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Boys Swimming: Layden tackling his other sport in the winter

Posted On: Wednesday, January 28, 2015
By: ldevlin

RIDLEY — Through the fall, two things stood out most prominently about Brian Layden: That the Springfield senior was so drastically undersized as a nose tackle, and that opposing offensive lineman had no chance at corralling him on the way to the quarterback.

But from time to time among his Cougars teammates, mention of Layden’s other sport would crop up.

“Yeah, it comes up a lot actually,’ Layden said with a knowing laugh last week before practice at Ridley High School. “Because I’m very small and play defensive lineman, if I messed up, I’d hear, ‘˜how about you get back on the diving board, Bri?’ And I was like, ‘˜yeah, thanks guys. That’s helpful.”

From being a standout defensive lineman in the fall, Layden has stepped seamlessly into his other area of sporting expertise: Diving, a pairing that isn’t the most natural.

A year ago, Layden qualified for the District One championships, finishing 16th and coming up short of the top-10 finished required for a states berth. This season, Layden is the pace-setter among a very strong Central League contingent, his score of 277.96 from a dual meet two weeks ago breaking the Springfield program record.

His success last winter transitioned into a stellar football season, in which Layden — despite the 5-9, 155-pound stature that draws a brief eye roll from Layden through the sheer repetition with which it’s been recited to him — recorded 21 quarterback sacks, believed to be the most in Delco history. The All-Delco was an integral cog in Springfield’s fearsome defense, which mauled the Central League into submission with a 10-0 regular season and earned a place in the District One Class AAA championship game.

Despite his success on the gridiron, diving isn’t a passing fancy for Layden. His diving creation story is pretty common: From days horsing around with friends at the Ridley Township Swim Club, Layden quickly discovered a real aptitude for the sport.

 

Click HERE to read the remainder of the article.

 

Springfield's Brian Layden catches air while doing a front 2 1/2 tuck dive during a meet. (Julia Wilkinson)

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