The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1432310
The Press-Dispatch Winter Sports Preview Wednesday, November 24, 2021 D-5 Let's Go Chargers! 2134 E MAIN STREET, PETERSBURG | SMASHED to SHINY Get back in the game with Pike Collision. Trust your vehicle to us for quality auto body repair and paint services. Don't settle for less! Call 812-380-7453 Weis- team and The 2021-2022 Pike Central boys' swim team includes, front row (l to r): Brylee Walker, team manager, Ethan Mann, Blaine Barnett, Xander Parker, Ty DeCoursey, Gage Schmitt and Carter Blackwell; back row: Karly Morson, team manager, Max Burkhart, Wyatt Luff, Isaac Burdette, Micheal Burkhart, Draven Readle and Cobey McKinney. Boys' swim team doubles its ranks By Matthew Haycraft The 2021-2022 Charger boys' swim team has doubled its ranks this year. Last year's squad had five Chargers place in the sec- tional finals at Jasper. Senior Trent Zimmerman placed fifth in the one-meter diving at sec- tional finals and finished third overall in the boys' Pocket Ath- letic Conference Championship diving competition. Sophomores Daven Readle, Michael Burkhart, and freshmen Isaac Burdette and Wyatt Luff placed in B finals. In swim records, five Pocket Athletic Conference records be- long to Pike Central swimmers, including the breaststroke, 200 IM, 500 free, 200 medley and 400 free relays. All but the breast- stroke record were set in 2017. Lucas Hill, a 2018 graduate of Pike Central, clocked 1:02.38 to set the PAC breaststroke record in 2016. Even though the team has no seniors this year, they are still are looking good with team numbers. The team gained seven freshman this year that swam in the middle school program, which will help out a lot, according to Coach Ja- son McKinney. "We will be young, but we have some talented swimmers that work hard." Juniors this year are Draven Readle, who will swim freestyle distance and the IM, Isaac Bur- dette, who will swim breaststroke and freestyle, and Michael Bur- khart swimming mid-distance and fly. Readle, Burdette and Bur- khart placed in B finals last year, so they are definitely swimmers to watch. Charger sophomore swimmers are: Cobey McKinney, who will swim freestyle and sprints, Wy- att Luff, swimming backstroke and freestyle, and Max Burkhart, swimming backstroke and free- style. This year's incoming freshmen swimmers are Blaine Barnett, Ty DeCoursey, Andrew Johnson, Ethan Mann, Xander Parker, Car- ter Blackwell and Gage Schmitt. Coach McKinney said, "The boys have been working very hard in the water and are very excited about having more num- bers this year so they can com- pete against larger teams." The boys have been working very hard in the water and are very excited about having more numbers this year so they can compete against larger teams." – Coach Jason McKinney