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Eagles, Panthers, Broncos battle for weightlift jump start

Districts to be slugfest on county powers

By Randy Lefko randy@claytodayonline.com
Posted 1/16/25

OAKLEAF - In a raw display of team power and strength, Clay County High School girl's weightlifting championships showed off a wealth of athletic prowess that, according to coaches, shows that Clay …

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Eagles, Panthers, Broncos battle for weightlift jump start

Districts to be slugfest on county powers

Clay High three time state weightlifting champion Emma Heck readies to take on the Clay County Championships held Friday, January 10 at Oakleaf High with Middleburg's K.K. Hagan, a top challenger, left, waiting her turn.
Clay High three time state weightlifting champion Emma Heck readies to take on the Clay County Championships held Friday, January 10 at Oakleaf High with Middleburg's K.K. Hagan, a top challenger, left, waiting her turn.
Staff photo by Randy Lefko

Posted

OAKLEAF - In a raw display of team power and strength, Clay County High School girl's weightlifting championships showed off a wealth of athletic prowess that, according to coaches, shows that Clay County could be a big factor at the upcoming post season tournaments; districts, regions and state.
"It all started with Rodney Keller at Clay High and his run of title there that kind of jump-started the other schools to take steps to try and equal that level of consistency," said Fleming Island coach Sean Coultis, who watched his pre-meet numbers crunching come to near fruition as his Golden Eagles girls team battled with pre-meet contenders Ridgeview and Middleburg to walk away with a team title in the Olympic (Snatch and Clean and Jerk) title with 63 points with Ridgeview second at 51 and Middleburg third at 46. "It's all a matter of good, strong preparation, then mental tenacity at the meets to execute all your lifts. I crunch the numbers so the girls are well within achieving good finishes based on their weekly training. An extra five or 10 pounds at a meet of this magnitude makes all the difference and will follow into the districts, regions and state meets."

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District Schedules

District 2-3A (Region 1): Oakleaf, Atlantic Coast, First Coast, Fletcher, Mandarin, Sandalwood
Districts at Oakleaf, Wednesday, January 22, 6:20 p.m. start
Region meet at Flagler Palm Coast, Saturday, February 1, 9 a.m. start

District 3-2A (Region 1): Baker County, Columbia, Clay, Fleming Island, Middleburg, Orange Park, Ridgeview
Districts at Baker County, Wednesday, January 22, 3:30 p.m. start
Region meet at Bay High (Panama City), Saturday, February 1, 9 a.m. start

