Topic: News: 2008 Florida High School Boy's State Championships

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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State weightlifting: Wiregrass Ranch's Janney exceeds expectations
By Bill Lumpkin

DAYTONA BEACH — Junior Justin Janney surprised even his coach.

Janney bested his season total by 15 pounds, lifting 620 to finish fourth in the 219-pound class at the Class A state weightlifting championships Friday, propelling second-year program Wiregrass Ranch to a four-way tie for 23rd with three points.

"It feels great," Wiregrass Ranch coach Chris Bounnell said. "We were just hoping he might come down here and were shooting for a sixth-place finish. To finish fourth is incredible. We weren't real successful as a program all year, but it's amazing what one kid can do for you at state."

Baker County won the championship with 31 points, followed by Arnold (19), Harmony (15), Altha (12) and Mulberry (12). Locally, Hudson finished in a seven-way tie for 17th with four points. Hernando was among the four teams tied with Wiregrass Ranch for 23rd. Gulf was locked in a seven-way deadlock for 27th with two. Pasco didn't score.

Janney was successful on all six of his lifts. He had successful benches of 320, 330 and 340 as well as successful clean and jerks of 265, 275 and 280 for a 620 total.

"He was sweating the whole time," Bounnell said. "We knew what he could do with the first two lifts and we let him get some confidence. He was able to get that third lift and pass some guys."

Other local lifters scoring points were Gulf's Jordan Holding (430) with a fifth-place finish in the 129 class; Hernando's Bradley Hill (570), fourth at 169; and Hudson's Travis Tindell (715), third in the heavyweight division.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Lincoln weightlifter Scott's brains match his brawn

There's a perfectly understandable reason why Padric Scott wasn't performing at his best during Wednesday's track-and-field regional.

The Lincoln High senior had been up into the wee hours the night before completing a school project.

It wasn't your typical wait-until-the-last-moment homework assignment that kept Scott up late.

Not Scott. It's important to understand that as impressive as Scott is in athletics, he's even more gifted in the classroom.

Scott, the lone Trojan to qualify for today's state 2A weightlifting championships in Daytona Beach, is a whiz kid who will be taking bio-chemistry classes while playing football at Stanford this fall.

Wednesday night he was completing a digital portfolio for his Advanced Placement literature class. He was charged with creating a Web site and giving it a theme.

He opted to compare his growth in football over the past two years to his progress in literature over that same time period.

He admits he struggled some with the project, perhaps because English is the one subject where he occasionally gets a grade below an A.

"I'm competitive about my grades, very competitive," Scott said. "I'm competitive about everything.

"My teacher tells me not to get down if I get a B, because the way AP classes are weighted it still comes out as an A."

Math and science are Scott's strengths. The son of Dr. Edward Scott, who runs the Faith Dental Center in Tallahassee, Scott is considering a career as an orthopedic surgeon.

But first there is the matter of the state weightlifting tournament.

Scott primarily lifts as part of his football training, but when a teenager can bench-press 415 pounds the coaches are quick to direct him to competition.

The heavyweight (he tipped the scales at 302.4 at the sectional meet) figures he has to have a personal-best day in the clean-and-jerk — his weakest event — if he's going to place in the state meet.

"I think he's got a good chance to medal," Lincoln coach Kyle Rice said. "There are a lot of strong guys, but he's got a good chance."

Rice realizes he'll be traveling to Daytona with a unique young man.

"Padric is a special kid. He's made academics more important than athletics," Rice said. "He's a poster-boy for what student-athletes are all about."

Scott knows that he's occasionally too competitive for his own good, but he seems to have that under control too.

"You've got to know when it cut it out," he said. "You've got to know when to be friendly competitive."

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Spraggins, Hamill power Lemon Bay at state weightlifting meet
By Bill Lumpkin

DAYTONA BEACH — With only two lifters at the Class 1A state championship, Lemon Bay High's Sean Spraggins and Robert Hamill more than held their own against the state's best on Friday.

Spraggins finished as the runner-up in the 129-pound class and Hamill finished third in the 219-pound division as Lemon Bay totaled nine points to finish sixth overall out of the 71 teams.

Next, the Class 2A teams take center stage at Emery Riddle University today where a pair of Sarasota High lifters hold the top seeds in their respective weight classes and a Riverview High heavyweight is also a top seed.

Baker County won the Class 1A title with 31 points, followed by Arnold with 19 points, Harmony with 15 and Altha and Mulberry tied for fourth with 12 points apiece.

There were three area schools and 11 lifters among the Class 1A competitors on Friday. Besides Lemon Bay, Braden River sent seven lifters and Cardinal Mooney sent a pair.

Braden River scored two points and finished in a seven-way tie for 28th in the final standings. Cardinal Mooney did not score.

