LIVE OAK - Keystone Heights High's boys weightlifting team saw the eyes of the Tiger; more the Bulldog, in battling state champion contender Suwannee High School at the region 2-1A championships held Saturday at Suwannee High School.

"Right now, they are the better team with a lot of returners from last year's squad," said Keystone Heights High coach Lantz Lowery, as he cruised through the Suwannee High gym taking notes on his Indians squad bent on pushing for an astounding fourth straight state title after finishing second to Suwannee at Saturday's event. "They have the seniors, we have young kids willing to battle and the state meet will be a show of character. Things happen here that won't happen at state because it is a bigger arena and more at stake."

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FHSAA Boys Weightlifting Championships
RP Funding Center-Jenkins Arena
Lakeland, FL
April 18-20
Thurs., April 18-Class 3A weigh-ins
Friday, April 19-1 p.m. 3A starts
Friday, April 19-6 p.m., 1A-2A weigh-ins
Sat., April 20: 1A-2A 9 a.m. start (119-169 1A)/183-Unl 2A)
Awards when completed
Sat., April 20: 3 p.m. (1A 183-Unl/2A 119-169)
Awards when complete
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Lowery, second to Suwannee in Olympics by an 83-40 slate with two champions; Wyatt Van Zant at 139 and Trey Jeffries at 238, and second in Tradition by a closer 59-40 score with Ben Ulsch at 169 and Jeffries as champions.
In Class 2A last year, Suwannee won the Olympics team title with Keystone Heights taking the Traditional.
Suwannee, on the other hand, had four champions in traditionally and five champions in Olympics.
"We will go home, clean up our techniques and hope for some luck at state to beat them," said Lowery. "We like where we are. We do what we do and that puts pressure on everyone."
For Middleburg, in their Region 1-2A championships at Choctowhatchee High School on Thursday, the Broncos scrappy lift team finished a tough fourth in Traditional behind Choctowhatchee and Baker County up top with a 46-30 tab with Middleburg fourth at 24 just behind Fort Walton Beach at 25 with Josh Senear at 169 and Gage Isbell at Unlimited winning individual titles. Senear won by five pounds over Chance Jenkins of Arnold High and by 45 pounds over Fleming Island's Tyler Beverly. Isbell won by 10 pounds over Jalil Griffin of Choctowhatchee.
In Olympics, Fleming Island, with Kevin Reyes winning Unlimited, edged the Broncos 20-17 for fifth place with Choctowhatchee and Baker County again going 1-2, 59-28, with Arnold and Fort Walton Beach at third and fourth.
Fleming Island's Tyler Beverly, in 169, and the defending Olympics champion, finished second to Arnold's Chance Jenkins by 15 pounds in total while Reyes won by body weight over Landon Rome of Choctowhatchee in what will be two key battles at the Class 2A championship meet in Lakeland.
Area schools fared well in Olympics with Middleburg's Jammes Harris second in 119, Ridgeview's Jayden Campbell third at 129 with Clay's Zerek Migliore fourth; Middleburg's Trent Robinson second at 139; Ridgeview's Dondoza Roberts sixth at 154 ahead of Middleburg's Daniel Raines by five pounds; Orange Park's Bryce Sagar fifth at 169, Fleming Island's David Smith fourth at 183; Middleburg Kolton Frew third at 199; Fleming Island's Dehmir Jackson third at 219 with Middleburg's Cody Tucker at sixth; Ridgeview's Braylon Hawkins third at 238 and Middleburg's duo of Charles Little and Luke Green finishing fifth and eighth at Unlimited with Clay's Yadniel Rivera Burgos ninth.
In Traditional at the region 1-2A meet, at 119, Harris finished fourth; at 129, Migliore finished second by 25 pounds with Ridgeview's Campbell just five pounds away in fourth; at 139, Middleburg's Robinson was third; at 154, Fleming Island's Aidan Johannsen finished second with Ridgeview's Roberts fifth; Fleming Island's Beverly was third also at 169 with Orange Park's David Lava fifth and Orange Park's Gavin Gapinski seventh; Middleburg's Kolton Frew was fifth at 199 with Fleming Island's Dehmir Jackson seventh at 219; Ridgeview's Braylon Hawkins was seventh at 238 and Gage topped Unlimited with Reyes third and Little eighth.
At the Region 1-3A at Navarre High School, Oakleaf finished sixth in Traditional and Olympics with Elijah Shevchook taking the individual title at 154 and finishing second in Olympics.
Pace High edged Spruce Creek in both disciplines with a 44-35 win in Traditional with Oakleaf scoring 11 points and Pace won a tighter 46-43 slate in Olympics with Oakleaf scoring 10.
The Shevchook duo of Elijah and younger brother Noah took top-three finishes with Noah Shevchook taking second in 129 in Traditional by just 30 pounds and then taking third in Olympics by just five pounds behind runner-up Sam Lewis of Nease; 420-415.
At 154, Elijah Shevchook finished second by 15 pounds; 490-475, to Niceville's Brendan Giddings while winning the Traditional title by 15 pounds with a 550 ahead of Jacob Adkins of Spruce Creek's 535 total.
For Keystone Heights, in Olympics with Suwannee dominating the top spots, the Indians pushed for maximum team points with multiple top 10 finishes from Tyson Baxter; fifth at 119 Olympics; Jed Tisdale and Colton Hollingsworth at 129, fourth and seventh; Van Zantt and Declan Shine at 139, first and ninth; Davin Adams at 154, fourth; Ben Ulsch and Layton Wright at 169, second and 10th; Kyle Perkins at 183, fifth; Zane Leger at 199, seventh; Jayden Goodman and Bryson Wester at 219, third and seventh; Jeffries and Jackson Herman at 238, first and fourth; and Tyler Duncan and Brayden Wester at Unlimited, third and seventh.
In Traditional, Keystone Heights proved more formidable with Baxter fourth, Tisdale and Hollingsworth third and seventh; Van Zantt and Shine second and ninth; Adams fourth with Damien Dunlap eight at 154; Ulsch winning 169; Kyle Perkins and Clayton Shaw eighth and ninth at 183; Zane Leger seventh at 199; Goodman and Wester second and third at 219; Jeffries and Brayden Hall first and eighth at 238 and Duncan and Wester fifth and seventh at Unlimited.
"More top 10 finishes, more chances to pressure other lifters," said Lowery. "That's our formula. We need five or 10 pounds at state past our maxes and others missing at their shots and the game changes."

