No time like now for Cary-Grove's Curtis

For senior Brent Curtis, there's no time like the present.

His standout high school swimming career is drawing to a close, and Curtis seems poised to finish with a flourish with Cary-Grove's co-op team.

Curtis' winning performances at last weekend's Barrington sectional make him a legitimate point-scoring threat in both his individual races - the 100-yard freestyle and the 100 breaststroke.

His seed time of 47.23 in the freestyle makes him the 12th-fastest state qualifier. His 59.83 in the breaststroke puts him as the 14th fastest.

Those placements are a little misleading. In an average year, they'd put him in the top six qualifiers. But this season just happens to be one the of the best on record in the state of Illinois, both for top times and for the uncommon depth in most events.

But whatever happens in Friday's state meet preliminaries and Saturday's finals at New Trier High School, it will mark the completion of a standout four years.

"I feel like I'm ready," said Curtis, who competes with the Patriot Aquatic Club in Lincolnshire outside of the high school season. "I'm already ahead of where I was last year at the state meet, so things are looking good."

Curtis will not be alone as a District 155 competitor. His senior teammate, Michael Kinross, also advanced in two races, the 200 IM and the 100 fly. He's the 22nd-fastest qualifier in the fly and the 35th-fastest in the IM.

Kinross will also join Curtis for Cary-Grove's 200 medley relay along with senior Edward Griswold and junior Christian Weber. With both Kinross and Curtis only partially rested for the sectional, it's logical to assume that relay can go even faster.

Having a high level competitor like Kinross, who trains with the Palatine Park District, as a teammate has been a help to Curtis.

"You don't want to go there by yourself," said Curtis of the state meet. "It's definitely better with teammates."

Coach Jim Andriakos knows that losing seniors like Curtis, Kinross and Griswold means it's the end of an era for the District 155 team. Curtis plans to attend Indiana and Kinross is headed for Eastern Michigan. However you measure it, they are two of the best swimmers to emerge from northern Kane and southern McHenry Counties.

"They've been great, and hopefully they can be great one more time," Andriakos said. "You know, it's that time - time to go fast."

One last time.