Newport Hills rules

NEWPORT BEACH — Luke Chelf and Jett Bonner came up to the announcer’s table nearly out of breath.

“It’s tied, 418 to 418!” the two Harbor View Swim Team 7-8 age group swimmers managed to blurt out.

The announcement was met with surprise at the Harbor View pool, but nobody was truly surprised midway through the South Coast Swim Conference meet between the Dolphins and neighborhood rival Newport Hills. The meet was so close, flipping a coin might have saved everyone some time Saturday at the teams’ last regular-season meet.

In the end, however, it was the Newport Hills Killer Whales who came out on top, 675-654.

“They’re just very close, our two teams,” Newport Hills Coach Michelle Sperling said after the meet. At the time, coaches from both teams actually thought Harbor View had won, as they came out eight points ahead in the unofficial results. However, a couple of Dolphins swimmers had swam in more than the four allowed races. After the disqualifications were factored in, it was Newport Hills that came out ahead.

Still, both Sperling and Harbor View Coach Ted Bandaruk came out smiling.

“It’s very fun,” Sperling said. “Without the good competition, we don’t rise to that level. You can always rely on that [Newport Hills swimmers] will perform at a Harbor View meet. They did very well today, so I was very proud of that.”

The Killer Whales also beat Harbor View in an earlier meet this year, and are unbeaten in dual meets this year. Yet, it was the Dolphins who won the conference relays on June 28.

Last year, Newport Hills swept through the regular season before Harbor View won at the league finals.

This year’s league finals are Saturday at Corona del Mar High, and they already promise to be high drama.

“It’s a lot of fun for the kids,” Bandaruk said. “If one team’s up by way too many points, then people get discouraged. I wish we could say that the coaches planned it this close, but we don’t. They have a competitive group over there, and we have a competitive group over here.”

In the girls’ 7-8 division, Newport Hills’ Lauren Openshaw set a new team record in the 25-yard breaststroke, finishing in 19.02 seconds. The girls’ 6-and-under 100 free relay team, consisting of Anna Wilde, Kelly Ramm, Gianna Danese and Sophie Wallace, also set a team record in 1 minute, 20.96 seconds. Wallace had also set three individual team records in last week’s victory over Lake Forest.

Patrick White also helped lead the way for the Killer Whales in the boys’ 15-18 age division. He won the 50 backstroke (24.96 seconds, a team record), the 50 freestyle (23.00) and the 50 butterfly (24.01, a team record). Along with Stephen Kipp, Christopher Robertson and Jeff Condino, White also helped Newport Hills to a victory in the 200 medley relay (1:53.12).

White, who just finished up an accomplished prep career at Mater Dei High, will now swim for USC. A couple of weeks ago, he also swam the 100-meter free at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb., which he called “amazing,” although he was 108th out of 118 finishers.

“I really wanted to do well, but just the fact that I made it there, that was the best part,” White said. “We’re just getting faster and faster. They had three world records broken in the first three days, and I got to see every one of them.”

As an assistant coach for Newport Hills, White has also been doing his best to help the Killer Whales’ younger swimmers.

“It’s a lot of fun when they mess around with you,” he said. “It gives me a chance to act a little more immature. And records I had, I can help kids break them.”

Harbor View also had a solid day, led by brothers Justin and Timmy Hanson. Both Justin, 10, and Timmy, 9, who swim for the Irvine-based AquaZot Swim Club, set multiple records Saturday. Justin Hanson set a new Dolphins team record in the 9-10 boys’ fly, in 13.49 seconds, and also broke his own 100 individual medley record by finishing in 1:05.74.

That record was previously held by world champion Aaron Peirsol, but Justin Hanson has already broken it three times this year. Hanson also broke his own team record in the 9-10 boys’ 50 back, finishing in 32.31, although he was narrowly out-touched by Newport Hills’ Taylor Cortens (32.25, a team record).

Timmy Hanson broke the team record in the boys’ 9-10 50 free, finishing in 28.32 seconds. However, he was also out-touched by Cortens (28.26, a team record), in one of the most exciting races of the day.

“[Justin] pushes me a lot to get faster,” Timmy Hanson said. “We try to break records every meet.”

Timmy Hanson, along with Joe Alvarado, Robert Naruse and Ford Secrist, also set a team record in the boys’ 9-10 100 medley relay (1:03.97). The boys’ 9-10 200 free relay team, Alvarado, Secrist, Luke Wyatt and Justin Hanson, also set a team record in 2:03.90.

The 13-14 boys’ medley relay team, consisting of Ari Marks, Matt Berry, Jake Bandaruk and Hayden Leach, also set a Harbor View record in 1:53.74.

Siena Secrist set a Dolphins team record in the 7-8 girls’ 25 butterfly, finishing in 15.31 seconds.

The fast times helped Ted Bandaruk smile, even after he found out Newport Hills had edged his team out.

“Still a great meet,” he said.

Other multiple event winners for Newport Hills were Wallace (girls’ 6-and-under); Jake Bays (boys’ 6-and-under); Henry Wilde (boys’ 7-8); Taylor Cortens (boys’ 9-10); and Hollace Barden (girls’ 13-14).

Multiple event winners for Harbor View also included Secrist (girls’ 7-8); Eliza Britt (girls’ 9-10); Ellen Naruse (girls’ 11-12); Tommy Brooks (boys’ 11-12); Pippa Saunders (girls’ 13-14); and Heather Van Hiel (girls’ 15-18).

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or by e-mail at matthew.szabo@latimes.com.