“Third in each but second overall as a school is the best finish our boys have had. I was very pleased with their performance,” Gotsch said.“…It was all Lake Wales. Lake Wales stayed back on the snatch and came back and just put their foot down in the clean and jerk and never looked back,” […]
“Third in each but second overall as a school is the best finish our boys have had. I was very pleased with their performance,” Gotsch said.“…It was all Lake Wales. Lake Wales stayed back on the snatch and came back and just put their foot down in the clean and jerk and never looked back,” Hargrove said.“It feels amazing. (I) can’t tell you how proud I am of these young men and the work they have put in. These young men are amazing, and this has been an amazing season. We put in the work to continue to do what we do every year, and we will continue that process,” Lake Wales head boys weightlifting coach Tashawn Williams said.
Haines City head weightlifting coach David Gotsch was very pleased.“It feels great. I’m more so proud of the way we all came together as a team and shattered expectations of ourselves. Everyone did what they needed to and we secured the title as team champions both ways. That’s the beauty of this sport though. Overall, I’m just really proud of my boys,” Canet said.
The following is a list of top-five weightlifters in each respective weight class in traditional: 119: Lakeland’s Tyrone Cooper (second, 350 total), Ridge Community’s Mattew Walken (third, 325), Fort Meade’s Juan Estrada (fourth, 325) and Winter Haven’s Peyton Bowers (fifth, 320); 129: Bartow’s Isaac Martin (first, 385), Lake Wales LeBron Alvarez (second, 340), Mulberry’s Alex Rodriguez (third, 335), Mulberry’s Eric Mulberry (fourth, 330) and Tenoroc’s Sean Dickerson (fifth, 315); 139: Lake Wales’ Zacchaeus Hart (first, 435), Ridge’s Jan Algeran (second, 415), Lake Gibson’s Kody Raborn (third, 410), Lake Wales’ Jeziel Baez (fourth, 390) and Haines City’s Dominic Urquijo (fifth, 370); 154: Haines City’s Jackson Merritt (first, 480), Lake Gibson’s Nathaniel Goldsmith (second, 470), Lake Wales’ Luis Alvarez (third, 415), Lake Wales’ Coen Hayes (fourth, 415) and Mulberry’s Dakota Eaton (fifth, 390); 169: Lake Wales’ Bryan Santiago (second, 480), Auburndale’s Devon Jacobs (third, 480), Haines City’s Franc Gullame (fourth, 440), and Lakeland’s Chase Breckenridge (fifth, 440); 183: Lakeland’s Hunter Pluess (first, 490), Ridgeview’s Devin Seymour (second, 485), Lake Wales’ Lane Stewart (third, 460), Lakeland’s Jeremiah Finn (fourth, 460) and Lake Region’s Jarien Wilson (fifth, 410); 199: Haines City’s Brandyn Bailey (second, 555), Ridge’s Mattieu (third, 520), Lakeland’s Zephaniah Rodgers (fourth, 510), Ridge’s Shane Peterson (fifth, 480); 219: Ridge’s Tristen Allman (second, 575), Mulberry’s Jasiah Davis (third, 555), Auburndale’s Jayden Mondesir (fourth, 535) and Ridge’s Javaree James (fifth, 515); 238: Auburndale’s Jayden Prodgen (second, 560), George Jenkins’ Markham (third, 535), Davenport’s Angel Flores (fourth, 525), Lake Wales’ Graden Tempone (fifth, 500); Unlimited: George Jenkins’ Robert Newman (first, 600), Ridge’s Marc Michel (second, 590), Auburndale’s Terry Sullivan (third, 590), Lake Wales’ Sylvens Blanchard (fourth, 580) and Haines City’s Elijah Rivera (fifth, 575).“This is our first year placing top two in the Polk County Championship. I am immensely proud of all 12 of my athletes who competed today. Despite having fewer numbers than most teams, we showed our hard work and determination,” Doblin said. “In my three years of coaching, this is the team I’m most proud of. We have had strong individuals in the past, but this team is a unit that pushes each other past their limits.”
It’s also the second year in a row the program is double champs in both Olympic and traditional. The Highlanders scored 52 points in traditional, while posting 66 points in the Olympic category. Also positioned in the top five in traditional was Ridge Community (28 points), Haines City (26), Lakeland (20) and Davenport (19). For Olympic schools in the top five, it was Davenport (27), Haines City (25), Auburndale (23) and Ridge Community (18).
Davenport head boys weightlifting coach Dave Doblin said he was very proud of his team, especially since they posted history.Other county double champions were the following: Haines City’s Gael Guzman (119 pounds, Traditional: 410 total, Olympic: 345 total), Davenport’s Jordan Russell (169, Traditional: 485, Olympic: 465), Davenport’ Ciprian Luna (199, Traditional: 560, Olympic: 565), Lake Wales Isaac Ramos (238, Traditional: 635, Olympic: 535).Senior Lake Wales weightlifter Josh Canet (219) was a double champion, hitting a total of 600 in Olympic and 615 in Traditional. He hit a personal record in snatch with a 275. Other weightlifters hitting personal bests for Lake Wales were Coen Hayes with 220 pounds for the clean and jerk, LeBron Alvarez with 175 for the clean and jerk and Luis Alverez with a 205 for the clean and jerk.LAKE WALES ― For the seventh time in eight years, Lake Wales boys weightlifting program was victorious in the Polk County Boys Weightlifting Championship Saturday at Lake Wales High School.Lake Gibson head boys weightlifting coach Daniel Hargrove said it was about Lake Wales, too.
