In all sports, and at all levels, coaches sometimes use rousing pregame speeches to prepare their athletes to compete.
But when the Kamiak and Jackson high school swim teams collide, that kind of fiery oratory is rarely needed. Because when the Knights and Timberwolves square off in the pool, everyone knows a showdown is at hand.
On the day of a Kamiak-Jackson dual meet “we need to be ready to go,” Jackson coach Drew Whorley said. “The kids are always fired up to swim against them without me even having to talk about it.
“We know that every swimmer on our roster is going to have a race when we go swim Kamiak,” he added, “and that’s always been the case.”
Facing the T-wolves “is a little more than just another meet on the schedule, for sure,” agreed Kamiak coach Chris Erickson. “I wouldn’t call (the rivalry) heated, but I would call it competitive.”
Last season’s Kamiak-Jackson dual meet was particularly memorable. On Jan. 22, Jackson defeated the Knights 100-70, ending Kamiak’s winning streak for dual meets at 103. Previously, the Knights had not lost a dual meet since Feb. 7, 2008, and that defeat was to a Snohomish team that went on to win the Class 4A state championship.
As Whorley recalls, “We had a good day. … And I remember that (beating Kamiak) was something the guys were hyped about.”
The winning streak “was great when we had it,” Erickson said. “But as soon as we lost it, we changed our focus to ‘What’s next?’ And that was district and state.” This season, he said, “it’s over and forgotten, and now we’re on to something different.”
As it turned out, Kamiak had a strong finish to the season, placing third at the 4A state meet with Jackson ending up 10th. But as the two teams prepare for the new season — and they will see each other on Jan. 26 in a meet that also includes Lake Stevens — the Knights and T-wolves have reasons for both optimism and uncertainty.
Kamiak was hit particularly hard by graduation, and the prospects this season are “really unknown,” Erickson said. “We have 45 kids (on the roster) and half of them are freshmen, so it’s going to be interesting. … I think our freshmen will be a huge part in our depth.”
Leading the way for the Knights is Henry Limm, who placed third in the 500-yard freestyle at state a year ago and could bid for a championship this season. “Henry could be state champ,” Erickson acknowledged, “but that doesn’t mean we’ll win district or state, or even dual meets either.”
Jackson, meanwhile, has “a good squad,” Whorley said. “We’re a little deeper than I thought we were going to be. There were a couple of pleasant surprises (i.e., promising newcomers) this year that weren’t really on my radar. … I don’t think we’re going to have a whole lot of holes in our lineup, and there are some places where we’re strong.”
The Timberwolves are led by sophomore Jon Cook, who finished third in the 100 breaststroke at state last season and is strong in several events, including the individual medley.
Though both Kamiak and Jackson have bigger goals than just beating each other in the regular season, both teams and both coaches understand the value of having a top rival on the schedule.
As Whorley explained, “things kind of ebb and flow” over the years, but a meet against Kamiak “is always a really good gauge for us as to how good we are.”
Between the two squads, he added, “there’s an ultimate amount of respect. … We focus on trying to thrive in the moment, but everybody also recognizes where that meet is on the calendar. And when it comes, the kids always seems to rise up for it.”
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