The story of the meet was Spraggins, who finished with a total of 435 pounds. He had a bench of 230 and a clean and jerk of 205. He had the same weight as third-place finisher Eric Cook of Pensacola, but took second-place because he weighed 126 pounds to Cook's 127.7.

"I was standing up there on the medal stand and it was like, 'Wow!'" Spraggins said. "I'm sitting here now and it still hasn't hit me. I was real nervous when I started out. I missed my first lift because my elbows were bouncing because I was so nervous. But you know, that made me so angry I knew I was going to get the next one."

Spraggins fell 20 pounds shy of Dominique Ford of Mulberry's winning total of 455.

Hamill, also tied for third in the 219-pound class and took the higher place because he weighed less. He weighed 215 to 217.8 of Justin Janney of Wiregrass Ranch. Both lifted 620.

Hamill had 350 on the bench and 270 on the clean and jerk. LSU football signee Ryan Baker of Blountstown won the division with a total of 675 while Orlando First Academy's Ben Fowler was second at 295.

The only points for Braden River came from Tevin Bryant in the 238-point division. He finished fifth with a total of 630 with a bench of 345 and a clean and jerk of 285.

Cardinal Mooney's Benjamin Bobish finished 12th in the 169-pound class with a total of 515.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Arnold second at state, Rosario wins title and sets bench record

DAYTONA BEACH

Arnold’s Gar Rosario set the 238-pound weight class and overall bench press record, but his efforts weren’t enough to give the Marlins a third consecutive Class 1A state championship on Friday.

Baker County won the championship with 30 points in the meet held at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Arnold won two individual crowns, Rosario at 238 and Raephael Garcia at 119, and was runner-up with 19 points. Harmony (15) was third, followed by Altha (12) and Mulberry (12).

“We just had a bad day, that’s the only thing I can say,” Arnold coach Bill Thomas said.

Three of the Marlins’ top lifters, Jonothan Moseley at 154, Dalton Mandigo at 169 and Jake Woodham at 183, scratched and received no points. Thomas noted that some lifters didn’t have strong meets, and that Arnold would have scored close to 33 points if it had duplicated its regional performance.

Rosario’s second bench press of 510 pounds broke the record he set on his first lift of 490. The mark bested Jacksonville Bolle’s Kirk Robinson, who benched 485 in the 1988 Class 2A meet.

Rosario scratched on his final bench attempt of 530. He also posted a 290-pound clean and jerk for an 800 total.

Garcia won his title by five pounds, with a 200-pound bench and 205-pound clean and jerk for a 405 total.

Other area individual champions were Altha’s Gary Chew (139) and Blountstown’s Ryan Baker (219). Other area lifters who earned place points (for sixth and higher) were Altha’s Anthony Golden (154), Arnold’s Ryan Kahn (129), LaQuenta Dixon (219) and Chris Gipson (238) and Blountstown’s Britton Leach (199).

Area lifters’ results from the Class 1A meet:

Altha (3) — 1. Gary Chew (139) 245-260 — 505, 2. Anthony Golden (154) 285-265 — 540, 12. John Tedesco (238) 280-280 — 560.

Arnold (11) — 1. Raephael Garcia (119) 200-205 — 405, 10. Joel Ensminger (119) 175-155 — 330, 6. Ryan Kahn (129) 250-175 — 425, 11. Jonathan Nguyen (129) 195-195 — 390, Tie 14. Jonothan Moseley (154) scratch, Tie 15. Dalton Mandigo (169) scratch, Tie 14. Jake Woodham (183) scratch, 6. LaQuenta Dixon (219) 340-270 — 610, 1. Gar Rosario (238) 510-290 — 800, 4. Chris Gipson (238) 345-290 — 635, 7. Cody Dana (HWT) 440-245 — 685.

Blountstown (5) — 10. Joseph Sapp (139) 250-205 455, Tie 14. Joshua Godwin (154) scratch, Tie 14. Malcolm Ivory (183) scratch, 6. Britton Leach (199) 325-275 — 600, 1. Ryan Baker (219) 375-300 — 675.

Bozeman (1) — Tie 15. Michael Johnston (139) scratch.

Chipley (1) — 16. Ricky Dodd (199) 305-245 — 550.

Vernon (1) — Tie 15. Justin Harvey (129) scratch.

Wewahitchka (1) — 8. Ryan Myers (139) 220-240 — 460.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Braden River's Bryant takes fifth, wins medal
By Ron White

DAYTONA BEACH

In just its third year of competition, the Braden River boys weightlifting team made its big splash Friday at the Class 1A state championships at Embry-Riddle University.

Sophomore Tevin Bryant became the school's first medalist with a fifth-place finish in the 238-pound class, and the team finished 30th overall.

