CLINTON — To keep their swimmers fresh, the Clinton coaches decided to have many of them swim off events Thursday night in a dual meet against Bettendorf at the Clinton High pool.

The River Kings still were “on” enough to win six of the 11 events.

Overall depth keyed the Bulldogs to a 101-69 victory, but both the Kings coaches and swimmers were pleased with the outcome.

“I think it was closer than everyone expected, and we swam off events,” Clinton sophomore Josh Hill said.

Coming off a busy holiday break and wanting to perform well Saturday at the Burlington Invitational, the River Kings tried to change up things and have their swimmers compete in events other than their usual ones.

“We kind of had the kids swim off events, but they performed well,” Clinton assistant coach Ross Burns said. “We kind of talked about it together. We want them to swim their best events (at Burlington). We don’t want them to burn out.”

Coming off some grueling practices over the holiday break, the swimmers were open to the diversion.

“You get a little break and refreshed in those events,” Hill said of changing things up.

“Doing off events, it’s more exciting,” junior Trevor Kao said. “There’s a little anxiety; you don’t know who you’re going against or what times are.

“We had a choice in what we could swim, but coach Albert (Hayton) had the final decision.”

For instance, Kao competed in the 100-yard backstroke and 200 freestyle, while Hill entered the sprint freestyle events instead of the longer-distance races. Both of them were double winners, though, in addition to joining Nate Harden and Bret Determan in winning performances in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.

“I was pretty happy with both of them,” Kao said of his individual wins. “I haven’t swam those events very often. The co-captains, Bret and Josh, have been pushing me in practice, and that was a big part.”

Kao won the 200 freestyle in 1 minute, 57 seconds and the backstroke in 59.49 seconds.

“I was really surprised with my 200,” Kao said. “I swam it one other time in my life.”

Kao was in third place after 50 yards and at the halfway point — when Bettendorf’s James Entwistle (55.90 seconds) and Tanner Nelson (56.65) were well ahead of his 58.24 pace — but he blew through the third leg in 28.98 seconds to take the lead and held on to edge Entwistle by 25-hundredths of a second.

“My teammates helped me a lot in that, (former assistant coach) Tony Hunter, too,” Kao said. “He gave advice on how to take each 50.”

Despite his success in an event in which Hill has the 28th-best time in the state, Kao said he’d just as soon not make it one of his standard events.

“Josh can have the 200; he’s a lot better at it,” he said.

Hill, who usually swims the 200 and 500 freestyles, along with relays, competed in the 50- and 100-yard lengths of the event Thursday. He won the 50 in 23.60 and the 100 in 50.83.

“It’s great to get a break from the usual,” Hill said. “It helps with endurance doing sprints. At the end of the 200 and 500, I have a little more gas in the tank.”

Clinton also changed up its 400 relay, having Hill swim leadoff instead of the anchor leg.

“Leadoff — I feel like I’m more nervous,” said Hill, who established a lead that Clinton never lost in its win by almost 2 seconds. “Everyone is depending on me to get a good start.”

Hill did anchor the 200 freestyle relay, which Clinton won by nearly seven seconds in 1:35.62.

Burns said the meet’s success went way beyond the top performers.

“We had a lot of time drops,” he said. “One senior tonight, Ryan Schroeder, had an exceptional meet. He did real well for being a first-year swimmer.”

BETTENDORF 101, CLINTON 69

(Top 3, other Clinton placewinners)

200-yard medley relay — 1. Bettendorf (Nathan Spencer, Cole Bunn, Luke Ketelaar, Richard Turner) 1:47.98; 2. Bettendorf 1:55.2; 3. Clinton (Ben Lauritzen, Ian Howes, Sam Wolf, Koner Frandsen) 2:00.52; 4. Clinton (Carson Peck, Cameron Weaver, Zach Mohr, Brandon Burkhart) 2:08.48.

200 freestyle — 1. Trevor Kao (C) 1:57.00; 2. James Entwistle (B) 1:57.25; 3. Tanner Nelson (B) 1:59.60; 5. Peck (C) 2:19.96; 6. Weaver (C) 2:23.28.

200 individual medley — 1. Ketelaar (B) 2:11.74; 2. Bret Determan (C) 2:13.31; 3. Turner (B) 2:13.77; 5. Nate Harden (C) 2:27.64.

50 freestyle — 1. Josh Hill (C) 23.60; 2. Jacob Hovey (B) 24.34; 3. Collin Lovich (B) 24.56; 5. Travis Mink (C) 26.92; 6. Frandsen (C) 27.39.

100 butterfly — 1. Ketelaar (B) 58.51; 2. Spencer (B) 59.92; 3. Stephen Hansen (B) 1:03.10; 4. Lauritzen (C) 1:07.84; 5. Sam Wolf (C) 1:09.88.

100 freestyle — 1. Hill (C) 50.83; 2. Entwistle (B) 51.76; 3. Nelson (B) 54.11; 5. Determan (C) 55.68; 6. Aaron Stumbaugh (C) 1:06.51.

500 freestyle — 1. Bunn (B) 5:19.61; 2. Spencer (B) 5:22.68; 3. Ryan Gist (B) 5:32.80; 4. Howes (C) 6:09.33; 5. Peck (C) 6:22.78.

200 freestyle relay — 1. Clinton (Kao, Determan, Harden, Hill) 1:35.62; 2. Bettendorf 1:42.45; 3. Clinton (Wolf, Frandsen, Mohr, Howes) 1:44.97.

100 backstroke — 1. Kao (C) 59.59; 2. Turner (B) 1:00.12; 3. Grant Nichols (B) 1:06.03; 5. Wolf (C) 1:15.30; 6. Weaver (C) 1:16.27.

100 breaststroke — 1. Bunn (B) 1:09.39; 2. Harden (C) 1:15.85; 3. Lauritzen (C) 1:16.76; 5. Frandsen (C) 1:19.70.

400 freestyle relay — 1. Clinton (Hill, Harden, Determan, Kao) 3:34.56; 2. Bettendorf 3:36.52; 3. Clinton (Howes, Weaver, Mink, Peck) 4:11.27.

JUNIOR VARSITY

Bettendorf 118, Clinton 49

(Top Clinton finisher)

200 medley relay — 2. Aaron Stumbaugh, Jason Kracht, Austin Bouchard, Michael Barger 2:12.63; 200 freestyle — 4. Zach Hayton 2:51.24; 200 individual medley — 1. Bouchard 2:36.98; 50 freestyle — 4. Alec Pilola 32.39; 100 freestyle — 3. Jace Bryant 1:18.17; 500 freestyle — 4. Jeremy Regenwether 7:30.71; 200 freestyle relay — 1. Brandon Burkhart, Mink, Barger, Bouchard 1:49.48; 100 backstroke — 3. Barger 1:21.04; 100 breaststroke — 3. Daniel Shaw 1:27.29; 400 freestyle relay — 3. Barger, Regenwether, Pilola, Bouchard 4:39.13.