BonnerSprings.com

On a day when the Bonner Springs boys swimming team was shorthanded and outclassed by Class 6A schools, the Class 5A Braves found a bit of inspiration from an unlikely source — Jacob Sopher.

Sopher isn’t one of the Braves’ fastest swimmers or most gifted athletes, rather he’s a special needs student that loves to swim and possesses a strong work ethic.

On Jan. 13 at the Free State Invitational, Sopher provided a boost for the Braves.

“(The) hit of the evening was Jacob Sopher, one of our special needs swimmers. The whole crowd, literally, was cheering him on each time he swam. It was so cool,” BSHS coach LaNoue said of the emotional lift Sopher gave the program throughout the challenging meet.

Sopher provided the biggest highlight for BSHS on a day where it finished fifth as a team and was missing some key swimmers to illness.

“We did not do as well as I had hoped,” LaNoue said. “(We) ended up not being able to swim all of our top swimmers (and) did not do so well in the relays due to the replacements we had to use.”

Washburn Rural finished first at the meet.

The shorthanded Braves still turned in some solid individual performances, however.

Blaine Edmondson finished fourth in the 200-yard freestyle (2:15.72), seventh in the 100 butterfly (a personal-best time of 1:17.41), and seventh as a member of the 400 freestyle relay team with J.K. Kraus, Tyler Dubin and Ryan Cook.

Cook finished 10th in the 200 free (2:32.80).

Kraus finished ninth in the 200 individual medley (2:42.31) and seventh in the 500 freestyle (6:56.28).

Dubin took 10th in the 50 freestyle (26.46) and 10th in the 500 freestyle (7:25.97).

“I had hoped it would have been a break out meet for Tyler Dubin in the 500 Free, but that will have to wait,” LaNoue said of Free State’s typically fast pool.

The Braves return to the pool Tuesday when they travel to Shawnee Mission West.

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