Topic: News: J.Garcia Wins FHSAA 2A State Champs With State Records

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Palatka's Jonthan Garcia Wins FHSAA State Champs With State Records!
By CLIFF OLSEN

Despite standing just 4-foot-11 and weighing 116.5 pounds, Palatka's Jonathan Garcia turned in a big-time performance at Saturday's FHSAA Class 2A state weightlifting meet held at Santa Fe Community College.

Garcia set two state finals records en route to winning the 119-pound weight class. He bench pressed 260 pounds, before he clean and jerked a record 245 pounds for a record total weight of 505 pounds.

"It feels pretty good. I don't think I could have asked for a better day," said Garcia, who was wearing what he called his lucky Superman t-shirt after his performance. "Part of the reason I do this and try to work as hard as I do is so I can show people no matter where you come from, no matter what size you are, you can be a little dude but you can outlift heavier people. I love that."

The previous clean and jerk record in the 119-pound class was 240 pounds held by Sanford Seminole's Quoc Van set in 2000 and Sarasota Booker's Jeremy Everett, who tied the mark a year ago. North Marion's Thomas Chaput compiled a total weight of 500 pounds set in 1998 which was the previous total weight record in the 119 class.

Garcia, a junior, placed fourth the last two years and admitted that it would have been a disappointment if he did not take home the title.

"Jonathan has been the poster boy for work ethic," Palatka coach Gordan Roberts said. "He's in the weight room early an leaves late. He's one of those kids who could see that dream and made it happen."

While things went well for Garcia, Buchholz's Levon Brassfield suffered a difficult fate in the 139-pound weight class. The Bobcat senior ended up placing second because of a .3 pound differential.

Brassfield stepped out of bounds during his clean and jerk of 230, which cancelled that lift and eventually put him into a tie with Cantonment Tate's Dustin Kervin. The weight that an athlete posts before the competition serves as a tiebreaker, which meant Kervin, who weighed in at 138.5 pounds, edged Brassfield (138.8 pounds) for the title.

"If he (Brassfield) gets that (230 pounds) we win," Buchholz coach Bart Brooks said. "Point-three pounds, its hard to lose like that. I never had something this heartbreaking. I told him (Brassfield) I was proud of him.

"He was disappointed, he was crushed because he really wanted it," said the fourth-year coach, who guided the Bobcats to a third-place team finish last year.

Brassfield was dissatisfied despite finishing second.

Also, one other state record was broken on Saturday as St. Cloud's Nate Sandoval bench pressed 410 pounds en route to winning the 183-pound class. The previous mark of 405 pounds was set in 1998 by Brooksville Hernando's Steve Ringo and tied in Friday's Class A meet by Blountstown's Arsenio Ivory.

Other area athletes who finished in the top six include Palatka's Nick Albert (fifth at 119 with 400 total weight), Gainesville's Chad Williams (435, fifth at 129) and Columbia's Sampson Genus (705, sixth in heavyweight).

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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‘Undersized’ Panther, Jonathan Garcia, Breaks 2 FHSAA 2A State Weightlifting Records
By Andy Hall
 
GAINESVILLE -- There was a moment’s hesitation, a tinge of uncertainty.

“I had jerked it and then it was coming down, so I came down with it,” said Jonathan Garcia of his attempt to clean 245 pounds — more than double the 116 at which he tipped the scales Saturday morning.

He steadied himself, though, completed the lift.

The crowd erupted at his state-record achievement and Garcia leapt into a bear hug from his Palatka High weightlifting coach, Gordon Roberts.

A moment of hesitation, yes, but never a moment’s doubt as to whether Garcia would win the 119-pound weight class at Saturday’s class 2A state meet.
 
He probably would have won on a bad day. As it was, his 260-pound bench press, coupled with the 245 clean gave him still another state record — a 505-pound total — and allowed Garcia to blow away the field. He not only won the 119-pound class by 55 pounds, he put up a total that would have won the 129 class by 15 pounds.

Nick Albert joined Garcia on the medal stand with a 220-180—400 performance — personal bests across the board — that left him fourth in the 119 class and accounted for Palatka’s remaining points Saturday at Santa Fe Community College.

The nine points garnered by Garcia and Albert tied the Panthers for ninth with Bradenton Manatee and Sanford Seminole. Spruce Creek was the winner with 26. Palatka had a reasonable chance to at perhaps four more points, which would have meant a fifth-place tie, but the only team trophies are for first and second n and that’s the direction Roberts believes his team is headed.

“There’s a good chance we will have 10 or 12 lifters (at state) next year,” said Roberts, who took six qualifiers Saturday. “We have nothing but good things to look forward to in the future. The way I look at it is, last year we got three points total (all from Garcia with a third-place finish at 119) and were 24th in the state.”

There’s certainly a foundation for 2007 with Garcia, a junior, and Albert, a sophomore. Two of Palatka’s other participants Saturday n Tyshawn Anderson and Richard Ray, both in the 238-pound class n return as well.
 
Anderson wound up seventh in his class n points are awarded through the top six places n with a 345-pound bench and a 300-pound clean for a 640 total. Anderson had hoped to go as high as 320 in the clean, which would have moved him moved him into a tie for fifth, but after scratching in his first attempt at 300, he needed a second attempt there before trying for 315 on his third and final try. He missed at 315, which would have gotten him into sixth.

Ray finished 14th with a 335-255—590 showing. Palatka senior Brian Allen was 15th at 154 pounds, going 270-230—500. Senior Travis Gilyard weighed in a pound too heavy to compete in the 169 class, where Roberts said he could have placed as high as third.

Garcia had different weight issues Saturday, coming in at a mere 116.

“I was a little concerned about that because I hadn’t been that light in a long time,” he said. “(But Friday) night I didn’t get good sleep. I was more concerned with my muscles and my body being tired.”

“He’s a worker,” said Roberts of Garcia. “He never misses a day. He’s (in the weight room) first and leaves last.”

Roberts also noted the personal best effort of Albert, who turned in a fourth-place performance after having been sixth among all qualifiers at 119 pounds.

[Nick Albert]

yea, thats me at the end of the first article and in the second article. and i actually got 5th, not 4th. lol.  hopefully ill get better tho