Brentwood swimming coach Mark Wroblewski has a simple formula for keeping the Spartans boys' program on top in Class AA Section 5.

"High school sports are mostly about football and basketball, but you can keep the interest high [for lower-profile varsity sports] by winning, then you can get more good athletes to come out for the team," said Wroblewski whose Spartans have won 42 consecutive dual meets since the start of the 2004-05 season.

That streak includes 17 in a row in section competition.

Brentwood (10-0, 3-0) is shooting for a third consecutive unbeaten section campaign after a a 90-78 victory over Elizabeth Forward Tuesday and a win against South Park a few days earlier. The Eagles were the team expected to give the Spartans their toughest challenge in 5-AA..

"It would be big if we could win another [section title]," Wroblewski said. "What it does is keep the swimming team noticed at the school."

Brentwood did not clinch the win against South Park until the final event, the 400 freestyle relay. The Spartans travel to West Mifflin this afternoon for another section meet.

Brentwood graduated five WPIAL-qualifying swimmers from last season who were instrumental in leading the team to its highest team finish ever (fifth) at the district championships.

The personnel losses include WPIAL 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley champion Josh Sesek, who now competes for Allegheny College.

Only 14 boys are on the roster this season, but everyone has contributed to the team's continued success.

Brentwood is led by seniors Nathan Giel and Joe Kraemer (breaststroke specialist), Andrew Rostek (all freestyle races), David Wierzchowski (butterfly) Matt Monahan (breaststroke and sprint freestyle) and Matt Sokol, a WPIAL qualifier in the 100 backstroke and 200 individual medley events.

Other notable competitors include juniors Terrance Watterson (all freestyle events), Scott Pack (butterfly and backstroke) and Brandon Calvert (sprint freestyle) along with sophomores Paul Rowsick (sprint freestyle) and his twin brother, George (backstroke and IM events), Jack Peters (distance freestyle) and Brandon Lindy (sprint freestyle). Also scoring points for the team is junior diver Jesse Seiff.

"We are expecting some big things from Paul Rowsick," said Wroblewski, a police officer in the Allegheny County Sheriff's office. "To lose the guys that we lost through graduation and to have these other kids doing what they're doing this year is great. They're stepping up and learning how to win

"With all the good seniors that we had last year, the younger guys really didn't know how to win yet going into this season. But the kids who had to take over this year are really carrying the ball. They learned how to win on the fly and hopefully it can carry all the way through our section meets. The kids are starting to believe in themselves and believe in the program."

Getting a strong nucleus of talented and dedicated athletes out for the team has been the key to the Spartans' success in recent years.

Brentwood's enrollment of 201 boys is the smallest among the teams in the section. Only Charleroi (223 boys) is of a similar size.

The other schools have male enrollments ranging from 288 at South Park to 411 at West Mifflin with most of the teams in 5-AA having a pool of at least 343 students to draw from.

While most of the opposing teams have 10 to 20 more swimmers on their roster, Brentwood's small roster gets the job done by everybody pitching in, Wroblewski said.

"Some of our swimmers are on club teams [year-round], but we also run a clinic here all summer that is run by me and our other assistant coach, Dave Watterson [the father of Terrance Watterson]," Wroblewski said. "Dave really knows the technical side of swimming, as one of the best teachers of the sport in this part of the state.

"He has a great command for swimming. He's like a technical whiz when it comes to teaching all the strokes."

Other assistants on the staff are Courtney Ferrari, Mike Caponie and Jim Kissel, the cousin of Brentwood football coach Kevin Kissel. Jim Kissel is the diving coach.