LAKELAND - Keystone Heights High's 119 weightlifter Elijah Mize was not a returning district or region or state weightlifter, but the sinewy powerhouse took to his weight group with a vengeance and came away with a state title at the Class 1A weightlifting championships in Lakeland on Saturday.
"I wasn't a big part of the team last year, but something clicked in the past year and here I am," said Mize, who waged a battle to tie with Imagine School's Angel Vazquez to finish with a 400 pound total after two hours of battle to have his journey come down to a wait and see final lift by Vazquez.

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In the team scores, Fort White won in Olympics with 24 points with Williston second at 16 and Keystone Heights third at 13.
In Traditional, Fort White won again with 27 points with Baker High seocnd at 20 and Keystone Heights third again with 13.

In Olympics, Mize finished fourth with Vazquez winning the outright title with a 345 total. Mize totaled 310.

For the Indians, in Olympics, Colton Hollingsworth was third in Olympics with Aiden Nobles 10th, both at 129; Clark Byrnes was seventh at 154; Layton Wright was fifth at 169; Kyle Perkins was eighth at 199; Logan Madden-Moore was eighth at 219; Brayden Wester and Pete Bostic were ninth and 10th at 238 and Jackson Herman was third at Unlimited.
In Traditional, Keystone Heights had Dylan Currington, eighth at 119; Hollingsworth second at 129; Jagger Lancaster eighth at 154; Damien Dunlap 10th at 154; Zane Leger sixth at 199; Perkins eighth at 199; Trase Wooden ninth at 219; and Wester seventh at 238.