By Don Ketchum

The most noteworthy swimming location in the Sedona area is Slide Rock.

The most noteworthy swimming team is from Sedona Red Rock High.

The school’s boys’ team is working on a third straight state championship, although after recent realignment by the Arizona Interscholastic Association, it will be considerably more difficult.

Red Rock, a Class 3A school that was the champion in 1A through 3A the last two seasons, will be placed in Division II for swimming. The division lists 62 schools. With an enrollment of 523, according to the AIA, the team will be competing against some schools with three times that amount, some of them 4A schools such as Cave Creek Cactus Shadows (1,794).

The Red Rock boys’ and girls’ teams are coached by A. Jay Bronson, an alumnus of the school and a four-year swimmer there. The girls’ team finished seventh at the state meet in 2009 and has a competitive group returning.

The boys’ team has 10 swimmers back from last season, five of them seniors. Among the leaders are seniors Zach Morgan, whose specialty is long-distance races, and Seth Syvertsen, who is more of a sprinter.

Bronson said most of the boys have been swimming together even before high school, including competing with a club team called the Sedona Swordfish.

“They’re a close team. They swim pretty much all year-round,’’ Bronson said.

The boys’ and girls’ teams train at the Sedona community pool, which has four lanes. There are plans to expand for next season, Bronson said. Home meets are held at the larger city pool in Cottonwood, about 20 miles away.

Part of Bronson’s training program includes having the sprinters swim long distances and the long-distance swimmers doing a few sprints. Doing this helps break up the boredom that sometimes can infiltrate the practices as well as giving his athletes a better idea of what it is like to be a complete swimmer.

“These guys are continuing to work hard. It is their goal to qualify among the top five for state,’’ Bronson said.

Hearing this, the swimmers quickly amended that statement to say, “top three.’’

Morgan said the swimmers like Bronson “because he knows how to train us. The whole team likes him.’’

Of the alternating between long and short distances in practice, Morgan said, “it helps keep us in shape. That will allow us to see who can do what better, if we might need them to swim in a different race in a meet.

“We’re a pretty close group of guys. We’re like family. We hang out after school and practice, do stuff together.’’

That includes helping each other out with schoolwork, if need be. Bronson wants his swimmers to have a C+ average, higher than other athletes at the school, Morgan said.

Morgan, who was second in the 500-yard freestyle and third in the 200-yard freestyle at state last year, began swimming in distance races as a sophomore.

“They needed some distance guys and I figured I might as well do it,’’ he said. “I came to like it. It helps with your endurance. Not a lot of guys can do it.’’

Morgan hopes to swim in college, perhaps for the University of Alabama or Lake Forest College near Chicago. He wants to be a doctor and said both schools offer a good medical education.

Syvertsen won the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard breaststroke and was part of two victorious relay teams.

He said the 50 free and the 100 breast “is kind of a weird combination, but it works for me. I just want to swim wherever I’m needed.’’

As hard as the Red Rock swimmers work, Syvertsen said Bronson knows when to let up, too.

“Right before my freshman year, I missed seven months with a shoulder injury, and I don’t what that to happen again,’’ Syvertsen said.

“Our team is pretty close. The older kids have helped out the younger ones. Because of the way the state meet is this year, we know we are going to have to work together because we are going against a lot stronger competition.

“We won’t know for sure what is going to happen, but we have a lot of confidence. We need everyone to swim in their best events so we can get an optimum number of points.’’