BAKER COUNTY - With a similar scenario of the last two weeks of the two defending state girls weightlifting champions from Clay County—Fleming Island in Olympics and Middleburg in Traditional—the vibe around Baker County High was just who might emerge at state in the top five teams in Class 2A.

"It's a pretty good bet that if you finish in the top three here, you got a pretty good shot at a top three at the state meet," said Middleburg High girls weightlifting coach Rhiannon Weiskopf, who for the third week in a row, had her team finish third behind Fleming Island and Ridgeview in both Olympics and Traditional scoring at Thursday's Region 2-2A championship meet at Baker County.

"As past champions, we have a little motivation to show up at the state meet and defend our title, and these girls know what it is going to take to do that. With the other teams that will be there, it's anybody's ball game. Funny things happen at championship meets."

At Baker County, Fleming Island, behind three champions—Alyssa Gordon at 119, Kathryn Ward at 139 and Zahaviah Sanders at 199—won the Traditional title with a commanding 69-42 score over Ridgeview with Middleburg third at 35 and Orange Park fourth at 13. Clay was fifth at 13 as well with Clay County best for the rest of the region—Riverside Baker County, Yulee, Paxon and Columbia.

In Olympics, Fleming Island had five champions: Loreanis Maysonet at 119, Haley Elkins at 129, Ward at 139, Sanders at 199 and Sahara Gordon at Unlimited.

Fleming Island senior Kathryn Ward was chosen as the Top Olympics and Traditional lifter with strong finishes.

"I just go in and work on my own lifts," said Ward, who has dominated all season. "I don't worry about what other lifters are doing, but I want to make them worry about me."

In Traditional, Fleming Island, Ridgeview and Middleburg squared off in the two lower weights—101 and 110—with Ridgeview's dynamic duo of Emily Silva and Jada Hill getting Olympics titles, but Middleburg's McKinzy Alexander besting Hill at 110 by 10 pounds in Traditional.

In the Olympics melee, Fleming Island's Kyla Marshall and Middleburg's Trinity Woodley finished second and third with Woodley topping Marshall in Traditional for second. For Silva, misses in her second and third lifts at Olympics Snatch opened the door for either Woodley or Marshall to swipe a lead. Silva regrouped to take top lift in Clean and Jerk with a 145 third left with Marshall jumping up on Woodley 130-120 with Marshall missing at a 135 shot.

Woodley came on strong in the bench press with a top lift of 125 with Silva missing twice at 115 before nailing her third try. Marshall missed twice at 110 after opening at 105.

"That's your state contenders right there; all of them have a shot on a good day," said Fleming Island coach Sean Coultis. "That's what makes Clay County strong here and statewide. We are so deep in the county, that we are no stranger to who is who for the state meet."

Ward, at a 345 total in Traditional and a 325 in Olympics, dominated both categories with a 50-pound cushion in Olympics and a 40-pound cushion over teammate Marina Barger in Traditional. In Traditional, Baker County's Mallory Jackson edged Fleming Island Haley Elkins by five pounds at 129 with Elkins flipping Jackson by 10 in Olympics.

"Haley is strong for her look," Coultis said. "And she is a competitor at heart. You would not see her and think champion weightlifter, but she is."

Ridgeview got a title at 154 with Ciera Neal besting Fleming Island's Izzy "The Hammer" Williams by five points in Olympics with Ridgeview teammate Ella Beaufort topping Neal by 15 in Traditional.

"We're not done," said Ridgeview first-year coach Addyson Mauldin, now with three straight second-place finishes to Fleming Island in championship meets in Clay County and Districts. "We are going to hit it hard for the first week before states then start to focus in on technique and mental preparation. We're hungry."

Ridgeview senior Jazmin Caraballo dominated her 183 group with a 355-275 total in Olympics over Orange Park's Kayti Mowery. Carabello won Traditional by 65 pounds over Columbia's Asyha Stokes with Mowery third.

In the Unlimited, the final lifter of the day was Orange Park's Alohilani Richburg who won 375-340 over Fleming Island's Sahara Gordon with the best bench press of the day at 205. Richburg attempted 210 but did not complete the lift.
Coultis credited two lifters with two first and second lifts, but successful third lifts as providing spark for his team.

"One of them was my daughter, Payton (199), who missed her first two Olympic snatch lifts at 115, then hit her third one to secure team points," Coultis said. "The other one, Bella Thomas, at 183, did the same thing, but both stayed focused. That's what wins state titles. It's real easy to leave and mope. They didn't."

In region 1-2A, Tallahassee Lincoln tied with Arnold at 28 points with Lincoln declared the winner with Choctawhatchee third at 27. Choctawhatchee won the Traditional 41-34 over Arnold with Lincoln third at 26.

In region 3-2A, St. Augustine beat Gainesville 41-39 in Traditional with Gainesville winning 57-32 over St. Augustine in Olympics. In region 4-2A, Eustis beat New Smyrna Beach 42-39 in Traditional with Leesburg beating Eustis in Olympics 45-43. In 2025, Fleming Island and Leesburg tied at 16 in Olympics, with Ridgeview fifth and Middleburg 10th.

In 2025, in Traditional, Middleburg won with 23 points over Leesburg's 19 with Fleming Island third at 14. Clay was 12th with seven and Ridgeview 27th.

Oakleaf to send four to state

Oakleaf High traveled out to Pace High School for their region 1-3A championship meet and came home with four lifters; Vanessa Verger (183), Genesis Carter (Unlimited), Serenity Cutts (199) and Alanna Smith (169) all earning their tickets to the Class 3A championship meet in Lakeland.

Oakleaf, a district Olympics team champion, was sixth in Traditional and fourth in Olympics in region 1-3A. Pace won both team titles over Navarre, scoring 119 and 112 team points, respectively.

At their regions, in Olympics, Smith was fourth at 169, Verger was fourth at 183, Cutts was fourth at 199 and Carter was third at Unlimited. In Traditional, Smith was sixth in 169, Verger was fifth in 183 and Cutts was fourth in 199.