State Qualifiers (Region champs, top 16 totals in weight class)
Name (Wt, total, top lift total in-state)

1A: Keystone Heights
Olympics (Snatch/Clean Jerk): Tyson Baxter (119); Jed Tisdale (129); Wyatt Van Zantt (139 champion); Declan Shine (139); Davin Adams (154); Ben Ulsch (169); Kyle Perkins (183); Jayden Goodman (219); Bryson Wester (219); Trey Jeffries (238 champion); Jackson Herman (238); Tyler Duncan (Unlimited); Brayden Wester (Unlimited)
Traditional (Snatch/Bench Press): Tyson Baxter (119); Jed Tisdale (129); Colton Hollingsworth (129); Wyatt Van Zantt (139); Declan Shine (139); Davin Adams (154); Ben Ulsch (169 champion); Jayden Goodman (219); Bryson Wester (219); Trey Jeffries (238 Champion); Brayden Hall (238); Tyler Duncan (Unlimited); Brayden Wester (Unlimited)

2A: Middleburg
Olympics (Snatch/Clean Jerk): Jammes Harris (119); Trent Robinson (139); Kolton Frew (199); Cody Tucker (219); Charles Little (Unlimited)
Traditional: Jammes Harris (119); Trent Robinson (139); Daniel Raines (154); Josh Senear (169 champion); Kolton Frew (199); Gage Isbell (Unlimited champion)

Clay:
Olympics (Snatch/Clean Jerk): Zerek Zigliore (129);
Traditional: Zerek Migliore (129)

Orange Park:
Olympics (Snatch/Clean Jerk): Bryce Sagar (169);
Traditional: David Lava (169)

Fleming Island:
Olympics (Snatch/Clean Jerk): Tyler Beverly (169); David Smith (183); Dehmir Jackson (219); Kevin Reyes (Unlimited champion)
Traditional: Aidan Johannsen (154); Tyler Beverly (169); Kevin Reyes (Unlimited)

Ridgeview:
Olympics (Snatch/Clean Jerk): Jayden Campbell (129); Dondonza Roberts (154); Braylon Hawkins (238);
Traditional: Jayden Campbell (129); Dondoza Roberts (154); Braylon Hawkins (238)

Class 3A
Oakleaf:
Olympics: Ray Williams (119); Noah Shevchook (129); Elijay Shevchook (154); Ethan Simons (238); Tony Gray (Unlimited)
Traditional: Ray Williams (119); Noah Shevchook (129); Elijah Shevchook (154 Champion); Tony Gray (Unlimited)