Topic: News: Travis Davis Wins FHSAA 1A State Champs

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Link

Interlachen's Travis Davis Wins FHSAA 1A State Weightlifting Championship at 129-pounds
By Andy Hall
 
GAINESVILLE — Jack Williams was near tears a couple of times Friday, and for reasons having little to do with the fact that this was his last state meet in 31 years as a weightlifting coach, most of it with Interlachen High School..

There was the intense joy that went with a state championship for one of his lifters — Travis Davis in the 129-pound class of the class 1A competition at Santa Fe Community College. Later, disappointment mixed with admiration for 199-pounder Amos Lewis, who went for broke and tried to clean 320 pounds — 15 more than his previous best — in a bid for the championship when a more conservative attempt would have given him third or fourth place. He missed, sliding to sixth.

Why, Williams was even emotional over the title try of Crescent City’s Leviticus Bennett at 219 pounds, helping to spot him on the bench press — other IHS lifters joining him in rooting on the only Raider in the meet.

Bennett finished second, but not before he had improved 20 pounds on his previous best in the clean and jerk and set a personal record for total lift. He actually tied Steven Calef, the Pierson Taylor lifter who had defeated him in two previous head-to-head meetings, but Calef claimed the championship because he weighed in less than a pound lighter than Bennett.

Between them, Davis and Lewis gave the Rams eight points, pushing them to seventh in the team standings. Bennett’s five second-place points allowed the Raiders to tie for 15th, even though he was Crescent City’s only representative. Panama City Arnold took the team title, edging Avon Park, 20-19.
 
Not a bad day at all for Putnam County lifters.

Williams has had better state meets over the years — most notably the 1991 team title, the first state championship in any sport for IHS — but this went well.

He was tickled for Davis and ached for Lewis.

“I get a little fired up at weightlifting meets,” said Williams shortly after Davis’ victory. “He’s a great kid. He does everything.

“You know what’s crazy? He got in at 1 o’clock in the morning from a track meet and I picked him up at 5:30 (Friday) morning to take him here. Four hours of sleep and he wins a state championship.”
 
A senior, Davis was good on all three tries in the bench, topping out at 240 pounds. After opening with a 200-pound clean, he missed a 210-pound try but was good on a 215-pound attempt that would give him a 455 total and a five-pound margin over Herschel Pollak of St. Augustine.

“After I missed 210 — I rushed it — I knew I could do 215. I took my time at 215,” said Davis, whose title wasn’t secure until Union County’s Johnnie Clyatt missed a 225-pound clean in a bid to catch Davis.

“I finally got what I wanted — a state championship. I know (Williams is) retiring and I always promised him I’d bring home a state championship.”

Bennett credited his Crescent City coach, Al Wisnoski, for pushing him to a personal-best effort at state.

“Focus, focus, focus. Whenever I didn’t get a weight, coach told me I just had to focus,” said Bennett, who put a 420-pound bench press with a 295-pound clean and jerk for a 715 total, the latter two figures both personal records.

Bennett’s previous best in the clean was 280 and he qualified for state at 275 in sectional competition. That’s where he opened Friday, then made good on subsequent tries of 285 and 295 — no small achievement, given an iffy knee from football that makes the clean a tricky lift for Bennett.

“He just worked hard. In the last month since sectionals and sub-sectionals, he’s worked real hard in the clean and jerk,” Wisnoski said.

Lewis, who benched 340 pounds, had no trouble with 285 on the clean. He got 315 pounds to his chest, but couldn’t keep it over his head. Yet he tried for 320 on his final try, figuring — correctly — it would take a 660 total to win the 199 class.

The third and final attempt turned out no better than the second.

“We went for broke. He got it up and everything,” Williams said. “He gave it a gutsy try. He cleared (320) off the floor. I thought he had it.”
 
Two other Rams, Brandon Douglas and Klayton Davis, were 13th and 15th, respectively in the 119-pound class. Interlachen’s Clint Dixon was 13th at 129 pounds.

The top qualifier in the 119 class, junior Jonathan Garcia leads a Palatka contingent to the class 2A state meet today, also at Santa Fe.