Schedule

Date Opponent

Thursday at Gig Harbor

Dec. 9 Wilson

Dec. 16 Olympia

Jan. 6 at Mount Tahoma

Jan. 13 Shelton

Jan. 20 at Central Kitsap

* All meets are at 3:30 p.m.

Coach: Cliff Rousell, first season.

Key returners: Joe Beverage (50 freestyle), sr.; Michael Idle (500 freestyle), jr.; Damien DeRego (100 butterfly, 100 breaststroke), fr.; Joe Rose (diving), jr.; David Swinney (100 butterfly), sr.; Kelvin Waterman (diving), sr.

Top newcomer: Tristan Martin (100 breaststroke), fr.

Key departures: Brandon Dravis (100 backstroke, 200 individual medley), graduated; Taylor Rousell (50 and 100 freestyle, 100 butterfly), graduated; Justin Slezak (100 breaststroke), graduated.

This season, they’re rebuilding the deck.

The pool deck, that is.

After losing several of its star swimmers to graduation, South Kitsap’s boys swim and dive team is getting ready for the competition — and some good times, too.

“I think we’re going to have a lot of fun this year,” said first-year coach Cliff Rousell, who replaces Tami Lester-Dame, of the 46 boys that have turned out so far. “These guys so far have shown they’ve got the mettle.

“They’re doing some tough workouts sets right now. They’re working on getting back into shape and improving their technique.”

Rousell, who recently completed his first year coaching the girls team, said the boys have lost a lot of their front-end speed, but that such things are to be expected.

“That’s just a natural cycle,” he said. “We were blessed to have those guys, but everyone graduates and moves on.”

Even so, the contributions of the Class of 2010 have made a lasting impression.

“I see it in the work ethic they have shown so far and the amount of fun they had,” Rousell said. “I think that is showing up now even though we don’t have the same speed and skill set as last year.”

The Wolves look to be led by sophomore Damien DeRego and seniors Joe Beverage and Jens Johnson, all of whom swam at districts or state last year.

“As far as skill level and speed in all of the strokes — he has the fastest time in several events,” Rousell said of DeRego, who swam on the state 400-freestyle relay team last season as a freshman. “He has the ability to swim pretty much any event we need.”

The coach added that the rest of the varsity swimmers are swimming stronger from the beginning of last season to what he is seeing now.

“There’s lots of potential to grow and develop,” he said.

Rousell mentioned sophomore Ryan Gambert as someone who is “ready to move into the faster lanes” for training, said he expects to see some good things from freshman Tristan Martin, already known as “a great breaststroker.”

And while the swimming side of the program is a work in progress, Rousell said that the diving program is the strongest he has ever seen — for either boys or girls — in his more than five years working with the program.

“We’re blessed,” he said. “We have outstanding returning talent.”

Rousell said seniors Joe Rose and junior Kelvin Waterman have done a lot of work in the offseason with their club team.

“Without a doubt, they will be contributing very heavily in scoring for the Wolves this year,” he said.

Joining them will be junior Jesse Labeda-Sutton, a former gymnast who Rose said “gets it really well,” and is already performing a 2 1/2 dive.

As for his own goals, Rose has his eye on the top of the podium come state.

“My goal is to get top two minimum,” he said. “I don’t want to say I am going to be a state champion if I don’t get it.”