Just enough.

The last event -- the 400 free relay -- decided the victor of a dual swim meet that had superstars and stars of the 3A state, and the Mount Rainier Rams stroked to a 97-89 win on the strength that comes from a great team camraderie, that was just enough to beat their Kennedy Lancers fierce rivals in Seamount League action at the Foster Pool Thursday.

The Rams team always eats out together after dual swim meets, at Red Robin, never missing. But after this big meet of v-i-c-t-o-r-y over their hated foe -- in friendly compeition, of course -- they weren't going anywhere together to eat.

What's up with that!

"We are not going anywhere after this," said head coach Omar Crowder.

The reason? Can you believe this! A big huge Rams squabble of someone thinking someone else was first in a race made the whole team bitter at each other after what should have been a great win.

Do you believe that? Didn't think so.

For this Rams team gets along so well, like, well, Forrest Gump and Jenny, like peas and carrots, like cigars and baby announcements. They just like each other. A lot. So much that they were are all going out together, starting last Friday, on a little team retreat. Three days worth. So...that is why they were getting a "Red Robin" night off.

"We are all heading out of town for a team retreat after school Friday, they can use tonight to give them time to get some homework done," said Crowder, now in his second year, but obviously knowing what success is, as it was so all-the-time under longtime coach, Rick Wertman, for the

Rams.

"We'll work on team building," said Crowder. "There will be a speaker, and motivational stuff is planned."

There are 47 swimmers on the Rams team. And how many of those 47 are going on the team retreat?

"45," said Crowder.

45.

Strength! And, specificially, team strength. That is what made the difference in victory in this meet versus the Lancers, who only had 19 swimmers on their team. While the Lancers took first in eight of the 12 events, it was all the second, third, fourth and fifths the Rams got that made the difference.

The score favored the Rams, 69-57, after eight events. There was scuttle going on then of predictions.

"We're only down by 12 points," one Lancer said.

"We still got the relay and diving," said another.

"We got it," said the Lancer swimmer back and both shook hands.

Not got it.

"Depth of field" is a photography term where what's in front is focused in relation to what's beyond. To term the Rams' way of winning, the words "depth of strength" do the trick.

The 400 free was won by the Rams in the closest time of the night, 3:22.33 to 3:22.34. The Lancers Kevin Munsch, a star of stars who was a 3A state co-swimmer of the meet as a freshman, winning two events and helping relays win, too, swam the final leg of the 400. His brother and coach, Kyle Munsch, confirmed that Munsch left the water five body lengths about behind the Rams' final leg.

"Close to half a pool length," said Kyle Munsch, assistant coach under Marc Stock.

The depth of four good solid swimmers -- L.J. Ester, Mac Lowry, Matt Jude and Dylan Wester -- proved to be just enough.

.01.

The Rams and Lancers would have tied, 93-93, if the Lancers had won the final event. That is how close this meet was.

Jude, who took second in the 100 free, by nine-hundredths of a second, 48.79 to 48.88 to Munsch, is a sophomore but he feels like he's right at home on this team.

"I remember last year we had the largest amount in our class," said Jude.

A lot of good freshmen off last year certainly made a difference, with Mac Lowry leading the super sophomores with a win in the 500 free. He is the top seed in the state at that event. He also took second to Munsch in the 200 free, 1:46.25 to 1:46.65.

So, factor in those two just mentioned close races and this was really almost a phenomenal victory for the Lancers, playing the David against the Rams, who have been Goliath in the Seamount the last 4-5 years, winning it, and that goes for league and districts, too, a lot of those years.

"They left it all in the pool," said assistant coach Munsch. "The guys swam awesome. They took it to another level. This kind of meet will bode well for the future."

Jude explained the same.

"We are really competitive (with the Lancers)," he said. "It is a perfect rivalry. You saw it, all the races were close. We got a lot of second, third, fourths and those points add up."

They did. Just enough.

Other winners included Paul Jovanovich for the Lancers (22.27 in the 50 free), Mac Lowry for the Rams (56.07 in the 100 fly), Dylan Webster for the Rams (5:08.67 in the 500 free) and Jamison Parr, just over the Rams Curtis Strand, 2:15.40 to 2:16.04. Jovanovich, to note, currently has the fastest time in the 50 free in 3A. Ryan Bagnell won the 100 breast in 56.44 and Lucas Hixon was second, 1:10.40, both of the Lancers. Matt Simpson was a close third, 1:10.44.

Casey Petrick won the diving competition for Mount Rainier with 155.1 points.