Blue Mountain's Hailey Scheuer, left, and Pottsville's Adam Klinger pose with the St. Luke's Schuylkill League champions banner after winning their respective titles at the Schuylkill League Diving Championships at North Schuylkill's Donald Bricker Natatorium. Scheuer and Klinger will look to add District 11 gold to their collection at Saturday's District 11 Diving Championships at Emmaus High School (Photo by Leroy Boyer).

Adam Klinger has achieved several of his goals as a high school diver.

The Pottsville junior recently won his second straight Schuylkill League diving championship and he’s a two-time PIAA qualifier.

Yet, one thing alludes him …. a District 11 gold medal.

Klinger will look to accomplish that goal Saturday when he leads a large contingent of Schuylkill League divers to Emmaus High School for the annual District 11 Diving Championships.

The 11-dive girls’ competition begins at 10 a.m., with the boys to follow at 1:45 p.m. The top two finishers for both the boys and girls qualify for the PIAA Diving Championships to be held March 12-13 at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium.

“I’m more motivated than I’ve ever been,” Klinger said Friday. “It’s all I can think about these two weeks. I’m hoping this hard work pays off.”

Klinger has broken both the Pottsville High 6-dive and 11-dive records this season. He has a season-high of 277.20 in the 6-dive event and a season-high of 453.00 in the 11-dive. Klinger’s mark in the 6-dive broke the Pottsville school record of 252.65 set by Marcus Stagliano in 1995.

Klinger compiled 444.60 points Feb. 7 at North Schuylkill to easily win his second Schuylkill League gold. He also won the inaugural Schuylkill League Diving Invitational on Jan. 26 with 400.70 points, was seventh Jan. 25 at the Flips of Fury at Parkland High School with a 444.15 and took gold in the Cedar Crest Classic on Feb. 1 in Allentown with 453.00.

Klinger has finished as the District 11 runner-up the past two seasons. Last year he nearly won it, finishing just nine points behind Northwestern Lehigh’s Hayden Slaski, 309.55-300.20.

Klinger and Slaski have squared off a few times already this season, with Klinger scoring more points each time. Slaski was 11^th at Parkland with a 382.60 and third at Cedar Crest with 398.20.

Pottsville’s Colin Kline, Tamaqua’s Vinny Valentine, Slaski and his brother Hunter Slaski will also compete in the boys’ competition.

The Schuylkill League hasn’t had a District 11 male diving champion since Tamaqua’s Dane DeWire in 2011.

“I need to focus on every dive. I need to hit every dive, no matter what,” Klinger said. “I need to focus hard and anticipate a lot of things. I need to know where I’m at.”

On the girls’ side, Blue Mountain sophomore Hailey Scheuer is the defending District 11 champion after leading a Schuylkill League sweep of the podium last year.

All four of those divers — Scheuer, North Schuylkill’s Joyce Burian and Blue Mountain’s Shyanna White and Kamryn Moran — are back this season. Last year, Scheuer collected 305 points, followed by Burian (299.85), White (264.05) and Moran (255.15). The Eagles’ Kylee Fehr was sixth at 229.80.

Scheuer won her second straight Schuylkill League title Feb. 7 at North Schuylkill with 363.30 points. She was followed by White (318.45), Burian (299.10) and Moran (296.55) on the podium.

Blue Mountain will send four female divers to the district meet for the second straight year, with Anna Oettl joining Scheuer, White and Moran. Burian, North Schuylkill’s Jamie Love and Schuylkill Haven’s Taylor Fitzpatrick are also scheduled to compete from the Schuylkill League.

The Eagles actually had five qualifiers, as Molly Stone surpassed the minimum 240-point qualifying standard, but NFHS rules limit a team to four divers at a district competition.

Good luck to all of the Schuylkill League divers at districts.

Retiring Officials

During last weekend’s Schuylkill League Swimming Championships, the league honored two retiring officials.

