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After a four-week hiatus, Frederick Douglass High School senior swimmer Allison Burget returned to the pool last weekend and helped lead the Eagles' girls to an 85-14 victory over Central. She then began turning her attention to the remaining dual meets and postseason meets beginning with the Feb. 7 county championships.
Burget won the 200-yard individual medley (3 minutes, 5.75 seconds) and the 100 breaststroke (1:39.57) and also competed on two relays to lead the Eagles past the Falcons in a 3A/2A/1A meet at Prince George's Community College. The Douglass boys also handed Central a 121-13 defeat as Andre Parrish and Gary Stewart each won two events. Both the Eagles and Falcons earned 12-0 forfeit victories over Potomac, which has yet to appear at a dual meet this winter.
Douglass will face 4A power Eleanor Roosevelt and longtime league rival Gwynn Park this Saturday at Takoma Park in Washington, D.C. The Eagles will then face Forestville and Oxon Hill in a dual meet at Prince George's Community College on Jan. 24. That meet should decide the league crown among the boys. Douglass will conclude the season by facing High Point and Friendly at PGCC on Jan. 31.
"I was hoping to break 1:30 in the 100 back and I was looking to break three minutes in the 200 IM," said Burget, who plans to attend the College of Southern Maryland this fall. "It's always difficult to go fast when you don't have a lot of competition. I'm looking forward to facing Gwynn Park and Roosevelt. They have some fast swimmers. Hopefully, we can do well at counties and regionals and get to states."
Central coach Kendra Wergin has only eight swimmers – three boys and five girls – but the small Falcons' unit has performed well despite its lack of quantity. Dewaine Simon finished third in the 100 back (1:56.86) and fourth in the 50 free (31.01) against Douglass, while Mae Missana finished third in both the 50 free and 100 back. Central will face 4A schools Flowers and Parkdale this Saturday at the Fairland Aquatic Center in Laurel.
"We have been showing some progress this season," Wergin said. "Dewaine and Mae have both been able to drop time this season."
In other meets, the Friendly High boys edged Fairmont Heights, 61-54, and defeated Surrattsville, 64-30, while the Fairmont boys earned a split by defeating Surrattsville, 68-35. The Patriots' girls defeated Fairmont Heights, 54-12, and Surrattsville, 54-0, while the Fairmont girls earned the split by defeating Surrattsville, 12-0.
The Forestville boys kept their hopes alive for another league title by defeating Gwynn Park, 82-48, and DuVal, 92-30, while the Yellow Jackets earned a split by slipping past the Tigers, 63-41. The Gwynn Park girls also tuned up for this weekend's meet against rival Douglass by edging DuVal, 43-31, and Forestville, 49-23, while the Tigers' girls earned the split by edging the Knights, 36-26.
E-mail Ted Black at tblack@gazette.net
