.33 with Jackson on his shoulder in 22.94 in a spectacular preview for both athletes.

Stotler is a noted butterfly and medley specialist for Clay with a summer of nationals level swimming with the Bolles Sharks summer team. Stotler and Jackson locked horns a second time in the 100 butterfly, but Stotler was stronger with a win in 52.37 to Jackson's 58.61.

In the 100 freestyle, Clay's Joshua Ortega held off challenges from two St. Johns swimmers—Asher Hendrix and Beau Braddock—with all three under one minute; Ortega winning in 55.85.

One of the top finishes for St. Johns was from seventh grader Jacob Santana in the grueling 500 free with a win in 6:29.37 by more than 30 seconds. Santana is the younger brother to Orange Park medley standout Nicholas Santana, a senior for the Raiders.

In the boys 400 free relay, St. Johns held off Clay for a win in 4:13.26 to Clay's 4:13.40 in a fittingly exciting final event of the day.

For the girls races, state meet qualifier Kylie Elrod won the 200 individual medley over teammate Haley Hajost before winning her specialty, the 100 breaststroke over two St. Johns standouts—sisters Alexandria and Addison Kuczkowski.

Clay had their own duel in the 100 breaststroke for the boys with Jackson Dalton holding off Ajax Sgro 1:08.97 to 1:09.63.