Blue Mountain's Alayna Hensel, left, and Sage Kaplafka, right, are all smiles during the Eagles' title-clinching win Tuesday over Tamaqua (Photo by Leroy Boyer).

TAMAQUA — Sage Kaplafka and Julia Crossen followed the path that was laid out by the Blue Mountain girls’ swimmers who came before them.

Join the varsity program as freshmen, filling lanes to make the team better. Learn the tips of the trade from the upperclassmen, build a strong work ethic, work hard to improve every day and eventually replace those upperclassmen as the team’s leaders.

It’s been a cycle that has continued for the past 11 seasons, with the Eagles hoisting the Schuylkill League championship trophy after each of those campaigns.

Thursday, Kaplafka and Crossen added their names to the long and growing list of Blue Mountain girls’ swimmers who won four Schuylkill League team titles.

The two seniors each won a pair of individual events and swam on a winning relay as the Eagles downed Tamaqua 106-77 to win their 11th straight Schuylkill League crown and 111th straight league dual meet.

The Blue Mountain boys completed the sweep with a 109-55 win over the Raiders.

“There is a lot of pride that comes with it but we put so much work into our practices,” Crossen said. “We all push each other to do our best. We’re always cheering each other on at meets.

“I think our chemistry on the team really helps us. We’re all friends with each other, we do so much team bonding and I think that really helps us be the team that we are. We all have a good time while we’re putting in the work at practice.”

Kaplafka has been a fixture in the Blue Mountain lineup since she was a freshman, competing on District 11 medal-winning relays as a sprinter.

She’s learned from the group of upperclassmen she competed alongside over the past three seasons — Morgan Yuengling, Katherine Sarnes, Hannah Magdeburg, Sarah Magdeburg, Paige Bensinger, Victoria Ellex, Mollie Sarnes — and inherited the reins as the Eagles’ leader this season.

The three-time state qualifier led by example Tuesday, winning the 100-yard freestyle (57.58), 100 backstroke (1:07.43) and swimming the anchor leg on the Eagles’ victorious 200 freestyle relay.

“You bond with who you bond with. I know even to this day that I still look at those girls, and they’re in college, but I’m still inspired by them,” Kaplafka said. “They’re swimming D-I, D-2 and D-3 … I still talk to them.

“It’s definitely a girl-to-girl philosophy. The girls last year put such a good example for us. We bonded with them so much and we want to bond with these freshmen and sophomores and juniors. We have a very tight-knit team on the girls’ team. We’re all very close. It inspires the freshmen when they see the things Julia or I do and it makes them work harder at the end of the day.”

Kaplafka’s three victories came in a stretch of four events, with only the 500 freestyle providing her a break. They also came in a stretch of the meet where Blue Mountain dominated, winning six straight events after Tamaqua trailed just 34-28 entering diving.

Hailey Scheuer (diving), Alayna Hensel (100 fly) and Crossen (500 free) also won during that span as Blue Mountain used a 64-27 point spread over those six events to take a 98-55 lead and ice the victory. Freshman Lola Machamer (50 free) also notched an individual win for the Eagles.

“It’s exhausting,” Kaplafka said of swimming three times in that stretch. “But it makes me feel good because I know (head coach Pete Sarnes) trusts me. He puts faith in me to get the 100 (free) and then the 100 back and get those points.”

Crossen has been one of the late bloomers for the Eagles (13-1, 11-0 SL), stepping up to be Blue Mountain’s No. 1 distance swimmer this year and dominating. She won the 200 freestyle (2:13.26) and 500 freestyle (6:00.31) on Thursday.

She’s the perfect example of a high school athlete who continues to work hard every day, continues to improve, then is ready to be a varsity standout when that opportunity comes.

“It definitely was hard when I was a freshman and there were all the upperclassmen who were all better than me,” Crossen said. “That pushed me to be better because I wanted to be one of those upperclassmen who stood out.

“Now, I try to be that person to all the freshmen. I try to encourage everyone. It helps everyone become better and get their better times.”

Savannah Wilson (200 IM, 100 breast) won two events for the Blue Raiders (13-3, 10-2), who won a pair of relays.

The Eagles can complete another perfect Schuylkill League dual-meet regular season Thursday when they host Mahanoy Area. They’ll then set their sights on winning a seventh straight District 11 Class AA team title Feb. 28-March 1 at Parkland High School.

“I’m so grateful that all four years I could be a part of this,” Kaplafka said. “It makes me sad (that it’s almost over).”

On the boys’ side, Blue Mountain’s Noah Powers broke the Tamaqua pool record in the 100 backstroke as the Eagles (13-1, 11-0 SL) remained unbeaten in league play.

Powers was clocked in 52.36, breaking the former mark of 53.14 set by Blue Mountain’s Mark Boran in 2017. Powers also won the 50 freestyle and swam on two winning relays.

