The Phoenix boys' 4x100 relay team had to play the waiting game!

Eventually, the Pirates received their reward, earning a spot in the OSAA State Swimming Meet at the Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center later this week.

The Pirate team of Devon Hawn, Eli Cruise, Makaio Potts and River Delco finished fourth in Saturday's finals at the Daugherty Aquatic Center in Cottage Grove. Their time of 3:56.88 was over a 10-second drop from their preliminary heat a day earlier and landed them a wild card spot in the field at Friday's state meet in the Portland area.

While the quartet advanced, the Pirates came up just short in several other events. The PHS boys finished sixth in the team standings while the girls were eighth overall.

Delco, a sophomore, was fourth in the 50 freestyle (25.11 seconds) where teammates Hawn and Potts were ninth and 10th int he finals. Potts added an eighth-place finish in the 100 butterfly (1:08.57).

Sophomore Laurelin Jansen had the top finish for the Phoenix girls, placing fourth in the 100 backstroke (1:15.38). 

The girls' 4x50 freestyle relay (Jansen, Emily Montoya, Rowen Wiley and Ariah Potts) finished seventh in 2:04.42. The same quartet was also seventh in the 4x100 freestyle relay (4:44.88).

Also for the girls, senior Morgan Miles placed eighth in the 200 IM, finishing in 3:34.02.