“I always say thanks to Clay High former coach Rodney Keller for making the county weightlifting programs as good as they are,” said Fleming Island coach Sean Coultis, who exacted a two point win over Ridgeview in the Olympics scoring; 36-34, while Middleburg showed off their strength and power to win a second Traditional region […]
“I always say thanks to Clay High former coach Rodney Keller for making the county weightlifting programs as good as they are,” said Fleming Island coach Sean Coultis, who exacted a two point win over Ridgeview in the Olympics scoring; 36-34, while Middleburg showed off their strength and power to win a second Traditional region title with a 40-32 title over Ridgeview as the Panthers were the “whisper” challenger for the region for most of the season.
“We had a lot of young girls to come out this season, but have had a good corp of solid returners with Deja and Jada Hill, Madison Roach, Jazmine Caraballo and others who kind of keep the battle close,” said Ridgeview coach Trentin Davis. “There were a lot of good lifters here from other parts of the state, but we showed up and made some people think about us.”
For Clay, senior Emma Heck is on a direct track to gather her fourth straight state title; this one at 139, with overwhelming numbers ahead of her challengers;l 405-335 totals against Fleming Island’s Kathryn Ward in Traditional and 405-325 at Olympics. Heck owns most of the state records for her weight class at 129 from last year and will most likely up the ante at the state meet as state records only get recorded at the state meet.
For Middleburg coach Rhiannon Weiskopf, who belies her intensity as a coach with a smooth, quiet approach to the sport, has been traditionall a lineup of “other sport” athletes that know how to perform at the big show.
“We have always had state champion athletes from softball, cheerleaders, track and other sports use this sport first for conditioning then they fall in love with the sport,” said Weiskopf, who was the Middleburg cheerleader coach the past few years. “When they realize that they are strong enough to compete, then even stronger when they go play their sport, it’s a win win for Middleburg athletics.”
For Coultis, who could be the Bobby Kennedy of weightlifting level of coaching and inspiration with his loud, bombastic encouraging, O’Steen has been the surprise of the post season with a double title at districts from a pair of personal best lifts that got even better with more personal best lifts to two region titles.
“We know what our numbers are and ask the girls maybe for five or 10 more pounds at the bigger meets,” said Coultis. “It’s all about the adrenaline kicking in to win a district, then go to state. These girls are just hard core competitors.”
Coultis trump card for another state title; had one a few years ago with Autumn Leviston in 2023 and two time boys champion Kevin Reyes, who is in his senior season looking for a third state title in Olympics.
“I’ve taken a logical approach to getting the girls into the room with them having fun when they get in,” said Coultis. “That is the key. If they don’t have fun, the workouts are drudgery.”
One lifter for Coultis who looks on path to shoot for a title for Coultis is senior Bradi Johnson at 199 with two region titles with a 50 pound gap between her and, in Traditional, Ridgeview’s Ania Haber, 330-280, and, in Olympics, just a 40 pound gap, 310-270. Johnson was second last year while Haber has been on a mission to make the catch under coach Davis.
“She is driven, but she knows where the Fleming Island girl is at,” said Davis. “We get some pressure from other girls at state and Ania can jump the line. She is very focused.”
Davis got double points from his sisters duo of Jada and Deja Hill at 101 and 110, respectively, with the energetic pair winning titles in Olympics and second and third in Traditional. Middleburg’s Ash Piniero pushed Hill to second at 101 in Traditional.
Davis also got first place points from Jazmin Caraballo at 183 in Traditional and second by just five pounds in Olympics to stay close to the top spot.
PANAMA CITY BEACH – With a handful of pairs, the region 1-2A girls weightlifting championships featured double trouble scoring from key players to put Clay County teams; Middleburg, Fleming Island and Ridgeview, at the top of scoring at the region 1-2A girls weightlifting championships at Bay High School in Panama City.Fleming Island
Angelica Greene 2014 199
Autumn Leviston 2023 110
Ridgeview
Jordan Steinmetz 2012 199
State Champions
Oakleaf
Tamira Briley 2021 110
Lexi Perez 2019 154
Keystone Heights
Brittany Meng 2004 119
Morgan Buettcher 2010 199
Clay
Brooke Baudendistel 2010 110
Brooke Berger 2019 154
Lindsey Brooks 2020 199
Ashleigh Dean 2017 129
Alexandra Hamilton 2014 110
Erykah Murray 2017 169
Sabrina Palmares 2014 UNL
St. Johns Country Day School
Addison Frisbee 2022 129
By Randy Lefko randy@claytodayonline.com
