Pittston Area’s Tanner Osborne is shown swimming the backstroke, the first leg of the 200 Medley Relay, against Pittston Area.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
YATESVILLE – Tanner Osborn, Jake Grzech and Josiah Lyons made sure host Pittston Area got started toward Thursday’s 70-41 boys swimming victory over rival Wyoming Area in a Wyoming Valley Conference meet.
Osborn, Grzech and Lyons handled the first three legs of the win in the opening 200-yard medley relay, they won the next three events, in the same order, to get the Patriots out to a 30-14 lead.
The Patriots never gave up that advantage while improving to 2-4 while the Warriors remained winless on the season.
“I’ve been swimming with Tanner, Jake and Frank for three years now,” Lyons said. “We’ve all come together as a team and we know where our strengths and weaknesses lie. We do well together in events like that.
“We came into this meet with a lot of confidence and I think we showed that.”
Osborn took care of the backstroke to begin the medley relay. He was followed by Grzech’s breaststroke, Lyons’ butterfly and Frank Garcia’s freestyle. They finished in 2:19.35 to win by less than two seconds in a competitive race to start the day.
After Osborn won the 200 freestyle in 2:21.24, Grzech took first place unopposed in the 200 individual medley.
Lyons sprinted to a time of 27.11 in the 50 freestyle to lead a 1-2 finish with Garcia in the only boys race of the day in which all six lanes were filled.
Osborn, Grzech and Lyons each added another individual win before the day was over, then teamed up again in the closing 400 freestyle relay, adding a fourth win of the day when Wyoming Area did not have a relay team to oppose them. Lyons led a field of five swimmers in the 100 freestyle, winning by less than a second in 1:03.32.
“Last year, for me, I felt like I was one of the slower swimmers,” Lyons said. “I wasn’t winning. Being able to come here and win now, I feel accomplished in what I’ve done in my practicing and training for swimming. It makes me real happy.
“ … I know I’ve personally done well, but there are things I need to improve on and I wouldn’t be able to do this without my teammates.”
Osborn also won the 500 freestyle in 6:27.23.
Grzech, in the 100 breaststroke, and Zhi Lin, in the 100 backstroke, took first place in other events where Wyoming Area, which has a limited roster, did not have an entry.
Sonny Sabatini won the 100 freestyle for the Warriors. He also anchored the 200 relay team, which took first place in the only swimming event in which the Patriots did not have an entry.
John Getzie, Jonathan Cortez and William Van Auken completed the relay lineup.
