GOLDEN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS: QUARTZ HILL SWEEPS LEAGUE FINALS CLEAN.

Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer

LANCASTER - For a team that prides itself on hailing from the middle of the desert, the Quartz Hill High swimmers showed Wednesday afternoon they have no problem swamping the competition.

At the start of a week they hope to end with boys' and girls' section titles, the Rebels put on an astounding show in taking first place in all 22 events at the Golden League championships at Eastside pool.

``We always like to go out with a bang,'' said senior Christa Ratcliff, who won the 200-yard individual medley in 2 minutes, 19.03 seconds. ``It's nice to be able to do that.''

Should it win a team championship at the Southern Section Div. IV championships next Thursday, Quartz Hill would become the first Antelope Valley school ever to do so. In their own backyard, however, there was no doubting the Rebels' dominance.

Quartz Hill swept the top four places in the boys' 200 individual medley, the boys' 100 backstroke and the boys' 100 breaststroke. The Rebels then went one better in the girls' 500 freestyle, taking the top five places behind freshman Molly Rogers in 5:25.14.

Not to mention that the top three boys in the individual medley - Matt Smith, Dan Tran and Viet Tran - all clocked automatic qualifying times to the section championships. And junior Jimmy Rodriguez was only 0.02 seconds off the time standard in fourth place.

Both the boys and girls won team titles by more than 220 points. Quartz Hill will send 16 swimmers to the section meet while extending a streak of league championships dating to 1996.

``This type of thing doesn't just happen because you're lucky,'' coach Mark Thibault said. ``Our kids come out here and work hard everyday.''

The Rebels, who can practice just 90 minutes a day at Eastside, pronounced themselves ready for the section meet. Quartz Hill's boys' and girls' teams each took second last year in the team standings, the best showing in school history.

``We're going to make a statement,'' said Smith, who won the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly. ``No one knows where we're from. We're going to show them what's up. They're going to know who Quartz Hill is.''

In addition to Ratcliff, seniors R.J. Gruter and Travis Lucas also went out winners Wednesday. Lucas took first in the 50 and 100 freestyle, saying it was a team goal to win every event, and Gruter closed his career a perfect 16-0 in individual races and relays at league championships.

``It's an incredible feeling,'' said Gruter, who won the 100 backstroke in 58.83 and 200 freestyle in 1:52.01. ``It hasn't even sunk in yet. It's great. You couldn't ask for anything better.''

Junior Jessie Neal might have had the afternoon's two most impressive victories in the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle. Neal held off Highland of Palmdale's Jillian Poitras and Lancaster's Falicia Mazzella to win the butterfly in 1:03.08.

Neal had lost to Poitras and Mazzella at the Antelope Valley Invitational this season. Fellow junior Sarah Colvin, meanwhile, won the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke, two events in which she will be favored at the section championships.

``We wanted to come here and win everything,'' Colvin said, ``and go to CIF and win that, too.''

Ross Siler, [phone]

ross.siler(at)dailynews.com

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Quartz Hill's Matt Smith won the 100-yard butterfly in the Golden League championships Wednesday to qualify for the Southern Section championships. The Rebels won all 22 events at Eastside pool.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer