Freedom’s boys swim team competed without its injured senior captain last week but banded together to out swim East Stroudsburg South, 83-76, on Jan. 10 at Freedom.

“I’d say, according to my expectations, we did outperform,” said Patriot junior AJ Black, regarding Freedom’s win in the 400 free relay without Ryan Rummel. “For being down one of our best seniors, I still think we performed very well.”

Micah Lawser, Giovanni Camaione, Drew Harvey, and Black combined for a first-place finish with a time of 4:06.10.

The same foursome won the 200 medley relay with a time of 2:13.33 to open the boys side of the meet.

Gabriel Maldonado won the 200 freestyle for the Pates, and Dylan Collier earned first-place diving points with a score of 145.15.

Lawser proceeded to capture the win in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:01.97 after gaining on South’s Kareem Oliver who finished in 1:02.59.

“I saw him right next to me,” Lawser said. “Since practice, we’ve been trying to pace my fly a little bit, keeping my head straight all the way through and trying to get that couple of seconds ahead. It was great from a personal point of view because two seconds were shaved off my best time, and especially, getting the points for our team because the score was so close.”

The Patriot boys trailed the Cavs halfway through the meet, 23-27; then claimed a 50-41 lead after the 100 free, won by Black in 57.21. Black also won the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:10.86.

“I was happy, considering the circumstances, yes. It’s been a very long weekend, long week, first week back to school after Christmas break, very tired, having to overcome,” Black said. “Having those teammates around you, cheering for you, gives you motivation to go faster, and do good for yourself and for the team overall.”

Lawser was also a double-event winner, going the distance in the 500 free with a time of 6:27.73.

“This is my first year swimming for Freedom, but I definitely love the team, the atmosphere, and it’s so great,” he said.

Freedom’s girls initially led the Cavaliers, 56-47, and started the girls side of the meet with a first-place finish in the 200 medley relay swum by Ella Lowe, Margaret Marshaleck, Sofia Nabyt, and Alivia Deemer in 2:13.33.

Hayden Taylor scored first-place points in diving with a score of 160.80, and Nabyt won the 100 fly in 1:11.00, but the Patriot girls later fell behind and lost to the Cavaliers, 94-83.