The Auburn High School boys swimming team has all but wrapped up a regular-season league title, pending a major letdown in its final two meets.

The regular-season crown will fit nicely, said junior Preston Chaffee, but their goal is on the Section III Championships next month. It's a title that has been owned by Liverpool for the last 10 years.

The Maroons have more confidence than usual heading into sectionals. In addition to its 11-0 record, Auburn beat Liverpool in a December meet for the first time this decade.

“We're peaking at the right time,” head coach Rich Hamberger said. “I like what I have been seeing out of this team; the intensity is always there.”

The reminder of Liverpool's dominance is right there, too, Chaffee said. Chaffee roomed with members of the Liverpool team during the Empire Games this summer. The Warrior swimmers played the role of the bully and Chaffee took their verbal abuse in stride. Remarks such as, “Don't be mad at us, it's not our fault we were lucky enough to be born in a town that breeds top swimmers,” were tucked away.

Under the water, though, they still echo. All the memories of defeat and debasement at the hands of Liverpool swimmers came to the surface during that December meet. Chaffee won the 500 freestyle. And Auburn won by 10 points. Only two of their meets this season were decided by single digits.

“We were the last ones to beat them at sectionals,” Chaffee said. “And I want Auburn to be the first team since then to beat them.”

The team will run one more hard week before entering a cool-down period before sectionals. It's a break on the swimmers, who meet three times a week at 6 a.m. for dry land exercises.

In addition to the section title, Hamberger would like to see six of his swimmers qualify for the state meet. They are headlined by sophomore Pat O'Donovan, the defending Section III champion in the 100 backstroke.

“Nobody has speed to compete with Pat,” Hamberger said.

O'Donovan also has fast enough times to qualify in either the 50 free or 100 free. Hamberger has yet to decide which race O'Donovan will compete in at sectionals.

Chaffee needs to shed about four seconds from his 200 individual medley time to qualify. He will also compete in the 500 free, where he needs to improve by 10 seconds. The two weeks of rest should be enough to get him there, he said. As an eighth-grader, Chaffee cut 19 seconds off his time at sectionals.

Tristan White in the 100 backstroke and Sean McNamara in the 50 and 100 free are also possible state qualifiers.

Cameron Lovenduski needs to drop two seconds off his 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke to qualify.

Lucas Zelahowsky could qualify in the 100 butterfly and 200 IM, Hamberger said.

The Maroons will be heavily favored in the 200 and 400 free relays at sectionals. They defeated Liverpool in those two races in the earlier meet.

Sectionals will be the defining moment for this team, said Chaffee, who helps Hamberger fill out the lineups. They are proud of their undefeated record, but they also know the regular season does not mean that much once the postseason is here. And if they forget, they can just ask their football team.