Cape Central boys swimming takes season-opening quad meet ahead of Jackson

You can tell it's early in the season because the Bubble hasn't been erected yet at Central Municipal Pool and the times in the water will be shaved in the coming weeks and months, but on Tuesday the Cape Girardeau Central boys swimming team opened up the season with a solid performance, getting things off on the right foot by topping Jackson, Farmington and John Burroughs College Preparatory in a four-team meet at home.

"I look at it as kind of our baseline," Central coach Dayna Powell said. "Let's get in there, let's get a start on people's times. ... Today we mixed some people up and match up some relays. It's just a start. I try not to make it a pressure situation. This is just getting the ball rolling a little. Everyone knows what to expect after this."

The Tigers claimed team victory with 743 points, well clear of second-place Jackson with 484. John Burroughs finished just behind with 465 points and Farmington rounded out the field at 107.

Central swimmers hit state-cut times in seven events, while Jackson posted a pair of state cuts.

Cape Girardeau Central coach Dayna Powell instructs her team prior to Tuesday's meet.

The Indians' Tra Statler got the mark in the 100 butterfly with a time of 56.13 and 2016 Semoball Awards finalist Jack Gard posted a 5:04.20 in the 500 free.

Two-time reigning Semoball Awards Boys Swimmer of the Year Brogan Davis opened up his junior campaign with state cuts in the 100 free and 100 breast, fellow finalist Reagan Ragsdale did so in the 50 free and 100 back, and newcomers Truman Vines (100 fly), Daniel Seabaugh (500 free) and Jacob Bening (200 IM) all accomplished the same.

"With this team, the ones we got today, some of them kind of surprised me," Powell said. "I knew they were capable, but coming in the first meet I didn't know if we'd get them. I'm happy we have this many. We didn't get a relay cut, but we were close and that was great."

The Central 200 medley relay team of Ragsdale, Davis, Levi Strickland and Hyrum Dickson opened the competition with a win in 1:45.47, just sneaking in under the state cut time of 1:45.49, but because they only bested that mark on one of three stopwatches, official qualification will have to wait for another day. The 200 free relay squad (Davis, Strickland, Seabaugh, Ragsdale) missed the cut by less than a quarter of a second.

"We should be faster even in another three weeks," Powell said. "So it's a great start, but we'll need to look at faster times later in the season to really see how we match up."

The best race of the day came between Jackson senior Gard and Central freshman Seabaugh, who dueled through a 500 free race that was never separated by more than a hand's length, from the block to the final wall. It was the newcomer, Seabaugh, who edged the veteran by less than two-tenths of a second for his first high school victory.

"Daniel Seabaugh in that 500, I didn't look for him to be that fast today, but he had a great race with Jack Gard from Jackson and I think they both pushed each other," Powell said. "A good swimmer next to you brings out the best in you, and Daniel put that good time in."

Gard also won the 200 free with a time of 1:52.91, ahead of Tiger Matt Chandler, who shaved two seconds off his time to post a 1:54.10.

Cape Girardeau Central's Daniel Seabaugh, left, and Jackson's Jack Gard swim in the 500 freestyle Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016 at Central Municipal Pool.Fred Lynch

As might be expected, Davis and Ragsdale had the biggest days in terms of points-earning results. The former won the 100 free and the 100 breast, posting a 1:01.26 in the latter to give his coach something to be excited about.

"When he got the cut [in that event] last year I was excited. [This time] he was well under the cut, which translates into a really strong IM for him during the season," Powell said. "That's what that means to me."

Ragsdale won the 100 back (55.79) and finished first in the 50 free with a fast early-season time of 21.92.

"To do that right now, that's a pretty good showing that he's done the work and he's ready to do," Powell said.

The two veterans both contributed to Central's pair of relay victories as well.

Two Tiger newcomers made their mark, as freshmen Bening and Vines picked up victories in the 200 individual medley (2:05.77) and 100 fly (56.08), respectively.

Jackson's Adam Hecht landed runner-up finishes in the 200 IM and 100 breast, while Statler finished second in the 100 fly and tied for third in the 100 backstroke.

Cape Girardeau Central will hit the pool again Friday when it travels to Parkway South.

Jackson will compete alongside Notre Dame at the Ladue Early Season Invitational on Saturday.

Team Scores -- 1. Cape Girardeau Central 743; 2. Jackson 484; 3. John Burroughs 465; 4. Farmington 107

Top three finishers

200 medley relay -- 1. Cape Central (Reagan Ragsdale, Brogan Davis, Levi Strickland, Hyrum Dickson) 1:45.47; 2. Cape Central 1:46.84; 3. Jackson 1:51.12

200 free -- 1. Jack Gard (J) 1:52.91; 2. Matt Chandler (CC) 1:54.10; 3. Charlie Baldwin (JB) 2:04.32

200 IM -- 1. Jacob Bening (CC) 2:05.77; 2. Adam Hecht (J) 2:15.31; 3. Ko (JB) 2:15.65

50 free -- 1. Reagan Ragsdale (CC) 21.92; 2. Dickson (CC) 23.37; 3. M. Woodruff (JB) 23.45

1-meter diving -- 1. Sigmund (JB); 2. Sam Rinehart (J); 3. Ptasiewicz (JB)

100 butterfly -- 1. Truman Vines (CC) 56.08; 2. Tra Statler (J) 56.13; 3. Bening (CC) 57.90

100 free -- 1. Davis (CC) 48.07; 2. Dickson (CC) 51.90; 3. Bryant (J) 57.03

500 free -- 1. Daniel Seabaugh (CC) 5:04.02; 2. Gard (J) 5:04.20; 3. Ko (JB) 5:24.13

200 free relay -- 1. Cape Central (Davis, Strickland, Seabaugh, Ragsdale) 1:34.71; 2. Cape Central 1:35.46; 3. John Burroughs 1:48.39

100 back -- 1. Ragsdale (CC) 55:79; 2. Baldwin (JB) 59.25; tie-3. Seabaugh (CC) 1:03.21; tie-3. Statler (J) 1:03.2

100 breast -- 1. Davis (CC) 1:01.26; 2. Hecht (J) 1:08.27; 3. Ty Miller (CC) 1:12.00

400 free relay -- 1. John Burroughs (Woodruff, Baldwin, Sigmund, Ko) 3:42,35; 2. Cape Central 4:01.32; 3. John Burroughs 4:03.86