Watch out for the Rams again this postseason. It looks as if last year’s 3A state second place boys team heads that be-wary direction after destroying Kennedy Catholic, 120-70, in a dual meet at the Mount Rainier Pool.

The league championship meet will be next after the Rams finish breezing through capture of the Seamount League season for a couple more weeks of duals.

Win league meet?

Will the Rams win ‘it’ is a good question, but it won’t get a good answer from the coach.

“You know, I don’t like to call things like that,” said Omar Crowder, Rams head coach.

Win districts?

Wait, we already know the answer to that don’t we?

So, hmm, well, then, how about this...

Will your Rams improve the finish at state from last season, get higher on the awards stand than before, and overlook everyone else?

“That remains to be seen,” said Crowder. “We took a big hit, we lost 24 seniors. A bunch of those guys made up our relays, Greg Giesbers, Curtis Strand, Jon Ester, to name a few.”

The Rams’ team is led by a good group of captains, some first-year ones, and some are even second years at that post. Naming them would be returning captains, Miles Schneeman, Louie Thompson and newbies to the ranks, Matt Jude, Hank Dunkenson and Kyle Aasness.

“They are wonderful,” Crowder said. “They are a strong group. Definitely one of the best groups I have ever had.”

You need them to lead you to the state championship?

“Absolutely,” said Crowder, who was getting guys ready for the 11-event swim portion of this dual versus the Lancers following the diving that the Rams’ Dylan Disler, a senior, won with brother Berkley second.

And, at the beginning of the day’s races, before event one, and just after the diving portion Crowder, could be heard saying to guys that were chit-chatting and maybe not aware that they needed to be warming up, “If you are in the first half of this swim meet then you need to get in that water now.”

Let’s go to the diving first. Why not? It could be quite important at the state meet as this Rams team will undoubtedly take on nemesis Mercer Island for the state title and others like Bellevue, who beat them both, incidentally, at a recent Kentridge Invitational swim meet.

The Rams were actually fourth place in that one a couple weeks ago, but it was a meet without diving. And, the Rams have two divers, even though Berkley is a freshman who should make some noise at state, at least get there. Dylan Dislers did make noise at state last year, fifth, and, before that, as a sophomore, 10th overall.

Dylan’s dives were good out there on this day, especially his front 2 1/2 somersault that got rave reviews from the judges, two 7s and a 7.5 score.

“He was on fire,” said Rams diving coach Todd Wollenweber, many years now coaching this sport with second place state finishes for A.J. Koenig and Andrew Keane a few years back, and Travis Thompson, too, and fourth from Eric Boivano. Dislers has a fifth so he’s right in that select group, too.

Dislers says his technique prior to the dive is what he’s working on most.

“Consistency in hurdles (stepping up and down),” said Dislers, adding, “I have a stepping up and coming down problem. I am clumsy.”

Fifth last year, Dislers wants to move up and Wollenweber says he can. First could be tough, though, because right in his own backyard is Highline’s Troy Neklason, who Wollenweber said is the one to beat.

“I dive with Troy in practices, Troy is amazing,” said Dislers. “He is inspirational to dive with. Hopefully I can beat him.”

Diving could be big for your team’s state title hopes or getting up on the pedestal for a trophy anyway. The top four get trophies at state.

“Yes, it could,” said Wollenweber, then pointing at who was standing next to Dylan. “I’m looking for that guy there (Berkley) to be in there, too.”

Jude won his patented 50 free (22.61) that he finished third in the state at as a junior. But in the 100 free it was an upset as Lancers freshman Thane Maudslien beat Jude in a time of 47.44 to 47.58. Jude took third in the 100 free at state, too, last February, in the mid 46 second time range so he can go faster.

“With us both rested and tapered, that should be another close race,” said Jude. “I will be gunning for him, that’s for sure.”

As Jude politely excused himself to go to the edge of the water to cheer on one of his teammates, Schneeman, was on the blocks, ready to go in the water for his portion of a relay race or individual event. Whatever it was, it showed Jude’s enthusiam to support others and showed also what matters most to him.

But the team title could be tough at state.

“Tough to beat Mercer Island. They won the Kentridge Invitational but that doesn’t mean we can’t beat them,” said Jude. “Our 4X100 freestyle relay team (Jason Lemley, Dylan Webster, Ryan Gansneder, Jude) beat them.”

So, if the state meet comes down to the 4x100 for the title, then the Rams should be in the thick of things if they can beat Mercer Island, not to mention beat Bellevue, too, in that relay.

The Lancers were in this meet, too, and it was a tough one to be in overall. The Rams took first place in eight of the 11 races and the majority of the second, third, fourth and fifths too.

“That was a tough one for us. We knew that was our toughest meet coming in,” said Prothero, who guided the Kennedy girls to a third place state finish back in November in his first year coaching them. And now he’s in the same coaching status for the boys.

“I am looking forward to the league meet. We will fill some holes, and hopefully give them a run for their money then,” said Prothero.

The Lancers are young, besides Maudslien, who not only won the 100 free but the 200 free (2:05) as well. There are not many seniors on the team.

“One senior on the team,” said Prothero. “Hopefully a good incoming class will bolster our depth.”

The winners for the Lancers were Maudslien and also Karl Fenster in the 100 backstroke (58.17) and Sean Piper in the 200 individual medley (2:07.53). That was it, with the first relay setting the tone for the Rams, taking the 200 medley relay in a 1:52.71 time over the Lancers’ 1:52.88.

Event two was the 200 free. Maudslien’s winning time was 1:48.34. Event three was won by Jude with second place points for the Rams too, thanks to Schneeman’s time of 24.34. The Rams got fourth in that race, too, which meant more points even still. In a race, to explain, first place gets six points, second place gets four, third three, fourth two and fifth one point.

But that all said, Piper, a captain along with Max Seifort for Prothero’s Lancers said that things can get better down the line, kind of like their coach said.

“Mount Rainier’s pretty good. We’ll get ‘em next year,” said Piper.

Winners of other races included the Rams’ Billy Ikeda in the 100 breaststroke, 1:16.07. Dillon Webster, for the Rams won the 500 free in 5:02.86. Gansneder, a teammate, was just behind in second, in 5:03.17.

Relays swept by the Rams were the 200 medley by Ikeda, Jude, Aasness and Webster, the 200 free by Lemley, Joel Hughes, Schneeman and Andrew Garrido, and the 400 free four was Jude, Lemley, Gansneder and Webster.