Small Demarest becomes a state power in boys swimming by Sean Farrell of The Record
Matt Smits couldn’t believe it.
The animated Indian Hills swimmer stood in front of the starting blocks with his hands in the air and his mouth wide open upon seeing the competition.
When Smits stepped up for the backstroke on Tuesday, he found NV/Demarest star Josh Oh grinning from ear to ear next to him in Lane 2.
Whenever it seems like the Norsemen have used up their biggest weapons, there’s somebody left. “Please tell me you’re not in this one,” Smits joked.
Facing the Norsemen can be overwhelming. There’s too much speed. Too much depth. Too few weaknesses.
There’s nothing around here quite like Immaculate Heart in the sport of swimming. But a school in eastern Bergen County with a high school enrollment of just 1,035 might now be the closest thing to it.
The Norsemen were 4-0 entering Wednesday night’s meet against Paramus, and ranked No. 1 in The Record Boys Swimming Top 10. They have looked the part of an elite team again this season.
“We are No. 1,” Oh said.
“Without a doubt,” Indian Hills coach Bryan McDonnell said.
“We feel like we’ve earned it,” Norsemen coach Samantha Singer said. “We feel like we’ve put in the time and effort and the mental part of it to deserve to be up there.”
The Norsemen are undefeated under Singer’s tenure through 18 months and nearly 20 dual meets. They have won five straight division championships, four straight sectional titles and last season’s Public C group final.
And they may not lose again this season.
“It’s just amazing,” senior Kevin Shin said. “I get chills thinking about it sometimes, and thinking about how we were the first Bergen County team to win the [public] state title. I’ve been blessed to be given this opportunity.”
Teams will come at NV/Demarest with their best lineups. But for some pragmatic coaches, the goal isn’t beating the Norsemen. It’s outscoring the other teams that have lost to them before.
The fewest points the Norsemen have recorded in a meet this season is 112.
“We know that we have to bring our A game every meet,” Singer said. “We know we can’t take anyone lightly. If we take someone lightly and they creep up on us, there goes history.”
What differentiates the Norsemen from everyone else is their depth. There’s a junior class with Justin Song and Matthew Maretic, and a sophomore one with Tim Park and Phil Gong. And that’s just the first wave.
“The only way to define who’s elite is the non-club kids, the high school kids that want to be there and want to succeed,” senior Lucas Keh said. “I’m going to be very surprised if I see any other group of kids as motivated.”
And the Norsemen realize they’ve also had some luck on their side.
The Bergen County Meet of Champions fell on an SAT day last season. The team expected to be without Keh, Oh and Shin.
“It’s clear cut,” Singer said. “If they’re not there, we don’t win.”
Then a snowstorm hit. The championship was postponed. At full strength, the Norsemen won the meet for the first time in school history by tying Bergen Catholic and placing in the top 10 in every single event.
“It was definitely like a ‘wow’ moment,” Oh said.
In Tuesday’s impressive backstroke battle, it was Smits who came out ahead against Oh.
But the Norsemen took the third- and fourth-place spots with juniors Brandon Kim and Erik Sarier close behind. That secured the victory over the fourth-ranked Braves.
Another blowout in a season full of them.
“We’re only as strong as our weakest link,” Oh said. “And our weakest link is strong.”