New Smyrna Beach, Spruce Creek among big area winners in FHSAA boys weightlifting districts

ORANGE CITY — One championship ring just won't do this time around for New Smyrna Beach junior Isaiah McCloud.

McCloud intends not only to defend his Class 2A 199-pound traditional weightlifting title, but to also get the Barracudas back atop the podium as team for the first time since 2015.

"It just looks so nice on my hand. It's got that perfect weight to it. It just makes you want it," said McCloud, who hit lifts of 235 pounds in the snatch, 275 in the clean and jerk and 395 in the bench press. "My friends try to put it on, and I tell them, 'You've got to get one for yourself!'"

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New Smyrna Beach rolled through the first part of the FHSAA's state series Wednesday with Olympic and traditional team victories in the District 8-2A meet at University High. Barracudas competitors won in seven of the 10 weight classes in traditional style (clean and jerk/bench press), and in six divisions for Olympic (snatch/clean and jerk).

McCloud (219 pounds) was one of six 'Cudas to earn victories in both styles, along with Aiden Strong (139), Isaiah Cotton (169), Thomas Anderson (199) and Calvin Blount (238). Two-time state champion Ryan Geary (154) began his title defense with a 580 traditional total, while Chris Murphy (183 traditional) and Gage Brown (154 Olympic) added individual victories.

Geary, a senior praised by teammates for his leadership both in sweat equity and vocal support, delivered a message before the competition that he described as "what we were all thinking."

"It's playoff time," Geary said. "This whole season was fun, it was good, but now it's districts. It's a whole 'nother ballgame. You have to be on your top, lift as much as you can do and move on.

"I love these boys, and I want us to win. So I'm going to step up, and have been stepping up since Day 1 because I see the potential. We've just got to keep grinding, and I am going to push them until the very end."

Forced to withdraw from the Five Star Conference meet two weeks ago due to food poisoning, Mainland senior heavyweight Elijah Walker set a new competitive personal-best with a 430-pound bench press. The Alabama State-bound offensive lineman won the unlimited traditional event with a 740 total, and hopes to become the school's first FHSAA state weightlifting champion since Rodney Smith in 1995.

"I already know what it feels like to win in football. Best feeling ever. I can imagine weightlifting would feel the same," Walker said. "The goal at the end of the day is to become superior in all sports. Mainland's already got basketball and football. Our bowling's good. Track is amazing. Now we've got weightlifting with a bunch of young kids that are growing."

Atlantic's Winder Altinor prevailed in the unlimited Olympic division with a 450 total, while Pine Ridge had a pair of winners at 119 pounds: Eli Mendez in Olympic (230 score) and Cannon Hayton in traditional (280).

District 3-3A

PALM COAST — Spruce Creek, the reigning Class 3A team champions in both Olympic and traditional weightlifting, swept district titles Wednesday at Flagler Palm Coast.

The Hawks had six double winners on the day: Derrick Hannah (119), Eli Novak (139), Brian Begnoche (199), Christian Jones (219), Zachary Caron (238) and Bradley Bingham (unlimited). Teammates Alex Sebastien and Sol Teschner traded titles in Olympic and traditional scoring, respectively.

Flagler Palm Coast senior Nick Groth cut weight to compete in the 169 division and set a school clean and jerk record of 315 pounds. He won golds in both styles, notching scores of 590 in traditional and 545 in Olympic.

"It was rough the last two days because it's no water, no food pretty much," Groth, a two-time state qualifier, said. "I handled it pretty well last year, so I knew my body was capable of it.

"I didn't feel 100% today on snatch, but my clean-and-jerks felt great. That's why I went for the school record."

District 4-3A

University defended its home gym Tuesday with sweeps of Olympic and traditional team titles, scoring 83 and 78 points in comfortable victories.

Liam Valle produced one of the top pound-for-pound performances of the day with a 400 total (170 clean and jerk, 230 bench press) in the 119 traditional division. Nick Cleavenger swept golds in the 169 class for the Titans, who won nine individual events overall: Francis Hipolito (119 Olympic), Chris Kelting (139 Olympic), Carlito Betancourt (183 Olympic), Ethan Fournier (154 traditional), Peyton McKenzie (219 traditional) and Nathan Thomas (238 traditional).

DeLand's Camden Jackson prevailed in both disciplines among the 129-pound competitors, with a 325 Olympic score and 385 in traditional. Vincent Chen also represented the Bulldogs on top of the podium as the top heavyweight in Olympic with a 485 score.

District 5-2A

Defending state champion Cole Hash (199 pounds) tallied scores of 645 and 505 in traditional and Olympic, respectively, and the Pirates won the overall team title in Olympic style in St. Augustine on Wednesday.

Maison Leanard (119) and Jaden Sao (129) notched individual Olympic wins for the Pirates, and Aiden Try (139), Seth Clarke (169), Jordan Theus-Vale (219) and Ahmad Louis-Charles (238) were runners-up, with the latter pair of lifters triumphant in traditional style.

Ezra Williams cruised to an individual title, the lone victory for Seabreeze, with a 425 Olympic score.

District 9-1A

Robbie Ridgeway (169 pounds), Teddy Loach (183) and Luke Patterson (unlimited) picked up individual titles and helped Father Lopez to an Olympic team victory at Mount Dora Christian Academy. Maverick Grimm, Seth Kalisz and Max Walter added third-place finishes in those weight classes, and Ian LaFleur (129) and Brody Milligan (139) placed second as the Green Wave collected 52 points, four more than Trinity Prep.

Ridgeway added a win in the traditional style as well, hitting a top snatch of 175 pounds and identical 240-pound lifts in the clean and jerk and the bench press. Milligan emerged victorious in the 139-pound traditional competition with a 395 total score.

Taylor finished second in traditional team scoring, and third in Olympic. Four Wildcats captured district gold medals: Alex Gomez (119 traditional and Olympic), Francisco Perez (238 traditional), Dylan Beatty (129 Olympic) and Grant Raulerson (219 Olympic).

Trinity Christian's Chandler Shacklette rolled to victory in the 238 Olympic category with a 410 total, 140 pounds clear of the field.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: FHSAA boys weightlifting: NSB, Creek, University among area winners