Bryant matched a personal-best with 345 pounds on the bench press and then hoisted 285 pounds in the clean-and-jerk for a 630-pound total. That put him in good company in a class that featured Gar Rosario, who set the all-class state bench press record when he pushed up 510 pounds. Rosario won the class with an 800-pound total.

Braden River coach Josh Hunter, who has been at the helm since the program's inception, said Bryant's clean-and-jerk was particularly noteworthy given a sore shoulder suffered during a football drill this week.

"I'm really proud of him," Hunter said. "He has unmatched potential. If he puts his mind to it, he can be as good as he wants to be in both football and weightlifting."

Seven Braden River athletes competed at the state competition, six more than in 2007, and Hunter said there's every reason to believe the program is on the way up, particularly given six of the team's seven state qualifiers are expected back next season.

"They've put in a lot of hard work. If you look up and down our lineup, the kids put anywhere from 95 to 130 pounds on their totals from last season," Hunter said.

His squad also turned in two eighth-place finishes. Nickalos Gaines totaled 600 pounds in the 219-pound class, and Thomas Ely finished with 580 pounds in the 199-pound class.

Gaines pushed up 285 pounds on his second press attempt but missed 290 pounds on his final attempt. He then started with a successful 305-pound effort on the clean-and-jerk and ended his day by hoisting 315 pounds.

Ely succeeded at 285 and 295 on the bench before missing on 305. After being called for a foul on his first clean-and-jerk attempt, he went up 10 pounds to 285 and found success. On his final attempt, he cleaned the bar but was unable to push the 305 pounds above his head. Had he succeeded, Ely would have boosted himself into fifth place.

"(Ely's) going to do good things for us. He's learned how to compete, and it will serve us well next year," Hunter said.

Braden River's Casey Hunt also competed in the 199-pound class but scratched on all three of his clean-and-jerk attempts.

In the 119-pound class, Braden River's Nathan Gifford finished seventh with a 370 total. He succeeded at 185 pounds on both lifts. Teammate Chris Wong finished 13th with a 310-pound total. Justin Stanley was ninth in the 154-pound class with a 500 total.

Cardinal Mooney junior Benjamin Bobish, who plays cornerback for the football team, finished 12th in the 169-pound class with a 515 total.

Bobish's teammate, Clayton Hazeltine, benched 280 in the 219-pound class but scratched on all three of his clean-and-jerk attempts, which included a 300-pound attempt that would have made him just the seventh athlete in school history to succeed at that weight.

Glen St. Mary Baker County won the team title with 30 points. Arnold was second with 19 points, and Orlando Harmony finished third.

CLASS 1A STATE WEIGHTLIFTING MEET

At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Team standings - 1. Baker County (BC) 30, 2. Arnold (ARN) 19, 3. Harmony 15, 4. Altha 12, 5. Mulberry (Mul) 9, 6. Lemon Bay 8, 7. Interlachen 8, 8. Bartow 8, 9. Bolles 8, 10. Blountstown 8, 30. Braden River 2.

Individual winners - 119 pounds: Raphael Garcia (ARN), 200-205-405; 129: Dominique Ford (Mul), 240-215-455; 139: Gary Chew (Altha), 245-260-505; 154: Jarrertt Yulee (Suwanee), 270-270-540; 169: Sammy Brown (West Nassau), 355-245-600; 183: Harry Reddick (Madison County) 380-280-660; 199: Lucious Lee (BC) 405-300-705; 219: Ryen Baker (Blountstown) 375-300-674; 238: Gar Rosario (ARN) 510-290-800; Heavyweights: Nick Sardoni (Harmony) 500-315-815.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Big Bend weightlifters bring home titles
By Bill Lumpkin

DAYTONA BEACH — The facial expressions from Altha's Anthony Golden and Madison County's Harry Reddick told the whole story from one end of the spectrum to the other at the Class 1A state weightlifting championship on Friday.

Golden lost his bid for a state championship in the 154-pound class by a single ounce while Reddick won a state title in the 183-pound class.

"Maybe I should have sweated a little more last night," said Golden, who lifted the same 540 total as Suwannee's Jarrett Yulee, but lost the state championship because Yulee weighed 152.10 and he weighed 152.20. "There's so many things I could have changed. I came here to win. At the same time, I could have finished sixth like I did last year."

Reddick, on the other hand, won a state championship for the second time during the school year after playing linebacker on the school's football team in the fall.

"I feel like I'm on my way to Heaven," Reddick said. "I feel very good. I came down here expecting to win. I did what I was supposed to do."

Baker County won the Class 1A state championship with 31 points, followed by Arnold with 19 points and Harmony with 15 points.

Altha, with only three lifters, put up a valiant fight to finish in a two-way tie for fourth with 12 points.

