The diving portion of swimming and diving is what first-year head coach Hailey Silvers will be counting on for the Bronco boys team to be competitive in 2011-12.

“Our diving team will be the core as far as strength goes,” said Silvers, who replaces Beth Reed as head coach after being an assistant last season. “Without our diving team our small numbers would not allow us to be competitive, but with the points our divers earn for the team we can compete with more depth.”

Heading up Falls’ divers is senior captain Alex Henningsen, who was a state qualifier for the second consecutive year in diving last season and will also be competing in 2011-12 in the 50-yard freestyle and sprinting relays.

Silvers’s list of top returning divers for the Broncos also includes freshmen Cody Tatsak and Chase Carrigan.

While Kirdan Wenger was a diver from last season lost to graduation, Silvers said the team numbers haven’t been made up for 2011-12 with the senior swimmers lost from a year ago.

“Joe Baron was a huge loss in the freestyle and Ames Bryant was a versatile all-around swimmer,” she said.

Baron had qualified for state in his junior and senior seasons in both the 50 and 100 freestyle.

Though the overall team size is down for this season, Silvers said the top returning swimmers include junior captain Corin Wenger in the 100 butterfly, 200 individual medley and relays and junior Nick Riley in the distance events and relays.

“We are small when other schools can have four swimmers in each event and we can only have one or two,” she said.

Silvers said the goal this season, which begins Monday for the Falls with a dual meet at Chisholm, is “personal improvement.”

“My goal for our swimmers and divers is to end this season with a better time/score/place than last year,” she said.

Given the situation with the FHS swimming pool, which is only 3 1/2 feet deep and not allowed use starting blocks for meets because of a new rule on pool depth implemented by the National Federation of State High School Associations, the Broncos will have only one home meet this season on Feb. 7 when they host Mesabi East, a team that has agreed to start all the events in the water.

Consequently, Silvers said she is the most concerned this season with “keeping team morale and excitement up.”

“We get tired from traveling so much,” she said. “The younger boys can look forward to a new (renovated) pool and next season, but our seniors do not have that to look forward to.”

Following the conclusion of the 2011-12 boys swimming and diving season, the Falls school district is planning on deepening the swimming pool so that starting blocks will be able to be used there in the future.

Silvers said she is looking forward to “getting my first season of head coaching under my belt.”

“There is a lot of stress and apprehension that come along with the title of ‘first-year head coach,’ but I’ve learned everything I know from the best teachers (the Reeds) and I’m looking forward to seeing the boys have a fun season this year and more to follow,” she said.

Silvers said the Broncos have many invitationals on their schedule this season.

“We have won the Giants Country Invite the last two years and are looking forward to that meet on Feb. 5,” she said.