Whitehall head swimming coach Pete Rile wants to win every meet this season, but he will take some moral victories along the way.

The Zephyrs recently dropped a 98-72 decision on the girls' side and a 122-44 decision on the boys' side to Liberty. Rile knew his club would be very competitive in the meet, but his team did make some valuable strokes toward the future.

As a result of the meet, the Zephyrs now have girls qualifying for 10 events and boys qualifying for three events at the District 11 meet this winter. Six girls and three boys also posted their personal bests during the meet.

"It was a good meet for us," said Rile. "On the girls' side, the difference was the relays. We basically split the individual events. On the boys' side, it was another matter of numbers for us.

"Overall, Liberty had a little too much depth for us."

Rile did highlight the performances of Jack Yadush, who has qualified for the 100 backstroke and the 200 free in districts. He also cited the work of Mike Haggerty, who qualified for the 500 free and is close to qualifying for the 200 free.

"Jack (Yadush) squeaked in (to districts) last year, and it is good for him to achieve this mark," said Rile. "Mike (Haggerty) has also swam well for us all year. Our boys' team has really performed above expectations this year."

The Zephyrs traveled to Nazareth for a meet Tuesday and then will continue northwest to Pottsville Saturday.

"Nazareth will be a good meet for us and it will be close on both ends," said Rile. "Pottsville will also be a good matchup for us. Our boys will have a tough time because Pottsville has a lot of depth. Our problem is that our girls will be down 13 points and our boys will be down 20 points in those meets because we don't have diving.

"But we have pushed through this situation all year, and it is a credit to the kids."

Rile likes his club's chances in the new year mainly due to a strong sense of camaraderie and chemistry.

"There is a real enthusiasm among them," noted Rile. "The girls are a very cohesive group in and out of the pool. They are always doing things together. But we have a great group of kids who cheer each other on during the meets. They are a real family.

"That kind of chemistry will help us later in the season."