Hart Knows Score Against Swim Rivals

The Crescenta Valley High and Hart boys’ swim teams, which have finished first and second in the Southern Section Division II championships each of the past two seasons, engaged in a typically close nonleague meet Friday, with Hart winning the final race to forge an 85-85 tie at College of the Canyons.

What isn’t typical was the uproar that ensued.

Crescenta Valley will file a report with the Southern Section disputing a change in the scoring just before the final event.

Based on what the official scorekeeper told him, Coach Pete Loporchio of Crescenta Valley believed his team was leading, 81-77, before the start of the 400-yard freestyle relay. The correct tally was actually 79-77.

Thinking his team needed only second- and third-place finishes in the event to win the meet, Loporchio split up his top relay team in an effort to ensure the necessary finishes.

But with only a two-point edge, Crescenta Valley needed a victory and the eight points that came with it to ensure at least an 87-83 final score.

Hart’s team of Mike Lunn, Igor Bistric, Nick Yancey and Eric Pritchett won the race in 3:18.37 to forge the tie. The Indians (4-2-1) won the final three events to rebound from a 77-65 deficit.

Nobody was more shocked than Loporchio, who spent about 30 minutes after the meet reviewing the scoring.

“It might not have made a difference. There’s no way to know,” Loporchio said. “But I changed my strategy based on us being ahead by four points.”

In the girls’ race, Crescenta Valley won eight of 11 events to defeat Hart, 93-73. The Falcons (5-0) got victories in the 200 and 500 freestyles by Alexis Sheridan, and a personal-best time of 2:12.17 by Lindsay Taylor in the 200 individual medley.

Hart (5-1) got victories in 100 backstroke from Shannon Coskran and in the 100 breaststroke from Christine Castellano.