Telegraph Staff Writer
Keystone Heights High School had four automatic qualifiers for state in each of the snatch and traditional (bench press and clean and jerk) events en route to winning the team championship trophies in each at today’s Region 2-1A boys weightlifting finals at KHHS.
“It’s what we planned on,” said Mason Dicks, who won the unlimited weight class in the traditional event with a 700-pound overall total. “It’s what we worked for.”
It was the third straight regional championship for Keystone in the traditional event, which was coming off its sixth straight district championship. snatch event was added this season, and the Indians now own district and regional championship trophies in it as well.
“The kids do what they’re supposed to do in the weight room every day,” said Keystone Head Coach Lantz Lowery, whose team is the defending Class 1A state champion. “That’s why they’re successful. There’s not shortcut to success.”
Ulysses Freed (154-pound class), Bryar Schenck (183), Trey Jeffries (219) and Caleb Moncrief (238) won their weight classes in the snatch event. Keystone earned 81 points with a total of 18 earning top-six finishes. That earned the Indians the team championship trophy, with West Nassau earning the runner-up trophy with 23 points.
In the traditional event (bench press and clean and jerk), Keystone had four champions. Besides Dicks, they were Freed, Logan Williams (169) and Moncrief. The Indians had a total of 15 earn top-six finishes, giving the team 72 points and the team championship trophy. West Nassau received the runner-up trophy with 31 points.
The winners of each weight class automatically qualified for the state finals, which will be held Saturday, April 23, at Port St. Joe. Sixteen at-large qualifiers will eventually be selected in each class after comparing totals in all of Class 1A’s regional finals.
Dicks battled it out with Bolles’ Brendan Black in the traditional event. Black had the best bench-press total in the class at 375, while Dicks’ 350 put him in third place going into the clean-and-jerk competition. Dicks cleaned and jerked 305 and 325 on his first two attempts, while Black did 300 and 310. Black then lifted 325 on his third attempt, meaning Dicks would have to do 350 to tie, which would give him the win due to the weigh-in tiebreaker (Dicks weighed in at 24 pounds less than Black). Dicks got the lift and the championship.
“I’ve gotten it before,” Dicks said of the 350 clean and jerk. “I just had to do it again to seal the deal and make sure I was going to state.”
Lowery said, “When it comes to the meet in clean and jerk, Mason’s going to do whatever he has to do to win.”
Dicks won the regional championship last year as well, as did Moncrief. Moncrief captured the 238-pound class championship with an overall total of 640 (315 bench press, 325 clean and jerk).
“I was a little sad I didn’t do the best I could’ve, missing two lifts, but it was a really good day overall,” Moncrief said. “I’m excited to see what I can do at state.”
Moncrief missed his third attempts in the bench press and clean and jerk, but he still finished 45 pounds ahead of runner-up William Belton of University Christian. Moncrief’s first clean-and-jerk attempt of 300 would’ve been enough to give him the championship.
Freed and Williams had to be feeling especially good after the day’s results. Freed was unable to compete in last year’s postseason due to an injury, while Williams scratched on all three of his clean-and-jerk attempts at last year’s regional finals, denying him a trip to state.
This year, Williams set school records for the 169 class with a 325 bench press and an overall total of 600. That put him 20 pounds ahead of teammate Nathan Tisdale.
Freed won the 154 class with a 535 total (280, 255), giving him a 10-pound advantage over teammate Landon Hovsepian.
It was kind of a bittersweet moment. Freed gets to compete at state this year, but two of his teammates will be unable to because they, like Freed last year, were unable to compete in the postseason due to injuries. Zach Glover, who won last year’s state championship in the 139 class last year, suffered an injury just before the District 7 meet. Kade Sanders, who won last year’s state championship in the 169 class, suffered an injury during football season that prevented him from lifting at all this season.
“I know how it feels to not lift at state,” Freed said. “I want to win for them.”
Tisdale had a bench press of 300 and a clean and jerk of 280 in finishing behind Williams in the 169 class. That total put him 75 pounds ahead of third-place finisher Adaris Medina of Palatka.
In the 154 class, Hovsepian had a bench press of 280 and a clean and jerk of 255, putting him 5 pounds ahead of third-place finisher Seth Moore of Hilliard.
Three other lifters earned second-place finishes. Wyatt Van Zant, who was fourth at last year’s regionals, had a 415 total (200, 215) in the 129 class, while Tyler Jenkins, who was also fourth at last year’s regionals, had a 590 total (315, 275) in the 183 class. Trey Jeffries had a 650 total (335, 315) in the 219 class.
Clayton Kicklighter and Tyler Anthony-Rozier earned third-place finishes — Kicklighter with a 520 total (290, 230) in the 183 class and Anthony-Rozier with a 625 total (350, 275) in the 219 class.
Three placed fourth in their respective classes: Reid Begue with a 400 total (215, 185) in the 129 class, Bryson Wester with a 525 total (285, 240) in the 199 class and Luke Snider with a 625 total (325, 300) in the unlimited class.
Declan Shine also added to Keystone’s point total with a fifth-place finish in the 119 class. He had a 170 bench press and a 145 clean and jerk for a 315 overall total.
Also competing for Keystone were Jed Tisdale, who had an eighth-place total of 275 (140, 135) in the 119 class, Davin Adams, who had a 10th-place total of 325 (150, 175) in the 139 class, Jayden Goodman, who had a seventh-place total of 515 (250, 265) in the 199 class, and Brayden Wester, who had a ninth-place total of 495 (260, 235) in the 238 class.
Snatch results
Keystone’s individual champions in the snatch event had the following totals: Freed 170, Schenck 185, Jeffries 205 and Moncrief 195.
Sam Ulsch was the runner-up to Freed with a 150 total, while Jackson Herman was the runner-up to Moncrief with a 170 total.
Three other lifters earned second-place finishes: Wyatt Van Zant with a 145 total, Nathan Tisdale with a 205 total and Dicks with a 205 total.
Placing third for Keystone were Begue with a 135 total, Ben Ulsch with a 185 total in the 169 class, Jenkins with a 185 total and Goodman with a 165 total.
Shine and Jed Tisdale placed fourth and fifth, respectively, with totals of 95 and 85, while Snider had a fourth-place total of 185. Adams and Anthony-Rozier had fifth-place totals of 120 and 150.
Jacob Andrews was 12th in the 199 class with a 135 total.
Lowery said when the state announced it was adding snatch as a voluntary event, he met with the lifters who competed at the 2021 state finals and told them, “Either everybody’s going to compete in snatch, or we’re not going to compete in snatch.’”
“They voted on it,” Lowery said. “To a man, they all voted to compete in snatch.”
Dicks said, “We always challenge ourselves and try to push to do something different, so why not?”
Now, the Indians could possibly come away from the state finals with two team championship trophies.
“That’s what we’re hoping for,” Lowery said.
Freed likes his team’s chances.
“With the people we have and the amount of work we put into weightlifter every day, I think we have a really good chance of winning state this year,” he said.
