Diving off the blocks, board, or drowning the taste buds in a monster burger, the Mount Rainier Rams boys swimming program knows that those who stay together do things together, as was the case following the Rams' win over the Highline Pirates in both's first Seamount League season dual meet at the Foster High School pool Thursday.

The Rams went together to Red Robin following the victory.

"We like to do something together after meets," said Omar Crowde, in his second season coaching the Rams in swimming for boys.

After wins?

"After every meet we try to," said Crowder.

That's something that Rick Wertman, now swim coaching at the prestigious U.S. swim academy in New Mexico started long ago. It's translated into whatever you want to wish or think, but the Rams have been stars in the high swimming ranks for a long time. And, even though last season was a far cry from their best, they still ended up sixth best in the state. The Rams won state titles back-to-back-to-back under Wertman from 2003-2005 and have been good and won other state titles before that, to note.

Best swimmers for the meet were Jeff Cate, winning the backstroke for the Pirates as a senior and, on the flip side, Jason Lemley and Dillon Webster -- freshmen for the Rams -- were doing well for the Rams. Lemley was behind Cate in the back and Webster won the butterfly.

Expect big things from Cate for Robin Hoof's Pirates-coached team. And this was just a dual meet so to expect the same goodness from Lemley and Webster might seem a stretch of an immediate assumption. And, what does one's boss tell them, or mom, for that matter, when it comes to doing chores: "You should never assume anything."

But with these two presumptions and assumptions make perfect sense as soon as Crowder extrapolates.

"Absolutely," said Crowder of Lemley and Webster's potential to do well this season all the way to the end. The end in swimming is getting to state.

"I expect huge things," said Crowder. "They for sure will be on the state team. For which events is still to be seen."

A couple swimmers were not diving into the water for the Rams in this meet, said Crowder, but they will be forces of great expectations.

"Mac Lowry and Matt Jude both competed at state in the 200 and 500," said Crowder.

It's a young team though for the Rams, and, speaking of young...

How about the diver that won the dual meet, Troy Neklason, just a freshman? He beat senior teammate, Kevin Grayson, who beat another Pirate diver, Simon Hoyt, as the purple and black swept the event. Neklason notched 200 points, Grayson, 183, Hoyt, 131.

"I am on a dive club team and we go all over diving," said Neklason. "We are going to Oregon this weekend. The Pacific Northwest Diving meet is this weekend."

So expectations of greatness even as a freshman are not far from his mind.

"Yeah, I expect to do well already," said Neklason.

"He has a great coach, Jim Sutherlind, for club," said Wollenweber.

Wollenweber has had his share of good, if not great, certainly that adverb descriptor at the high school level with Andrew Keane winning a few years ago and Travis Thompson too a high-placing competitor 4-5 years ago, and, also, Chase Thompson, Travis' brother, being good on the board.

But this year, Wollenweber has a different mix of product.

"When you have a team full of rookies, it's going to be a lot of work," said Wollenweber. "The two guys we do have returning are only sophomores. We don't have any leaders, anyone to rely on."

One of those is Cory Thompson, who was fourth, which was with some consolation.

"He was first for our team," said Wollenweber, and, there are five, six divers on Wollenweber's diving team for the Rams.

"That will make him happy," said Wollenweber.

Thompson and the rest of the Rams will be in for a long season, but hopefully not in the wrong way of perceiving that "long' word."

"They'll come around, it will just take until the end of the seasn," said Wollenweber. "We'll hope for the best. It is going to be a long season."

Just enough time for the great coach, Wollenweber, to get them ready for some monster performances by season's end.