Andrea Stock retired last season after 47 years of officiating, a career that started in 1977. Jack Botto retired this season after 40 years of officiating, starting in 1985.

“Thank you for your years of dedicated service as swim and dive officials,” Schuylkill League official Ed Johnson wrote as a tribute. “Your hard work, professionalism and passion have had a lasting impact on the athletes and the entire swim and dive community.”

Congratulations to both officials on a fine career.

Schuylkill League Kudos

A storm bringing snow and a wintry mix Saturday forced Schuylkill League officials to move up the start time of the Schuylkill League Swimming Championships two hours to 9 a.m. and the call was a golden one.

Not only did the earlier time help dodge the weather, but the performances by the officials and table workers got the meet done in a speedy 3 hours, 40 minutes, which may be the fastest a league meet has been completed in my 20-plus years covering the sport.

Gigantic shout outs to the meet officials, Holly Koscak, Peg Palladino, Greg Rautzhan and Denise Rautzhan, for keeping the meet running smoothly and the table crew of timer Jack Snyder, event coordinator Danita Griegel and announcer Scott Krater for perfection execution on their end.

Well done everybody.

Swimming Top Times

There were a few additions and corrections to the Schuylkill League’s top times list at last Saturday’s Schuylkill League Swimming Championships.

The Tamaqua’s girls’ 200 medley relay of Kate Behun, Savannah Wilson, Audrey Nattress and Ava Jones posted a season-best 1:55.73 en route to gold while Wilson (100 breaststroke), Mahanoy Area’s Lillian Brown (500 free) and the Blue Mountain girls’ 400 freestyle relay of Alayna Hensel, Julia Crossen, Isabella Lafko and Sage Kaplafka bested their previous top time by four seconds.

Here’s a look at the current top times list:

Schuylkill League Swimming Top Times

(Through meets held Feb. 21)

BOYS

200 medley relay — Blue Mountain (Moyer, Powers, Sarnes, Varney), 1:42.24

200 freestyle — Noah Powers (Blue Mountain), 1:45.21

200 IM — Noah Powers (Blue Mountain), 1:56.65

50 freestyle — Noah Powers (Blue Mountain), 20.52

6-Dive — Adam Klinger (Pottsville), 277.20

11-Dive — Adam Klinger (Pottsville), 453.00

100 butterfly — Noah Powers (Blue Mountain), 52.02

100 freestyle — Noah Powers (Blue Mountain), 45.75

500 freestyle — Porter Sarnes (Blue Mountain), 4:55.81

200 freestyle relay — Blue Mountain (Scala, Moyer, Varney, Powers), 1:30.94

100 backstroke — Noah Powers (Blue Mountain), 51.86

100 breaststroke — Noah Powers (Blue Mountain), 59.66

400 freestyle relay — Blue Mountain (Varney, Kamarousky, Moyer, Powers), 3:25.93

GIRLS

200 medley relay — Tamaqua (Behun, Wilson, Nattress, A. Jones), 1:55.73

200 freestyle — Lydia Strucko (Marian), 2:02.32

200 IM — Lydia Strucko (Marian), 2:12.61

50 freestyle — Sage Kaplafka (Blue Mountain), 25.14

6-Dive — Hailey Scheuer (Blue Mountain), 208.50

11-Dive — Hailey Scheuer (Blue Mountain), 363.30

100 butterfly — Lydia Strucko (Marian), 59.85

100 freestyle — Sage Kaplafka (Blue Mountain), 55.07

500 freestyle — Lillian Brown (Mahanoy Area), 5:38.84

200 freestyle relay — Blue Mountain (Hensel, Lafko, J. Crossen, Kaplafka), 1:46.43

100 backstroke — Lydia Strucko (Marian), 58.63

100 breaststroke — Savannah Wilson (Tamaqua), 1:07.34

400 freestyle relay — Blue Mountain (Hensel, J. Crossen, Lafko, Kaplafka), 3:54.11

— Top times compiled by Leroy Boyer