Scottsboro makes program history by winning its first state swim title
Jason Bowen
The Scottsboro varsity boys swim team spent the entire season proving it had what it takes to win the program’s first state championship.
The team spent last weekend making that championship a reality.
Scottsboro put together a strong all-around performance on the way to capturing the Class 1A-5A Boys Swimming state championship during the 2024 AHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships at the Huntsville Aquatics Center last Friday and Saturday.
Scottsboro closed with a team score of 231 points, 31 points in front of two-time defending state champion Boaz.
“I knew by our returning depth that we were a serious contender early in the season. Mentally we had to get to the point that we believed we had it in us to overcome every form of adversity and that we were not going to accept anything other than making history, not only for our school, but for everyone who paved the way and built the foundation in past coaches and swimmers that made it all even a possibility,” said Scottsboro head coach Robert Fanning.
The swimming state championship brought Scottsboro High School’s list of state-championship winning athletic programs to eight, as swimming joins basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field and wrestling as SHS programs that have claimed their respective sport’s top prize.
“As a former SSA and SHS swimmer and now coach, I am so proud of what was accomplished this weekend,” said Scottsboro assistant coach Matt Brewer. “What these swimmers did is something that will always inspire and challenge the next generation of swimmers. Every dive, every lap, every turn led them to this moment. What I experienced this weekend is something I wish every coach and athlete could experience at least once in their lifetime. More importantly it was evident that our swimmers swam for each other.”
Seniors Arlen Parr and Will Porch were excited to finish their high school careers with a history-making moment.
“Winning the first state swim title for Scottsboro High School is truly surreal,” Parr said. “There is truly so much hard work that my teammates and I have put in over the years and I am so thankful that this year was finally our year to show everyone that our hard work paid off…This win means even more to me because it was my senior season. I’m so thankful that I had the honor of sharing this historical win with my teammates and I will cherish this moment forever.”
Added Porch, “Words cannot describe the excitement the team felt when we finally heard them announce that Scottsboro High School had won state. The excitement and opportunity of winning the first ever state title in the history of the Scottsboro Swim Team at my last swim meet ever meant so much to me that it moved me to tears and is a moment I will never forget.”
Scottsboro also recorded an event state championship during the meet, as Parr, Ben Bradford, Jacob Fanning and Ryder Linville teamed up to win the 200-yard Freestyle Relay state title with a time of 1:35.11
Craft Sanders also medaled in the two events for Scottsboro, finishing as the state-runner-up in the 50-yard Freestyle (22.71 seconds) while also placing third in the 100-yard Freestyle (49.91).
In all, Scottsboro had 12 Top-10 finishes, which included nine Top-5 finishes.
Scottsboro got fourth-place finishes from Linville in the 50-yard Freestyle (23.23), Parr in the 100-yard Backstroke (1:02.74) and Bradford in the 100-yard Freestyle (52.18) while Parr was fifth in the 200-yard Individual Medley (2:10.49), Linville fifth in the 100-yard Freestyle (52.48) and Porch seventh in the 200-yard Individual Medley (2:16.79) and eighth in the 100-yard Breaststroke (1:12.86). Sanders, Porch, Fanning and Balin Hunnicutt finished fifth in the 400-yard Freestyle Relay (3:41.40).
“As a coach, winning a high school swimming state title is an experience I’ll never forget. It is so rewarding to watch your athletes succeed. During the meet they fought for every hundredth of a second and supported each other the whole way — it’s an indescribable feeling to witness,” said Scottsboro assistant coach Diane Richard.
Fanning said the swimmers have worked for this past weekend’s moment throughout their swimming careers.
“Everyone wants to win on the day of the meet/game, but most people do not have the consistent willpower to prepare each day to win,” Fanning said. “Every choice impacts how good you can really be. What you put into your body, how much sleep and how you train in the water and in the gym. Strategically, there are no timeouts or subs mid race to help a swimmer win. The state team… (was) determined to prepare consistently enough over a very long period of time to accomplish what had not been done here before. Every championship run in any sport has its share of setbacks and breaks that go your way. This group continued the grind in practice, kept getting better each meet of the season, continued to add depth pieces from our younger swimmers and caught some breaks in (Class 1A-5A) to be able to get the job done in rather dominant fashion.”
Class 1A-5A Girls State Meet — The Scottsboro girls swim team posted a seventh-place finish in the Class 1A-5A Girls team standings with 125 points.
Westminster Christian (264) took the Class 1A-5A Girls state championship while LAMP (177) and Arab (177) were the co-state runners-up.
Scottsboro freshmen Morelia Calderon-Diaz and Baylie Giles both set school records while leading the way for the Wildcats.
Giles turned in a fourth-place finish in the 100-yard Freestyle race (56.27) and a fifth-place finish in the 100-yard Backstroke (1:03.43) while Calderon-Diaz finished fifth in the 100-yard Butterfly (1:04.66) and sixth in the 100-yard Breaststroke (1:12.46).
Giles and Calderon-Diaz also teamed with Amelia Armour and Alice Merck for Top-5 relay finishes, placing fourth in the 200-yard Freestyle Relay (1:46.97) and fifth in the 400-yard Freestyle Relay (3:58.19). Armour also had a seventh-place finish in the 200-yard Individual Medley (2:29.21).
Scottsboro head coach Robert Fanning said the SHS girls “swam very well” at state, setting up what Fanning believes will be a run at state titles in coming seasons.
“Future is bright for the girls,” Fanning said. “The girls team is poised to make a run next year if the developing swimmers we have coming along take the next step and get state qualifying times. I hope the girls use this meet as a motivational tool to set the tone in their offseason workouts.”
