OAKLEAF - In what one might consider a dominant sports performance, the Keystone Heights High boys weightlifting team, amidst one of its strongest graduating classes last year, looked as strong as ever as a third straight Class 1A title looks to be in the cards. Area teams will be in their district tournaments this week.

“We lost a lot of strong guys from last year’s team and this team has responded,” said Keystone Heights coach Lantz Lowery, also the Dairy Farmer coach of the year last year after orchestrating his second consecutive title. “Suwannee, I think is the team to talk about. We just have to keep up.”

At the Clay County Weightlifting Championships, Keystone Heights scored team wins of 59-45 over Fleming Island in the Traditional scores and 72-44 over Oakleaf in the Olympic scores.

“Our tactic is to put quality lifts on the floor and put guys in position to score,” said Lowery. “Whether other teams have figured this out, I don’t know, but it works for us. I hope they don’t figure it out.”

Winning the top lifter awards for the day were Gabe Harp of Middleburg, at 169, and in the Olympic lift category, and Larry Jeffries of Keystone Heights, at 219, in the Traditional lift. Jeffries had an astounding total of 700 pounds that was only tied by Oakleaf’s Prince Savea in the Unlimited class.

Winning with big totals in the lower weights were, at 119, Fleming Island’s Nicholas Cruz, who totaled 320 in traditional to edge Keystone Heights’ Colton Hollingsworth with Cruz outbenching Hollingsworth 175-170 for the win.

At 129, Ridgeview’s Randy Emanuel totaled 430 in Tradition to win with a 225 bench and 205 clean and jerk.

At 139, Keystone Heights’ Reid Begue nearly hit the 500 pound mark with a bench of 255 and a clean and jerk of 235. Begue also tied at 390 total in Olympic with Rodriguez Cristian with Begue getting the win based on body weight.

At 154, Fleming Island’s Zach Davis hoisted a 540 total in Tradition with a 265 clean and jerk and a 275 bench press to win decisively. Orange Park’s David Lava was second with a 455 Traditional total.

At 169, Middleburg’s Josh Senear, in Traditional, dueled with Keystone Height’s Landon Hovsepian with a 590-580 finish with Senear gaining the gap with a 295 clean and jerk.

At 183, Oakleaf’s Champ Spangler had one of heaviest totals with a 595 total in Tradition to edge Keystone Heights Bryar Schenck’s 550. Schenck edged Spangler 510-505 in the Olympic total with a 225 Snatch to Spangler’s 205.

At 199, Jeffries hoisted a ton of weight to win with a 700 total in Tradition with a 360 bench and an equally impressive 340 clean and jerk. Jeffries total 575 in the Olympics total.

At Unlimited, Savea equaled Jeffries at 700 in Traditional with a 385 bench press on top of a 315 clean and jerk. Fleming Island’s Gage Isbell stayed in the hunt with a 695 total off a 375 bench press.