The Bobcats’ chance at winning Thursday’s double dual at Newton came down to a mere two points as the host Cardinals held off MHS for a 48-46 victory. Newton/Colfax-Mingo/Pella defeated Grinnell 62-32, and Marshalltown also dispatched the Tigers 59-35.

Marshalltown had a chance to overtake Newton in the final event, but head coach Mike Loupee said the meet wasn’t won or lost in the last race. The Bobcats needed a 1-2 finish in the 400-meter freestyle relay, but the rearrange lineups finished first and third instead.

“We split those relay teams and those eight kids gave everything they had,” Loupee said. “I can’t fault the effort at all. In a two-point meet, you can find those two points in several places.

“Overall it was a good meet for us and we hadn’t been in the water for a while.”

Marshalltown made off with four of the last five races to give the Cardinals an ear-full, but a heartbreaking finish in the race before that surge was where the Bobcats narrowly missed their window of opportunity.

Grinnell’s Wyatt Summer led a 1-2 finish for the Tigers in the 100 freestyle, with Chase Rundall taking second with a time of 1:00.16. Newton’s Caleb Punt was third at 1:00.43, followed by Marshalltown’s Kade Randall (1:00.44) and Michael Lechnir (1:00.45).

Two-hundreths of a second separated third place from fifth, and the Bobcats got out-touched in that unfortunate scenario.

The Bobcats responed with senior Lincoln Barker winning the 400-meter freestyle in 4:49.11 — taking the top spot by nearly 12 seconds, and the 200 freestyle relay team of Lechnir, Landon Stanley, Randall and Barker took third in 1:50.74.

MHS closed out the meet with three-straight titles, starting with Charles Gilbertson taking the top spot in the 100 backstroke (1:07.25). Stanley scored points for fourth place as well (1:12.98).

Sam Greazel kept the Bobcats in the hunt with his win in the 100 breaststroke (1:13.64), with Jacob Seberger scoring fourth (1:18.72). Greazel edged out Newton’s Ethan Comer by one-tenth of a second for the win to keep MHS in the race.

“He was behind but Sam did what you expect seniors to do — he figured out a way and he gutted out the win,” Loupee said.

Marshalltown’s quartet of Randall, Joe Greazel, Barker and Jacob Seberger scored first place in the final race (4:04.69), but Newton’s runner-up finish in the 400 free relay spoiled the Bobcats’ comeback. The Bobcat foursome of Gilbertson, Parker Christen, Stanley and Sam Greazel gave chase for third place in 4:11.62.

Other top finishes for MHS included Barker’s second-place finish to Notre Dame-bound Finn Martin of Newton in the 200 freestyle, Sam Greazel’s silver in the 200 individual medley, and Gilbertson’s runner-up result in the 100 butterfly.

The Bobcats jump back into the pool with both feet next week, getting three meets in five days starting with Tuesday’s trip to Mason City. Marshalltown hosts Des Moines Lincoln on Jan. 9, and MHS will participate in the Grinnell Invite next Saturday to atone for the loss of the Bobcat Invite in December due to inclement weather.

Newton 48, Marshalltown 46

Newton 62, Grinnell 32

Marshalltown 59, Grinnell 35

EVENT RESULTS

(Champion plus MHS placewinners)

200 MEDLEY RELAY — 1. NWT (Fuller, Comer, Martin, Copeland) 1:57.58; 3. MHS (L. Stanley, Greazel, Gilbertson, Lechnir) 2:00.16.

200 FREESTYLE — 1. Finn Martin, NWT, 2:02.70; 2. Lincoln Barker, MHS, 2:14.24; 4. Thomas Stanley, MHS, 2:30.23.

200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY — 1. Ethan Comer, NWT, 2:25.74; 2. Sam Greazel, MHS, 2:29.88; 3. Kade Randall, MHS, 2:30.76.

50 FREESTYLE — 1. Wyatt Summer, GRN, 24.89; 4. Michael Lechnir, MHS, 27.29; 5. Jacob Seberger, MHS, 28.63.

100 BUTTERFLY — 1. Martin, NWT, 58.06; 2. Charles Gilbertson, MHS, 1:01.99; 3. Isaac Seberger, MHS, 1:11.44.

100 FREESTYLE — 1. Summer, GRN, 56.41; 4. Randall, MHS, 1:00.44; 5. Lechnir, MHS, 1:00.45.

400 FREESTYLE — 1. Barker, MHS, 4:49.11; 4. I. Seberger, MHS, 5:13.66.

200 FREESTYLE RELAY — 1. NWT (Martin, Comer, Marshall, Copeland) 1:44.28; 3. MHS (Lechnir, L. Stanley, Randall, Barker) 1:50.74.

100 BACKSTROKE — 1. Gilbertson, MHS, 1:07.25; 4. Landon Stanley, MHS, 1:12.98.

100 BREASTSTROKE — 1. Greazel, MHS, 1:13.64; 4. J. Seberger, MHS, 1:18.72.

400 FREESTYLE RELAY — 1. MHS (Randall, J. Greazel, Barker, J. Seberger) 4:04.69; 3. MHS (Gilbertson, Christen, L. Stanley, S. Greazel) 4:11.62.