February 22, 2012

PHS Boys’ Swimming Wins 4th Straight Sectional, Senior Stars Primed for Final Shot at State Crown

HONOR BOUND: Princeton High boys’ swimming star Victor Honore gets ready to swim the backstroke in recent action. Last Thursday, senior star Honore posted a victory in the 200 individual medley to help PHS top Lawrence High 111-59 in the Public B Central Jersey sectional championship meet. The Little Tigers were slated to face Summit on February 21 in the Public B state semifinals with the winner advancing to the state title meet on February 26 at The College of New Jersey. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

While senior star Victor Honore was happy to help the Princeton high boys’ swimming team cruise to the Public B Central Jersey sectional title last Thursday, that isn’t the championship that he covets.

“It is my last sectional so it is pretty satisfying to win,” said Honore, reflecting on PHS’s 111-59 win over Lawrence High last Thursday at the Neptune Aquatics Center.

“But the sectional is just another step in trying to win more. It is my last year with these guys and it feels good having this togetherness.”

Honore and his fellow seniors have their sights set on going out in the ultimate blaze of glory — winning a state championship.

Last winter, the Little Tigers made it all the way to the state Public B title meet where they fell 90-80 to Scotch Plains-Fanwood in suffering their only defeat of the season.

This week, 15-0 PHS will look to take the next step as it is slated to face Summit High in the semis on February 21 with the winner advancing to the title meet on February 26 at The College of New Jersey pool.

Despite PHS’s dominance this season, which saw it crush the competition in winning a second straight county meet, Honore knows the Little Tigers face a tough road in reaching their goal.

“The teams that we might face next week are really good,” said Honore. “They have some real talent; we are looking forward to going against them.”

In the win over Lawrence, Honore showed his talent as he churned out a win in the 200 individual medley.

“I was just trying to get first; I wasn’t focused on a time,” said Honore, who clocked a time of 2:07.52 in earning the victory. “It was just get the points.”

After suffering from the flu and pneumonia last winter, Honore has fought through another dose of illness this season.

“I have been sick quite a bit but nothing like last year,” said Honore, who lost 14 pounds last winter due to sickness. “I am feeling much better.”

Honore feels very comfortable with his stellar group of classmates, who have formed the foundation for the PHS juggernaut.

“Some of my best friends are on the team,” whose fellow seniors include Addison Hebert, Matt Kuhlik, Derek Colaizzo, Harun Filipovic, and Jacques Bazile.

“We all know each other in the hallway; we hang out together at meets. I hang out with some of the guys on weekends. I think one of our greatest traits is just team spirit.”

That stellar group of seniors played a major role in PHS’s win over Lawrence as the Little Tigers won all eight individual events and two of the three relays. Colaizzo won the 50 and 500 freestyle races while Kuhlik placed first in the 100 backstroke and Filipovic won the 100 free.

PHS head coach Greg Hand knows that his seniors are primed for the final push.

“They have been excited about the rest of this tournament since long before the tournament started,” said Hand, who has guided PHS to four straight sectional titles and six of the last eight.

“Everybody is just fired up for the opportunity; nobody is predicting anything. They are just thinking about doing the things that are necessary to swim fast on the day and that is everything from mental to physical.”

In Hand’s view, his battle-tested swimmers know the preparation necessary to be at their fastest when it matters most.

“The guys need to be smart,” said Hand. “They are guys who have so many demands on their time and they have to do a good job of holding it together. That’s part of what education is about. I think that is why we support athletics as taxpayers; we are really asking the kids to do the best they can at balancing their lives and making good choices along the way.”

While the PHS swimmers were understated as they celebrated their victory last Thursday, Hand senses an excitement among his swimmers as they close in on another shot at a state title.

“Last year it seemed really innocent in the sense Pat Riley [former NBA coach] talks about, the innocent climb the first time around,” said Hand.

“I have that same sense as we go through it. We know we have a veteran squad already but here we are in something where they are still nervous in a good way.”

Honore and his teammates are primed for the climb to the state swimming summit.

“We are definitely ready; it is the last go for the seniors,” asserted Honore. “There is not an extra sense of urgency; it is more for our own benefit. We know that we have a great team and that we could do it.”