Jimmy Lafakis/MDN Minot High senior Griffin Schaeffer swims in the 100-yard butterfly event during Saturday's meet against Mandan. Schaeffer won the event, posting a time of 57.77. The Magicians earned a 135-51 victory over the Braves in their home opener.

After enjoying several dominant road performances, the Minot High School boys swim and dive team brought that positive mojo to the Magic City Campus pool on Saturday.

Minot earned a 135-51 victory over Mandan in Saturday morning’s dual meet. Although the Braves found some success in spurts, they failed to keep pace with the Magicians.

Minot won each event. The Magi started off strong and kept the momentum going.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Minot head coach Jake Solper said. “I hope we can carry the same intensity forward that we had at this meet. Mandan has a number of outstanding swimmers. They push our guys at every level of ability right now.”

Swim

Minot’s quartet of sophomore Kalen Hill (27.17), senior Griffin Schaeffer (27.34), freshman Alexander King (26.03) and senior Zac Spaulding (23.16) kicked off the action with a 200-yard medley relay win. The Magicians combined for a team score of 1:43.70.

Minot sophomore Grant Schaeffer clinched the 200-yard freestyle event with a final time of 1:52.40. Schaeffer dropped a total of 2.08 seconds off his entry time.

“We had a good week of practice,” he said. “I think it all just came together today. We’ve just got to keep doing that over the rest of the year.”

Freshman Jaxon Reinke kept Minot’s winning streak alive with a 2:08.68 finish in the 200-yard individual medley. Minot junior Josh Boen (2:09.75) finished in second place.

Spaulding’s 23:15 clinched the victory in the 50-yard freestyle. Junior Dominic Yoder (23.36) earned second place for the Magi.

Not to be outdone by his younger brother Grant, Griffin Schaeffer (57.77) won the 100-yard butterfly event. Spaulding (59.35) finished in second place, while Minot sophomore Alex Moe (1:02.17) took third.

“Every team has swimmers for everyone at every level,” Griffin said. “It’s fun to come in and see where everyone matches up. Mandan has some really good swimmers, and it’s fun to see where we’re at. We develop relationships with other teams. It’s not just about swimming.”

Grant Schaeffer (50.22) continued his stellar performance with a first-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle. Minot senior William Walker-Rozo (51.71) notched second place.

King won the 500-yard freestyle with a 40-second cushion. His winning time of 5:07.26 created more distance between the Magi and the Braves.

“Every grade level is getting after it,” Solper said. “It’s showing up in some of these meets. The younger swimmers are swimming with some of the same confidence that our older athletes are swimming with. I think that’s helping drive some of the early success we’ve been having this season.”

Minot’s team of Grant Schaeffer (23.51), freshman Jaxon Reinke (23.45), Griffin Schaeffer (23.05) and junior Josh Boen (24.70) earned a victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The group posted a team score of 1:34.71.

Yoder (55.27) won the 100-yard backstroke. Hill (59.68) took the second-place position.

Griffin Schaeffer (1:03.62) won his second individual event, taking the 100-yard breaststroke. Minot senior Seth Ricks (1:13.10) notched second place.

In the 400-yard freestyle relay, King (51.33), Grant Schaeffer (51.01), Yoder (50.67), and Walker-Rozo (51.56) closed the day with a victory. The Magi capped off the win with a total time of 3:24.57.

Dive

Minot senior Layton King boosted the Magi’s team score with a 403.80 in the 1-meter diving event. According to Solper, King’s finish was the best of his high school career.

King edged out Mandan sophomore Wyatt Hermanson. Hermanson finished with a final score of 403.25.

“We’re happy with how our divers performed,” Solper said. “I think that’s going to be a common theme throughout the season. Those guys train hard on the boards. They push each other. They’re competing to earn spots on our WDA team and on our state team.”

The Magi will travel to the Williston Invite for a 11 a.m contest next Saturday.

“It’s been really fun to get this season rolling,” Solper said.

Jimmy Lafakis covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JJLII30.