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Headed to State

By Randy Lefko Sports Editor
Posted 4/3/19

OAKLEAF – With four individual champions and three top three finishers, the Oakleaf High Knights boys weightlifting team won a clash of titans with Fleming Island High to take the region 2-2A …

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Headed to State


Posted

OAKLEAF – With four individual champions and three top three finishers, the Oakleaf High Knights boys weightlifting team won a clash of titans with Fleming Island High to take the region 2-2A weightlifting team title, 43-41, at Oakleaf High School on Fri., March 29.

In region 5-1A, Keystone Heights, with five champions, won convincingly by 30 points; 74-44, over Tavares High School.

The Indians, under coach Lantz Lowery, got titles from five lifters; Zach Glover, Holden Knapp, Josh Hughes, Carter Semione and Dan Dodd to dominate the field. Dodd landed an impressive 730 pound total with a 380 bench press and a 350 clean and jerk.

In region 3-1A, Orange Park got individual titles from David Araujo and Zykiem Sermons en route to a fourth place team finish. Sermons won at 183 by 10 pounds with a 600 total with Araujo winning at 199 by 30 pounds with a 675 total.

Araujo, a district champion two weeks ago with Sermons, waited until his competition nearly completed their clean and jerk lifts before winning his region title with a best of 335 in the clean and jerk.

“I was going to come in at 290 figuring that would win and see how the field reacted,” said Araujo, after his 290 lift. “Going above 300 was just to see what I could do.”

Also in region 3-1A, Ridgeview got a second place finish from junior Ralando Grey at 139. Clay got fifths from Isiah Jones at 119 and Wilguens Dorvilus at 169.

For Oakleaf, senior Michael Williams, sophomore Paul McGee, senior Tayari Otis and sophomore Kevin Davis won titles for the Knights to automatically advance to the state championships to be held April 15 in Panama City.

Only region champions earn an automatic state meet berth to fill the top eight of 16 slots in each weight class. The final eight will be determined by weight totals from all the regions combined.

Fleming Island, with two individual champions; Andrew Thomas and Jeremiah Jackson, chased the Knights with both teams filling the top five slots of seven of the eight weight divisions.

Oakleaf topped the region field with Fleming Island second and Bartram Trail a distant third with 23 points.

Middleburg, with a third place from Trevor Shearin and a fourth from Cole LeClair finished with 10 team points.

In region 2-2A, at 119, Williams beat Fleming Island’s Ian Ali by 20 pounds with a 410 total. At 129, Mcgee won with a 325 total that was tied with St. Augustine’s Aidan Harnage, but Mcgee weighed in at 124.4 pounds with Harnage at 129 giving Mcgee the title for weighing less.

At 139, Fleming Island’s Will Stephens was second by five pounds with a 450 total.

At 154, Oakleaf’s Zech Nesby was second with a 490 total that tied for the top total, but Nesby outweighed Lincoln’s Isaiah Hendley, 151.6-149.6.

At 169, Thomas won big with a 610 with teammate Broden Domenico second with a 555 total.

At 183, Otis won at 550 by five pounds over Fleming Island’s Azzie Ramirez with Middleburg’s Trevor Shearin third at 515.

At 199, Davis won by 10 pounds with his 645 total over Columbia’s Marlon Pollock.

At 219, Oakleaf’s Dexter Moore was third at 555 with Tyler Johnson Jones of Columbia winning at 675.

At 238, Jackson won at 655 by 70 pounds over Jourdan jones of Lincoln with Oakleaf’s King Solomon third at 530.

At Unlimited, where Chiles’ Daniel Ward won at 665, Middleburg’s Cole LeClair was fourth at 590.

At Keystone Heights, Glover won by 50 pounds at 119 with a 355 total; Knapp won at 129 by 15 pounds with a 340 total; Hughes won by 20 pounds at 219 with a 615 total with teammate Colby Townsend second; Semione won at 238 by 50 pounds with a 625 total and Dodd crushed the Unlimited by 45 with his 730 total.

Class 1A qualifiers (State meet Sat., April 13 10:30 a.m., Arnold High School, Panama City Beach):

119 (Top total 400): Zach Glover KHHS (region champ, 355)

129 (Top total 485): Holden Knapp KHHS (region champ 340)

139 (Top total 550): Ralando Grey RHS (440); Ulysses Freed KHHS (430); Jesse Donohue KHHS (415)

154 (Top total 605): Jaiden Turner RHS (475); Colton Tibbetts KHHS (465)

169 (Top total 595): Mike Kirtley KHHS (535); Dorvilus Wilguens CHS (490)

183 (Top total 605): Zykeim Sermonds OPHS (region champ, 600); Wesley Morris RHS (570)

199 (Top total 675, David Araujo OPHS

219 (Top total 670): Josh Hughes KHHS (region champ 615); Colby Townsend KHHS (590)

238 (Top total 675): Carter Semione KHHS (region champ 625); Kendy Charles OPHS (610)

Unlimited (Top total 775): Dan Dodd KHHS (region champ 730)

Class 2A qualifiers (State meet Fri., April 12 10:30 a.m., Arnold High, Panama City Beach)

119 (Top total 465): Michael Williams OHS (region champ 410); Ian Ali FIHS (390); Charlie Callahan FIHS (340)

129 (Top total 510): Paul Mcgee OHS (region champ 325)

139 (Top total 515): Will Stephens FIHS (450)

154 (Top total 575): Zech Nesby OHS (490)

169 (Top total 645): Andrew Thomas FIHS (region champ, 610); Broden Domenico FIHS (555)

183 (Top total 630): Tayari Otis OHS (550); Azzie Ramirez FIHS (545)

199 (Top total 680): Kevin Davis OHS (645); Tim Thomas FIHS (565); Donovan Thomas OHS (550)

219 (Top total 710): n/a

238 (Top total 675): Jeremiah Jackson FIHS (region champ, 655)

Unlimited (Top total 785): n/a