The Brighton girls swimming team is off to a strong start for this season, and the team is putting its sights on upcoming competitions.
    “We’re doing real well with a record of 5-1,” said head coach Carl Diehl.  “Our one loss was against Monarch, a very experienced team with a lot of year-round swimmers. But we held on and I’m real excited to see what we can do the rest of the season.”
    Brighton secured wins in December against Centaurus, Gateway, Pomona and Aurora Central.
    With only six seniors on a team of 40, Diehl said the Bulldogs have tremendous potential.  In particular, freshman Hailey Spratte has emerged as a standout on the squad.
    “She’s very promising,” Diehl said.  “She’s already got three state times in the 200 (200-yard) freestyle, 500 freestyle and the 100 backstroke.” The state meet is the second weekend in February.
    Diehl said the team struggled with a few injuries sustained outside of the pool and a few illnesses at the start of season. But he preferred to face these challenges early.
    “In December, it seemed that the whole team had the flu,” he said.  “But in a way, that was good.  I said, ‘Get it out of the way now.’  So, hopefully, we’ll go into the league tournaments strong.”
    Brighton was to face Cherokee Trail Jan. 11, after press time, a match that Diehl thinks will go favorably for his team.
    “They beat us last year. But this time, I think we got their number,” he said. “We’re going to put our best swimmers in the relays to see how close we can come to the state times.”
    This year, district budget decisions forced Diehl to assume all of the coaching duties himself. But he says the team hasn’t suffered.
    “Sometimes I miss there being an assistant coach. But the team has demonstrated an incredible amount of leadership on their own.  They’ve been focused and they’ve done well,” Diehl said. “I think they’re a really great bunch of kids.”