Boys Swimming: Red Devils Gearing Up for Postseason

Crunch time is fast approaching for the Hinsdale Central boys swimming team and coach Corky King.

Two weeks from this Saturday—Feb. 19—the Red Devils will take part in the Downers North Sectional. It promises to be challenging, with a number of solid teams (, Downers North, Downers South, York and Wheaton Co-op) and a host of individuals who made strong showings at last year’s state meet.

Topping the list is LT senior Bryan Donatelli, who was fifth at state in the 100-yard freestyle, and sixth in the 50 freestyle. Meanwhile, the Wheaton Co-op squad has senior diver George Doran, who placed fifth at state, and classmate Collin Hogan, who was sixth in the 500 freestyle. Additionally, senior Mike Reed of Downers North turned in a sixth-place finish last year in the 50 freestyle.

“It’s a good sectional from an individual standpoint,” said King, in his 12th season.

But expect the Red Devils to make some noise, as well, at Downers North. Hinsdale Central could be peaking at the right time, given its victory over Evanston and Lake Forest at last Saturday’s Hinsdale Central Tri. It’s the first time Hinsdale Central has defeated Evanston and Lake Forest in 12 years.

“I’m excited that we’re swimming pretty well,” King said. “Many kids are swimming better than they were a year ago, and we’re pretty optimistic about the end of the year. We have a couple more weeks of hard work. It’s an exciting time, and expectations are very high. We can’t wait until we get to that spot.”

Junior standout Danny Thomson continues to excel. The defending state 500 freestyle champion is a nationally ranked swimmer who posted the fastest times in the nation in both the 1,000 and 1,500 freestyle events at the NSCA Junior National meet held last year. Meanwhile, at the Red Devil Invitational two weeks ago, Thomson nipped CJ Smith of New Trier—the runner-up to Thomson in last year’s state 500 final.

If Thomson can repeat at state champion, he’ll be in a position next year to tie Brian Gunn for the school record of three consecutive state crowns in the 500 freestyle. King would like to see Thomson win another title and be in a position to tie the record, but neither he nor Thomson are obsessing about it.

“It’s something you want, but we’re focused on swimming faster than last year,” King said. “We haven’t talked about repeating as much as swimming fast. He’s a phenomenal young man. Some of the better athletes say, ‘Look at me,’ and this kid is just quiet and unassuming. It’s really refreshing as a coach to coach someone who goes about his business and works hard. He doesn’t change his disposition; he’s been like that ever since I’ve known him. His demeanor makes it all doubly good.”

The Red Devils, however, go deeper than Thomson. Senior Max Morimoto is a two-time state qualifier whom King hopes will compete later this month at state in the 100 and 200 freestyle.

“He’s excited about finishing up his senior year very well,” King said.

Morimoto and Thomson make up half of Hinsdale Central’s 400 freestyle relay team, while classmates C.J. Van Wormer and Ben Marsh will compete in the 200 medley. King won’t make any final decisions as to who he’ll add to each relay team until after this weekend’s West Suburban Conference meet.

“We’ll know a little bit more after that,” he said. “We have just a few more decisions to make before sectionals.”

King said Van Wormer (100 butterfly) and Marsh (backstroke) also have been enjoying good seasons individually.

“He’s (Van Wormer) done 56 (seconds in the butterfly) this year,” King noted. “We’re hoping that he can go to 51 (the state qualifying standard in the butterfly is 53.45 seconds). “Ben has been our No. 1 backstroker all year and he’s been a lot of fun to work with. He’s excited to be in the sectional meet.”

Hinsdale Central’s swimming program—be it boys or girls—enjoys a long history of success. The Red Devil boys have finished in the top 10 at state 44 times, but they haven’t cracked the top 10 since their sixth-place finish in 2005. However, King explained that getting back into the top 10 won’t be his team’s primary objective at state.

“We want to get as many kids there as we can, swim fast when we get there and let the cards play out,” he said. “We didn’t score in a relay last year (at state) and that’s a goal. If all our kids swim great, I don’t care what place we get. If you do the job you’re supposed to do, you’re content and that’s all you can ask of the kids.”