District 6-1A (Region 2): Keystone Heights, St. Johns Country Day School, Baldwin, Bishop Snyder, Bradford, Eagles View, Fort White, Union County
Districts at Keystone Heights, Friday, January 24 4 p.m. start
The region meet at Chiefland, Saturday, February 1, 10 a.m. start
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In the Traditional (Clean/Jerk and Bench), where power and strength sometimes trump technique and style, Middleburg answered the Fleming Island challenge with 64 points to win with Fleming Island second with 53 and Ridgeview third at 46.
Oakleaf was fourth in both disciplines with 30 and 28 points respectively, with Clay fourth with 17 points in both followed by Orange Park, Keystone Heights and St. Johns Country Day School who all competed with less than full lineups.
"Depth is good and we have had a few good girls in each weight division with our plan to put two or three athletes in the top 10 of as many weight divisions as we can," said Middleburg coach Rhiannon Weiskopf. "Keystone Heights' boys team had successful back-to-back state titles because they had good lifters in a lot of weight classes and got multiple team points from it. In the next few weekends, we are going to find out how much the girls want to push themselves."
In one of the premier regular season tournaments each season, the Power of Christmas Invitational at Suwannee High, Weiskopf noted that Middleburg did not attend, but she was crunching the numbers to know where her team had to be competitive at the championship level.
"Everyone today is hitting around where the maxes should be," said Weiskopf. "All the teams here will be at districts so this meet is a good indicator. The Suwannee meet had all the state's top teams and we've been comparing the numbers from that meet to now. The data is there."
Weiskopf has benefited from the blessings of other coaches at Middleburg who put their athletes; track, cheerleaders, softball, flag footballs and even basketball players, on the weightlifting team for strength training in alternate seasons.
"It kind of started when softball won the state title and their coach, Ashley Houston, saw the benefit of having strong, athletic girls that could hit softballs a long way," said Weiskopf, who has three of Middleburg's best softball hitters on her team; Kerra Clarida, KK Hagen and Caylee Johnson as top contenders. "Now, we get a lot of girls to come out for the team and that makes it that much better. We have only had three state placers and we want more state qualifiers."
For Ridgeview coach Trentin Davis, numbers have been his Achilles Heel over the last few years, but the Panthers have a full lineup that is chock full of athletes who have endured the last four years of "near misses."
"We have always had a handful of great lifters that have gone to state, just not enough," said Davis. "Middleburg is the top team on paper right now, but my girls are hungry to be in the running. When we get to districts, our roster goes from 28 to 22 because today (Clay County meet), I'm giving some seniors their final big meet lifts before the playoffs."
Davis listed off his roster of potential state qualifiers and pre-empted the list with a goal of getting girls in the top 10 to get a shot at team titles.
"They all want to get big lifts, but I'm looking for numbers in the weights," said Davis. "We can make a nice push at the big meets; get nine girls in the state meet if we lift strong and stay on our schedule."
In Olympics, sisters Jada and Deja Hill both won titles; at 100 and at 110, with Fleming Island putting Kyla Marshall and Sadie Pereda behind them in second; Marshall by just five pounds to Jada Hill.
At 119, Fleming Island's Bradi Johnson is dominant with a 325 total ahead of Ridgeview's Ania Haber's 245.
"She won at Suwannee over a handful of state contenders and champions in December," said Coultis. "We stay focused, get our lifts and the state title is within reach."
At 129, one of the closest matches was Middleburg's Emily Herren and Fleming Island's Kathryn Ward, 295-285, with Ward stronger in the Snatch and Herren stronger on the bench press.
"She was a state qualifier last year in her first year and I think she kind of learned the game," said Coultis. "Know where we are strong, don't fret the difference in the Bench Press; just dominate the Snatch."
At 139, Clay High three-time state champion Emma Heck, now in a new weight class, is far and away the best in the state with a Hagan second in the county by a wide margin; 375-260.
At 154, Johnson and Middleburg cheerleader and discus state medalist Madison Underwood give Weiskopf her best 1-2 punch probability with Johnson a state contender pulling Underwood, a very strong athletic mindset, very capable of having a big day on the biggest of stages.
At 169, Oakleaf's De'Jean Mote has been a steady stronghold with Ridgeview's Madison Roach also a multi-sport athlete with a wicked competitive streak and just 10-15 pounds off Mote's total of 295.
At 183, Ridgeview's Jazmin Caraballo was one of Davis's biggest names to mention for a possible state medal with Fleming Island's Lily O'Steen not far off the pace; 320-305.
At 199, Ridgeview's Moncia Brice edged Oakleaf's Zyarie Lovett-Scott by just five pounds; 285-280, to make districts a good battle here.
At Unlimited, Middleburg's Ava Clinkscale has genetics on her side with a state meet sister with Clay's Nevaeh Drazier and Oakleaf's Joy Johnson all within a good lift away from each other; 315-295-290.
"What we are seeing today is a preview of our district with Baker County and Columbia added," said Coultis. "The coaching from here is not to push real hard thinking bigger lifts, but we want them to be fresh, rested and fed. We tend to work on technique and mental preparation. They have to be refreshed for the big meets, it's a fine line."
In Traditional, where Middleburg leaped over Fleming Island, Weiskopf got a 1-2 finish at 101; Trinity Woodley and Ash Piniero with Ridgeview's Jada Hill third; a 1-3 finish at 154, Johnson and Underwood with Ridgeview's Matchadaelle Calixte splitting the pair then champions at 129, Herren over Ward; Lilly Williams at 199 and Clinkscale at Unlimited.
At 110, Ridgeview's Deja Hill had 10 pounds on Fleming Island's Sadie Pereda, and, at 119, Fleming Island's Bradi Johnson upended Haber a second time; 335-270.
At 139, Keystone Heights' lone state qualifier from last year, Chloe Still jumped over Hagan in second against Heck; at 169, Mote over Roach again with Mote dominant on bench press; 170 to Roach's 130; at 183, O'Steen got Fleming Island the seven points for first place over Caraballo with a tied total; 350, and O'Steen winning by lesser body weight by less than one pound.
"One of the strategies in knowing that a tie goes to the lighter weight," said Coultis.
At 199, Middleburg's Williams was over Oakleaf's Lovett-Scott, 325-310, with Lovett-Scott's 310 tied with Fleming Island's Juliana Sosa, but weighting five pounds less for the second place finish.
At Unlimited, Clinkscale was big at 390 with Orange Park's Alohilani Richburg sneaking ahead of Oakleaf's Joy Johnson by five pounds; 325-320, for the silver medal with Johnson missing twice in clean and jerk at 180 after cleaning 170 on her first lift.