No stopping North Stars

It is always hot enough at St. Charles East's Norris Center Pool to make a jalapeno pepper sweat. But Tuesday, it was just that little bit hotter.

The rivalry between St. Charles boys swimming and diving teams has been heated for some time. But this year, you could practically see steam rising from the water from the intensity of the host Saints and the visiting North Stars.

And while St. Charles North won the meet 104-82, the meet was always in contention and each race was closely matched.

"It's a big rivalry," St. Charles North's Nick Smith said. "I love coming here. It's a good meet and good competition. We're teammates in the club season so we know each other. It's good fun but good competition."

But what a way to start 2009, with both teams trying to outduel the other over the course of the 12 events. Smith said he thought the intensity was good for the freshmen.

"They don't really know that we've had this and that it's been so intense," Smith said. "But I think they're starting to catch on. Hopefully we'll have the same kind of intensity going at conference."

One way to judge the intensity was the fact that none of the swimmers from either team sat during the meet. St. Charles East's team stood on the far side of the pool deck while the visiting North Stars stood on the bleacher side exhorting their respective teammates to faster times.

"I think we swam with a lot more heart and I think you saw East swimming with a lot of heart," St. Charles North's Alex Peterson said. "You could tell in the second half of the meet that they were all up there fighting for every point that they got. But it's us getting closer as a team."

The meet was the first for both teams since returning from winter training. That led to some wobbles at various points in the meet.

"It's good to have a meet," Peterson said. "We had two weeks off and trained really hard. You like to have meets to prove where you're at."

Peterson won the 100-yard butterfly and swam the back-to-back 200 freestyle relay-100 backstroke for the first time this year.

Smith was second in the 50 freestyle and was also second in the 100 freestyle to Adam Carnell - who was himself one of two Saints double-event winners. Carnell claimed the 200 freestyle in addition to the 100 free event.

"Like Coach (Joe Cabel) said, we have a couple of things to work on," Carnell said. "But overall, our team gave 110 percent. We came into this knowing that this is our rival and we had our work cut out for us."

Carnell said he recorded best times in both individual races coming off the tough Christmas break training.

"I guess it was kind of the nerves," Carnell said. "I wanted to beat North."

Ken Tilges was St. Charles East's other two-event winner. He claimed the 50 freestyle and the 100 breaststroke.

The boys swim season has many stops and starts - first Thanksgiving and then Christmas. But once the New Year dawns, the season involves a four-week sprint to the conference meets, which take place the weekend of Feb. 6-8 this year. Final exams loom, but the extended breaks are over.

"It's real short after Christmas," Cabel said. "The boys season is so broken up. But now we'll stay focused now and we won't have other things on our minds. We'll work on our academics too."