"I probably should have prepared a little bit better," Golden said. "I know I had more than 540 in me. I'm better than that."

Golden failed to get his final bench of 295 and ended up with 285 on the bench and 255 in the clean and jerk for the 540 total.

His teammate, Gary Chew, took home the state championship in the 139-pound division, but it turned out a lot closer than he imagined.

Chew, who finished ninth at state two years ago and fifth last year, finally won the top honor by lifting 505 pounds. It was the same total as Fort White's Christopher Griffith, but Chew weighed in at 138.50 to Griffith's 138.90.

Chew had lifted 520 in winning the sectional. He also failed to break the 285-pound record in his class in the clean and jerk. He lifted 250 on his first try, then 260 before failing to break the mark with 290 on his final try.

"My first goal was to win the state championship," he said. "That was much more important that breaking the record."

Blountstown finished in a four-way tie for seventh with eight points as LSU football signee Ryan Baker won the state championship in the 219-pound class by 25 pounds over second-place Ben Fowler of Orlando First Academy.

Baker finished with a total of 675, including 375 on the bench and 300 on the clean and jerk. He failed on his final attempts to get 400 on the bench and 325 on the clean and jerk.

Reddick paced Madison County to a three-way tie for 11th place with seven points. He had a bench of 380 and a clean and jerk of 280 for a total of 660 to win his division by 20 pounds.

"I'm a little relieved that it's over," Reddick said. "I probably maxed out on the bench, but maybe I had a little more in the clean and jerk. I heard everybody talking and looking at the numbers and adding up everything. I just came down here and did my thing. Now, it's time to get back to Madison."

The only other local school to score points was Wakulla which finished in a seven-way tie for 17th with four points.

Other top local finishers included Wakulla's Mookie Forbes with a fourth-place finish in the 119-pound class with a total of 390; Blountstown's Britton Leach with a sixth-place finish in the 199-pound class with a total of 600; and Wakulla's Tim Dawson with a sixth-place finish in the heavyweight class with a total of 685.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Hudson's Tindell 3rd At State
By Larry Bugg

DAYTONA BEACH - Hudson High's Travis Tindell took third place Friday in the Class 1A boys state weightlifting meet at Embry-Riddle University.

The senior lifted 385 pounds in the bench press and 330 in the clean-and-jerk for a 715-pound total in the heavyweight class.

The winner of the heavyweight class, Nick Sardoni of Harmony, had a 500-pound bench press, a state record, and a total of 815 pounds.

"It's good," Tindell said of the third-place finish. "It definitely feels good. Third place will have to do. I have been here before. The first time is always nerve-wracking. You get used to it after a while."

His coach wasn't surprised .

"Third place is kind of what we expected," Hudson coach Tim White said. "Competition brings out the best in him. He did a good job. We're happy."

Tindell was one of three Pasco County lifters to bring home medals.

Wiregrass Ranch's Justin Janney became the first lifter from his school and the first to medal. He took fourth in the 219-pound class with a 620-pound total. He had a 340-pound bench press and a 280-pound clean-and-jerk.

Gulf senior Jordan Holding took fifth in the 129-pound class despite a badly injured little finger. He had a bench press of 240 pounds and a clean-and-jerk of 190 pounds.

Baker County won the team title with 30 points. Hudson was 19th with four points. Wiregrass Ranch was 26th with three points. Gulf was 28th with two points.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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IHS lifters seventh in state

Three of Interlachen’s four representatives in the class 1A found their way to the medal stand Friday in the class 1A state weightlifting meet.

The Rams scored eight points to share seventh place with Jacksonville Bolles, Bartow and Blountstown in competition at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach.

The highest-placing Ram was junior Jamel Leonard in the 238-pound weight class, where he put a 350-pound bench press with a 300-pound clean for a 650 total for third. Leonard’s clean and jerk tied for first in his class.

Senior Brandon Douglas finished fourth in the 139-pound class at 260-220—480. The figure equaled that of Bartow’s Charles Felder, but third place went to Felder, who was two-tenths of a pound lighter than Douglas at weigh-in.

Junior Dustin Douglas was sixth in the 154-pound class at 280-230—510. A St. Augustine lifter had the same total, but Douglas was lighter. Another five pounds n Douglas scratched going for 230 on the clean n would have gotten him into third place ahead of three others who posted 515 but were heavier than Douglas.

The fourth Interlachen competitor, Brandt Schwarz, was 12th in the 219-pound class with a 555 total.

Baker County won the team championship with 30 points. Panama City Beach Arnold was second with 19.

Palatka’s Nick Albert defends his 119-pound championship today in the class 2A state meet, also at Embry-Riddle. Albert is the Panthers’ only state qualifier.