FHSAA boys weightlifting meets begin Friday: See Volusia-Flagler's state qualifiers
One last meet separates Volusia-Flagler's strongest weightlifters from state championship glory.
The Florida High School Athletic Association's boys weightlifting championships take place this weekend from the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. The Class 3A meet begins 1 p.m. Friday, and competitors in Class 2A and Class 1A hit the platform beginning 9 a.m. Saturday.
Spruce Creek aims to defend its Class 3A Olympic and team traditional titles; the Hawks could eclipse 30 FHSAA recognized state championships with a win in either scoring style. New Smyrna Beach ranks among the top contenders in Class 2A, particularly in traditional competition, with defending champs Ryan Geary (154 pounds) and Isaiah McCloud (219) back in the fold.
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Elijah Walker could become Mainland's first state weightlifting gold medalist since 1995. Flagler Palm Coast's Nick Groth enters as the 169-pound favorite in 3A, and Matanzas' Cole Hash will go for a second straight victory at 199 pounds in 2A.
Athletes are listed alphabetically with their weight classes and competitive styles in parentheses. O stands for Olympic, and T stands for traditional scoring.
Class 3A
All lifters begin competition 1 p.m. Friday
DeLand: Vincent Chen (Unlimited O), Dante Mascio (199 O)
Flagler Palm Coast: Dylan Bennett (169 O), Nick Groth (169 O/T), Cody Strawser (119 O/T)
Spruce Creek: Jacob Adkins (154 T), Brian Begnoche (199 O/T), Ricardo Bell (199 T), Bradley Bingham (Unlimited O/T), Chadwicke Cannon (Unlimited O/T), Zachary Caron (238 O/T), Landon Diperri (129 O), Derrick Hanna (119 O/T), Christian Jones (219 O/T), Eli Novak (139 O/T), Alex Sebastien (183 O/T), Luke Strickland (129 O/T), Sol Teschner (183 O/T), Jayden Torres (154 O/T), Jonaell Torres (129 T), Ryan Youngs (199 O)
University: Carlito Betancourt (183 O/T), Nick Cleavenger (169 T), Ethan Fournier (154 T), Ethan Hemke (119 O), Francis Hipolito (119 O/T), Austin Rosser (219 O), Nathan Thomas (238 O/T), Liam Valle (119 T)
Class 2A
Heavyweights compete at 9 a.m. Saturday; Lightweights at 3 p.m.
Atlantic: Winder Altinor (Unlimited O/T)
Deltona: Thomas Berrios (183 O/T)
Mainland: Elijah Walker (Unlimited T)
Matanzas: Cole Hash (199 O/T), Maison Leanard (119 O/T), Jaden Sao (129 O/T)
New Smyrna Beach: Thomas Anderson (199 O), Calvin Blount (238 O), Gage Brown (154 O), Isaiah Cotton (169 O/T), Lukas Gamble (139 O/T), Ryan Geary (154 T), Noah Lange (169 O), Isaiah McCloud (219 O/T), Josh McRae (219 O/T), Chris Murphy (183 O/T), Aiden Strong (139 O/T), Jackson Vella (129 O/T)
Pine Ridge: Billy Faulk (169 O/T), Rylan Shroyer (129 O/T)
Class 1A
Lightweights compete at 9 a.m. Saturday; Heavyweights at 3 p.m.
Father Lopez: Maverick Grimm (169 T), Robbie Ridgeway (169 O/T)
Taylor: Alex Gomez (119 O/T), Francisco Perez (238 T), Cooper Smith (154 T)
Trinity Christian: Chandler Shacklette (238 T)
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: FHSAA boys weightlifting: Daytona Beach area state meet qualifiers
