Hart Knows Score Against Swim Rivals

VALENCIA — 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.