Mathews High School opened its 2012 competitive season on Saturday, hosting crews from Gloucester, Granby, Great Bridge and Hickory. MHS varsity rowers picked up wins in the men’s varsity four, men’s double and men’s quad, along with five second-place finishes and two thirds.

First up for the Blue Devils was the men’s varsity four where Zach Payne, Cole Johnson, Phillip Machen, Andrew Merz and coxswain Lance South faced all four visiting teams. Mathews captured first with a time of 4:35.4, ahead of GHS (4:49.9), Great Bridge (4:55.4), Granby (5:15.4) and Hickory (5:38.7).

In the men’s double, Merz and Payne also placed first (3:14.9) with Johnson and Machen tying for third (3:31.1) with GBC. Adrian Phillip teamed with Gus Bauby, Matt Oliver, Tucker Blackwell and cox Lance South in the men’s second four, placing second (3:21.9) behind GHS (3:16.2). The two Mathews boys’ fours then combined in the men’s varsity eight with cox Lance So...