Gabe Kamarousky (200 IM, 100 free) also won two individual events, while Porter Sarnes (200 free), Brody Moyer (100 fly), Liam Magdeburg (500 free) and Jonathan Hart (100 breast) notched wins.

Vinny Valentine prevented a shutout by winning diving for Tamaqua (4-10-2, 4-6-2).

Meet Summaries

GIRLS

Blue Mountain 106, Tamaqua 77

200 medley relay — 1. Tamaqua A (Behun, Wilson, Nattress, A. Jones) 2:01.93, 2. Blue Mountain A, 3. Blue Mountain B

200 freestyle — 1. J. Crossen (BM) 2:13.26, 2. Lafko (BM), 3. I. Jones (Tam), 4. G. Clemson (Tam), 5. Beiswinger (BM)

200 IM — 1. Wilson (Tam) 2:23.75, 2. Hensel (BM), 3. Stone (BM), 4. L. Clemson (Tam), 5. Betz (Tam)

50 freestyle — 1. Machamer (BM) 27.74, 2. Brown (Tam), 3. E. Crossen (BM), 4. A. Jones (Tam), 5. Mishra (BM)

Diving — 1. Scheuer (BM) 177.60, 2. White (BM), 3. Oettl (BM)

100 butterfly — 1. Hensel (BM) 1:09.24, 2. Nattress (Tam), 3. Mishra (BM), 4. E. Crossen (BM), 5. Krall (Tam)

100 freestyle — 1. Kaplafka (BM) 57.58, 2. Machamer (BM), 3. Brown (Tam), 4. A. Jones (Tam), 5. G. Zulli (BM)

500 freestyle — 1. J. Crossen (BM) 6:00.31, 2. Behun (Tam), 3. K. Zulli (BM), 4. I. Jones (Tam), 5. Lutz (BM)

200 freestyle relay — 1. Blue Mountain A (Hensel, J. Crossen, Lafko, Kaplafka) 1:49.32, 2. Tamaqua A, 3. Blue Mountain B

100 backstroke — 1. Kaplafka (BM) 1:07.43, 2. Behun (Tam), 3. Nattress (Tam), 4. Lafko (BM), 5. Lutz (BM)

100 breaststroke — 1. Wilson (Tam) 1:11.70, 2. Betz (Tam), 3. Stone (BM), 4. L. Clemson (Tam), 5. Beiswinger (BM)

400 freestyle relay — 1. Tamaqua A (I. Jones, Brown, Behun, L. Clemson) 4:34.85, 2. Blue Mountain A, 3. Tamaqua B

BOYS

Blue Mountain 109, Tamaqua 55

200 medley relay — 1. Blue Mountain B (Kamarousky, Magdeburg, Varney, Powers) 1:57.35, 2. Blue Mountain A, 3. Tamaqua A

200 freestyle — 1. Sarnes (BM) 2:00.46, 2. Magdeburg (BM), 3. Temarantz (Tam), 4. Morgans (Tam), 5. Coombe (Tam)

200 IM — 1. Kamarousky (BM) 2:18.96, 2. Hart (BM), 3. Keck (BM)

50 freestyle — 1. Powers (BM) 21.53, 2. Varney (BM), 3. Hehn (Tam), 4. Barron (Tam), 5. Graham (Tam)

Diving — 1. Valentine (Tam) 146.55

100 butterfly — 1. Moyer (BM) 58.22, 2. Sarnes (BM), 3. Hehn (Tam), 4. Varney (BM)

100 freestyle — 1. Kamarousky (BM) 53.86, 2. Scala (BM), 3. Behun (Tam), 4. Morgans (Tam), 5. Hunsicker (Tam)

500 freestyle — 1. Magdeburg (BM) 5:34.04, 2. Temarantz (Tam), 3. Coombe (Tam)

200 freestyle relay — 1. Blue Mountain A (Kamarousky, Scala, Varney, Powers) 1:42.42, 2. Tamaqua A

100 backstroke — 1. Powers (BM) 52.36***, 2. Scala (BM), 3. Behun (Tam), 4. Frantz (BM), 5. Graham (Tam)

100 breaststroke — 1. Hart (BM) 1:14.35, 2. Barron (Tam), 3. Valentine (Tam), 4. Keck (BM)

400 freestyle relay — 1. Blue Mountain A (Sarnes, Keck, Moyer, Magdeburg) 4:00.29, 2. Tamaqua A

Independent Swimmers: 200 IM — Michael Williams (PV) 2:33.02; 50 freestyle — Tegan Crowley (Ham) 28.40; 100 butterfly — Williams (PV) 1:13.05; 100 backstroke — Crowley (Ham) 1:15.37

*** Pool Record