For five seasons, the South Suburban Conference (SSC) has had one team on top: the Prior Lake Lakers. But in high school swimming, dynasties are often decided not by who touches the wall first, but by who touches the wall second, third, and fourth.

In a pivotal dual meet that served as the de facto conference championship, the Lakers fell to a surging Lakeville North squad 100-84. While Prior Lake captured the majority of the individual gold medals, the Panthers used superior depth to claim the title.

Following the loss, the Lakers rebounded to defeat Rosemount on Senior Night, closing the regular season and turning their eyes toward the Section 2AA meet.

Here is the breakdown of the final weeks of the regular season.

The numbers game: Lakeville North 100, Prior Lake 84

On paper, Prior Lake looked dominant. The Lakers won the majority of the individual races. However, Lakeville North executed a strategy of depth that proved insurmountable.

North set the tone early, winning the opening 200 yard medley relay. From there, the pattern of the night emerged: a Laker would win the race, but Panthers would swarm the remaining scoring spots.

• 200 Yard Freestyle: Junior Jamey Solt took the win, but North answered by taking second and third.
• 200 Yard IM: Senior captain Braxton Helmers touched first, but North mitigated the damage by sweeping second, third and fourth places.
• 50 Yard Freestyle: Senior captain Owen Beaudette won the sprint, but North used a 2-3-5 finish to keep the points close.

The diving well proved to be a major swing for the Panthers, who took first, third and fourth, putting significant pressure on the Lakers’ swimmers to make up ground.

Despite the deficit, Prior Lake’s top-end talent continued to perform. Helmers added a win in the 100 yard butterfly, and Solt claimed the 100 yard freestyle. Yet, in both events, North occupied the second, third and fourth (butterfly) and second and third (freestyle) spots.

The Panthers widened the gap in the distance events, taking first, third and fifth in the 500 yard freestyle. While the Lakers struck back with a win in the 200 yard freestyle relay—courtesy of Beaudette, freshman Ethan Fischer, 8th grader Mason Zobrack, and Solt—North simply absorbed the blow by taking second and third places.

The meet concluded with North taking first, second and fourth in the 100 yard backstroke. Even a valiant win by Beaudette in the 100 yard breaststroke couldn’t turn the tide, as North closed out their scoring by taking second, third and fourth.

Ultimately, North’s ability to secure the middle places in almost every event propelled them to the win and the conference crown.

Senior Night and the road to state

The Lakers didn’t let the loss linger. Returning to their home pool for the final time this season, the team rallied to defeat Rosemount, celebrating their seniors with a decisive victory to cap the dual meet schedule.

Now, the scoreboard resets.

The Lakers began their postseason journey on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at Pioneer Ridge Middle School in Chaska for the Section 2AA preliminaries. 

With several top-tier individuals and relay teams posting times that are knocking on the door of state qualification, the Lakers have their sights set on the Class AA State Meet, held at the end of February at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.