Tyler leads impressive Moss Farms performance in Coral Springs

Published 4:28 pm Friday, March 5, 2021

MOULTRIE – Last month, Colquitt County’s Carson Tyler broke the Georgia High School Association’s previous record by 126.6 points when he won the 2021 state championship at Georgia Tech.

And while the performance was remarkable, it was, according to Moss Farms coach John Fox, not nearly as impressive as the list he put together at the recent Coral Springs Winter Invitational.

In the Senior Men’s 3-meter finals, the Indiana-bound Tyler faced Tyler Downs and Jordan Rzepka, both of whom will be headed to Purdue to continue their careers.

Both Indiana and Purdue are high-performance centers that attract the top young divers in the country, such as Tyler, Downs and Rzepka.

Fox said he believes most observers would not have predicted that Tyler was ready to beat either of his Purdue-bound competitors.

They would have been in error.

In the finals, Tyler scored a 420.20, that left Downs 24.60 points behind and in second place. Rzepka was further back in third at 373.85.

“That was the first time I have seen Carson perform his best when his best was needed against competition that was as good as him or that people thought were better than him,” Fox said. “He put it in his mind that he could do it and he did it.”

And, Fox added, “He could have done even better. That is why it was so encouraging. Carson is becoming more mature. And all of his potential will not reach fruition until he gets to Indiana.”

And while Tyler’s performance was obviously the highlight, it was not the only impressive showing from the 24-diver contingent that Fox took to Coral Springs.

“It was a real good start to the USA Diving season,” he said. “The kids have really been out of the water for over a year. They were eager to be there and their coaches were eager for them to be there.”

Bo Bridges had a strong meet, especially on the 3-meter springboard, where he scored 550.55.

“Bo really showed out on 3-meter,” Fox said of Bridges, who is in his first year as a Group A diver. “He has a new mentality.”

University of Georgia-bound Nolan Lewis performed well, especially on 3-meter where he scored a 537.15 and placed fifth. Last month, Lewis won GHSA Class 1A-3A state championship.

Also diving in the 16-18 age group was Abi White, who will dive at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., next season.

Timothy Fagan, also in boys 16-18, competed on all three boards.

Also in the 16-18 age group were Mauri Leroux and Ruth Anne McCranie.

Among the group that represented Moss Farms were two divers that are now making the trip from Tallahassee to Moultrie to train after the Tomahawk Dive Club was forced to shut down by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Jodi Cobb and Carter Davis were making their debuts as Diving Tigers, both diving 16-18.

Fox is most pleased by the potential shown by a number of his youngest divers, those in the 11-and-under age group.

One who was especially impressive was Ellireese Niday, who was first on both springboards and also competed in the 12-13 age group, where she was fourth on 3-meter and sixth on 1-meter.

She is the daughter of former Moss Farms and University of Tennessee All-America diver Lauryn McCalley Niday.

“We were really encouraged by her performance,” Fox said, noting that Niday is only 9 years old. “She hadn’t competed outside before and hadn’t competed at the USA Diving level before.

“She is really coming on strong.”

Niday is one of a group of youngsters that Fox believes shows how strong the program can be in coming years.

Also in that group are Amelia Gregory, Austin Taylor, Beck Gregory, Selah Huante and Charles Stevens.

“There are lot of good divers down there,” Fox said of the 11-and-under group. “They really have a bright future. It’s really exciting that we have a young group like that coming.”

Also competing for the Diving Tigers were Kindal Culpepper, Kendall Deloach, Trip Gregory, Tuck Gregory, Christopher Griffin, Shannon Icard, Lauren Maag, Kylee Mathis and Maggie Strange.

The Diving Tigers are now preparing for the Moose Moss Invitational, which will be held at the renovated Moose Moss Aquatic Center on March 26-28.

USA Diving Regionals will be held in May and Zone B competition will be held in Moultrie June 25-27.

Junior Nationals are scheduled for July 28-Aug. 3 in Indianapolis.