A high-stakes installment in a rivalry that has spanned generations for the Homestead boys swim team will occur Thursday, Jan. 8 as the Jugmen face off against Cedarburg in a conference dual meet.

“A win against them would probably mean winning conference at the end of the year since we always come second against them,” Whelan Callahan, senior, said. Cedarburg previously won both last year’s conference meet and this year’s conference relays (the only meet so far this year to include all teams in the North Shore Conference), with Homestead placing second in both meets. “They have beat us for the last three years, and it would be nice to win,” Callahan added.

Cedarburg’s team is anticipated to be the fiercest competition the boys team will face all year, with standout athletes such as Nick Plachinski and Matt Parker creating stark competition for the team. Plachinski won state last year, and, according to Gonzalo Morales, junior, “is on track to do it again.”

The Jugmen, however, are not feeling intimidated by the athletes on Cedarburg’s roster; they are feeling motivated by them. “We have trained hard in practice and a win would send a big statement to Cedarburg…[it] would show that the Jugmen have gotten better due to hard grinding,” Morales said.

John Happ, senior, agreed with Morales, stating, “A win would feel great. We would feel as though we are really making progress and seeing our hard work pay off.”

Overall, the team plans to swim fast and show the Bulldogs how hard they have been working. Callahan stated, “Our strategy is to have everyone swim well…the only way to win is to have the whole team swimming its best.” Happ added that while some boys will have to perform as usual, others will have to step up and swim their fastest times this season in order to achieve a victory for the team.

It looks to be a nail biter of a meet at Homestead. Come see this rivalry play out at 6:00 p.m. at the Homestead pool.