Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Although the Davie swim teams lost at home to Reynolds on Jan. 14, it was not a lost day for the War Eagles. Two freshmen – Gabby Thompson of the Davie girls and Earnhardt Harris of the boys – turned heads.

All Harris did was win two individual events and help a relay team to first place. Harris took the 50 free with a time of 23.93, beating Alex Green of Reynolds (24.08). He won the 100 free at 53.42, bettering Reynolds’ Finn Giegengack (54.34). And then Harris, Aiden Davis, Kendal Harnsberger and Evan Shives claimed the 200 free relay at 1:40.36. They won convincingly over a foursome from Reynolds (1:46.5).

“Jo (Portis) and I coached Earnhardt when he was younger with Davie Tyde,” coach Kelley Cundiff said. “He swims year-round with Tyde.”

Harnsberger is another talented freshman who helped the relay team to victory.

“We knew we would be fast, but we didn’t know just how fast,” Cundiff said. “We added Kendal to the relay knowing he can push it when needed. The boys we have are strong.”

Shives picked up a pair of second places (200 free, 100 back).

On the girls’ side, Thompson was Davie’s top performer, winning the 100 breast in 1:21.27, two seconds ahead of Reynolds’ Parker Leverton. That was the Davie girls’ lone win in 11 events.

“Jo and I put her in the breaststroke to see what she could do, and it surprised us just how fast she could go when racing a faster team,” Cundiff said.

The Davie girls got second places from Abigail York (200 IM), Lillian Seats (100 free), Thompson (500 free) and the 200 free relay (Seats, Kyleigh Harnsberger, Logan White and Thompson).

Reynolds swept the meet by wide margins – 115-51 on the girls’ side and 113-41 for the boys. Still, Cundiff was anything but discouraged.

“We may not have won, but we gave it a great fight,” she said. “They had us due to the size of their teams. We are small and mighty.”

•••

Two days later, visiting West Forsyth was too much for the War Eagles. The scores were 131-34 for the girls and 126-29 for the boys.

The Davie boys were second in five events: Davis in the 200 free; Harris in the 50 free; Shives in the 100 back; Davis, Kendal Harnsberger, Harris and Shives in the 200 free relay; and the same foursome in the 400 free relay.

For the Davie girls, Thompson (200 free, 100 free) was a part of all three second places. Elena Brechko, Kyleigh Harnsberger, White and Thompson were runner-up in the 200 free relay.