By TONY BELLISSIMO
The defending county champs are expecting to be challenged by Syosset and last season's runner-up Garden City. In fact, Marines coach Woody Davis is already mapping out his strategy for the dual meet finale versus Syosset on Jan. 22.
"We're hoping to go undefeated into that match and I think Syosset is looking to do the same," Davis said. "I've started thinking about how to set our lineup for that match. It's never too early, but things can change between now and then."
One thing unlikely to change is Long Beach's dominance. After winning the 11-team Relay Carnival at the Aquatic Center last month, the Marines convincingly won their first four dual meets over Plainview, Wantagh, Bellmore-Merrick and Massapequa. The closest battle was a 122-61 win against Plainview.
"We lost a few top kids, but we brought back a bunch of All-County swimmers and we have some young ones ready to make some noise," Davis said. "We just have to work out a few kinks in the lineup over the next two weeks."
It was no surprise the Marines took home the top prize at the Relay Carnival. After all, each of their three relays (200-yard medley, 200-yard freestyle and 400-yard freestyle) won Nassau titles last season and advanced to the state tournament. As of now, the premier relay is the 200 medley, consisting of sophomore Eric Gonzalez (backstroke), senior Todd Rubin or junior Mike Demerest (breaststroke), senior Trevor Hughes (butterfly) and senior Victor Stoyanov (freestyle). Davis thinks the final foursome can crack the 1-minute, 40-second mark.
"Nothing's finalized as far as the relays go, but I have a pretty good idea," the coach said. "We have to wait and see how things fall into place."
Hughes, a captain along with Rubin and senior Chris Griffin, is an All-Long Island performer and three-time state qualifier. He's outstanding in the fly, with a best 100 meter time of 54.03 seconds, and also excels in the 200 individual medley and freestyle sprints. Hughes has won the 100 fly in each of the four dual meets so far. "Trevor's a great leader," Davis said.
Stoyanov is as versatile freestyler as there is. He can do the 50 meter as well as he can the 500. He qualified for states in the 500 and has a great chance to repeat. His top 50 time is 22.62 seconds, and his 100 and 200 times rank among the best in the county.
Griffin was the Nassau runner-up in diving and comes into this season as the favorite to win it all. He's off to a great start, according to Davis, averaging 230 points for six dives. Griffin could also contribute in relays.
Mike Moran (freestyle, backstroke) and Mike Baumann (freestyle sprinter) round out the seniors on a roster that goes 33 deep.
A talented group of underclassmen is led by Demerest, Gonzalez and freshman Ben Gross. Gonzalez won the 200 individual medley and the 100-meter backstroke in the Marines' 137-47 win over Wantagh, while Gross won the 200 freestyle and the 500 free in a 135-51 triumph over Bellmore-Merrick.
After visiting Great Neck South and Hewlett this week, Long Beach returns home on Monday, Jan. 13 to take on Uniondale at 5 p.m. The Marines also host Bethpage next Wednesday and Garden City next Friday.
