Riverview swimmers dream of a pinky ring

Riverview Rams swimmers Brett Riley, Brendan Firlie and Nico Hernandez-Tome are all seniors, and they are trying to accomplish something no senior class, no swimmer, in fact, has done in the history of Florida high school athletics.

Win four consecutive team state titles.

They remember the first one, they said, even though they were “little freshmen,” as Hernandez-Tome said, and didn’t contribute as much as they would later. It had been 30 years since the last Riverview boys state title, but the team finished second the year before, so everyone knew the Rams had a chance. They knew about halfway through the state meet that they had the trophy on lock. The team had kept tally of all the finishes throughout the day. When the title was clinched, Firlie said everyone got “really hype.”

The boys’ sophomore season was much of the same. Last season, with the trio taking more responsibility, they were confident in themselves and their senior teammates, including Austin Katz, now at the University of Texas, and Keanan Dols, now at the University of Pennsylvania. They won again, but Countryside High and star swimmer Robert Finke made it a closer competition.

Obviously, it would be an amazing accomplishment for the trio, but it would be just as amazing for the school itself and coach Brent Arckey, who also coaches the Sarasota YMCA Sharks swim club. All three Riverview swimmers also don the Sharks’ yellow caps, as do most of their teammates. It’s the perfect example of a “harmonious relationship” between club and school, said Eric Nelson, the Sharks’ assistant competitive swimming director and a volunteer Riverview assistant coach.

“It’s the most harmonious, symbiotic relationship in the state,” Nelson said of the Sharks and Rams. The Sharks are the reason Riverview keeps winning titles. It’s a matter of what they do all year long. It’s a great opportunity for swimmers in the city to excel.

“It’s a very consistent, day in and day out commitment to excellence. It’s world-class level sophistication. That’s what sets us apart. We’re pretty tenacious about swimming.”

The Sharks won the Florida Age Group Long Course Championships in July, and are the dominant club of the area (and the state, really). Arckey, Sharks age group coach Sherwood Watts and others teach kids the fundamentals of swimming and how to maximize the talent they possess. Luckily, for everyone involved, kids in this area have a lot of it. It’s only natural for kids to want to swim for the same coach.

Nelson believes the Rams have a real chance at another state title, but the weight of responsibility falls on more than just the three seniors. Arik Katz, Austin’s brother, for instance, is a sophomore, and has the potential to do great things, Nelson said. Guys like him will have to prove they are ready to handle the load. Right now, Nelson said, the team as a whole isn’t ready to compete at that level. At the end of the season, it might be.

Hernandez-Tome admitted he’s less confident this year than in the past, simply because of who is no longer around, but I think that’s selling the returnees short. The trio all won state gold medals in the 400 freestyle relay, and Firlie finished second in both the 200 and 500 freestyle.  Firlie and Hernandez-Tome compete in most of the same events, and they both find it fun, competing with each other in practice, pushing that much harder.

“It’s almost impossible to train on your own,” Firlie said. “When everyone is suffering at the same time, it makes it easier.”

Nelson called Riley a versatile swimmer with many strengths, which gives him a shot to win the 200 individual medley.

We won’t know if the Rams’ seniors will get a storybook ending until Nov. 10 (assuming they reach the state meet). It’ll take a season of development to get some depth guys going. Surprisingly, none of the seniors had much advice for the younger swimmers other than putting 100% effort into swimming. The Rams arise for 5 a.m. practice three days a week, and that’s on top of their daily afternoon practices.

It takes hard work to become a champion. Firlie, Riley and Hernandez-Tome can attest to that, three times over. Winning a state ring for their pinky fingers would be the capper to already incredible high school swimming careers.