Telegraph Staff Writer
It was a day full of big lifts, but the most rewarding came when Bradford High School girls weightlifters were able to lift the Class 1A state championship trophy.
Thanks to seven of its eight competing weightlifters placing in the top four, including three who won their weight classes, Bradford earned 38 points to top Suwannee’s 29 in the team standings at the Feb. 12 Florida High School Athletic Association Finals at Port St. Joe High School.
“We’ve been waiting for this all season,” said Takeirra Bakken, who earned a third-place finish. “It’s just really exciting. All of our emotions came out (afterward). We’re just really happy. We worked so hard to get what we wanted.”
Mahailya Reeves is no stranger to big accomplishments. She entered the meet as the three-time defending champ in the unlimited class. When it was all over, she became the first Florida girls weightlifter to win four individual titles.
Yet the efforts of her teammates and being part of a team championship left her a little overwhelmed.
“I can’t even describe it,” Reeves said. “I’m out of words. It’s so crazy. For it to be my last year and to win it with a team that’s more or less like a family is great.”
It’s the first team state title for BHS since it won one in girls basketball in 1995. When Gabby Oliver, who was the runner-up in the 199-pound class, heard that, she exclaimed, “Oh, my goodness. I didn’t know it has been that long.”
For Head Coach Bryan Griffis, it was the second team state championship he was a part of, joining the one won by Union County at the 2018 Class 1A Finals.
“The first one was fun,” Griffis said, “but this was the best. We fought today. It was a tight battle. These girls showed out.”
Griffis has said that his team has received tremendous support throughout the season, and that didn’t change at state. School administrators, parents and others who just wanted to cheer the girls on were present in numbers that impressed the coach. Griffis didn’t know how many people were there, but said, “It was probably more than any school here. Thank you, Bradford County.”
Bradford didn’t make much noise for approximately the first six hours of the event due to the fact it had only two competing in the first session, which consisted of the 101, 110, 119, 129 and 139 weight classes. Suwannee had 19 points, while Bradford had three, thanks to Hannah McFarland’s fourth-place finish in the 110 class.
McFarland had no worries about the rest of her team coming through in the second session.
“I’m so excited,” she said after the first-session awards ceremony. “I know my teammates are going to pull through. We’re going to win this thing.”
Pull through, they did. The second session consisted of three wins, two second-place finishes and one third-place finish.
“All the girls who came worked their hearts out,” said Jessica Traylor, who placed second behind Reeves in the unlimited class. “I love each and every single one of them.”
Capping a perfect high school career
Since she began competing as a freshman, Reeves has not lost a competition. She’s been downright dominant. In winning her first three state titles (all for Union County High School), she finished at least 90 pounds ahead of her competitor each year.
This year, Reeves finished 155 pounds ahead of Traylor with a 570 total.
“It’s unreal. I’m in a daze,” Reeves said of winning a fourth championship. “It’s all happened because of God.”
Reeves bench pressed 380 pounds, which broke her own state-finals record of 375, which she set in 2020. It was a total she had already done on Jan. 29 at the Region 2 finals.
“I cried at regionals when she benched it,” Traylor said. “If I’m going to be behind somebody, I’m glad it’s somebody who benches (close to) 400 pounds.”
Reeves tried to break the record again on her third and final attempt, but was unsuccessful at 395.
She had one successful clean-and-jerk attempt of 190 pounds. She went for 225 on her final attempt, which would’ve broken the overall-total record of 600 she set in 2020 if she had gotten it.
“I missed a couple of lifts,” Reeves said, “but I’m really proud of myself.”
Comer, Jordan add 2 more championships
Courtney Comer and Brianna Jordan gave the Tornadoes two more individual champions, with Comer winning her second straight title in the 169 class with a 450 overall total, which was 100 pounds better than that of runner-up Kahlan Gant of Bay.
When asked how it felt, Comer said, “Amazing, like the first one.”
Comer, who lifted for Union County High School as a freshman and a sophomore, has won every competition she’s been in but one, which was the 2020 state finals when she was the runner-up.
This junior season saw Comer break her own state-finals bench-press record. She tied the record of 245 she set last season on her first attempt. She then successfully went up 15 pounds for a lift of 260.
Still, she wasn’t totally satisfied with how her day went in the event.
“I did all right in the bench,” said Comer, who missed 275 on her third attempt. “It was a little bit of an off day for me, but I pulled through with cleans.”
She had three successful clean-and-jerk attempts of 165, 180 and 190.
Comer’s 450 overall total broke the state-finals record of 445 set by Lake Mary’s Judith Mandujani in 2017.
Her dissatisfaction with her record-setting day in the bench press shows how driven Comer is to be the best she can be in weightlifting. She enjoyed the aftermath of the state tournament, helping Bradford win its first-ever title and successfully defending her own championship, but she also had an eye toward next season. After the awards ceremony, Comer didn’t sound like anyone who was taking any time off.
“Work starts tonight as soon as I get back,” she said.
Jordan was the state runner-up in the 154 class last season. This season, she won the class with a 400 total, which put her 35 pounds ahead of Suwannee’s Tyra Kalandyk.
“Honestly, just like last year, I’m in shock,” Jordan said. “It feels amazing. I worked so hard this past year.”
Jordan’s best bench press was 225 — a 65-pound improvement from last year’s state finals. Her clean and jerk of 175 represented a 20-pound improvement.
“Having Coach Bryan and getting closer to the Lord — those have been the two things that have helped me the most this season,” Jordan said. “And my amazing teammates. We’ve all grown so much as a team.”
Jordan didn’t lose a competition this year and is striving to make her mark on the state-finals record books, just like Comer and Reeves.
“I’m trying to be just like them, if not better,” Jordan said.
Reeves said she has no doubts about Jordan setting state records next season.
“For sure. I know she can,” Reeves said. “She’s so strong.”
Oliver, Traylor take 2nd in their classes
No one was going to come close to beating Reeves in the unlimited class, but if Reeves hadn’t been a participant, the Tornadoes still would’ve won that class by a comfortable margin. Traylor’s overall total of 415 put her 30 pounds ahead of Marianna’s Kelis Garrett and South Sumter’s
Mary Wilhelm, who placed third and fourth, respectively.
Traylor’s bench press of 220 represented a 40-pound improvement from last year’s state finals, when she placed fifth. She also improved by 15 pounds in the clean and jerk, with a best total of 195.
It amounted to a performance that, given Reeves’ dominance, felt like a win.
“I worked so hard,” Traylor said. “Just to be able to place behind Mahailya — in my heart, I got first.”
She was confident. Griffis said Traylor told him she was going to be successful on all six of attempts. She was, going up 10 pounds on each of her second and third clean-and-jerk attempts and going from 200 to 215 on her first and second bench-press attempts.
“I know when it’s my time to lift, it’s my time,” Traylor said. “I prayed to God before I went on the platform each and every single time that I’d get my lift, and I got it.”
Oliver came so close to winning the 199-pound class, finishing just 5 pounds behind champion Katerin Zacarias of Bay. She had a bench press of 190 and a clean and jerk of 165 for a 355 overall total, which was 30 pounds better than what she did during her fourth-place finish at last year’s state finals.
In the clean and jerk, Oliver had successful attempts of 140 and 155 before getting her final attempt of 165. That put her in first place before Zacarias’ final clean-and-jerk attempt. Zacarias, who missed her second attempt at 165, successfully went for 170 on her third attempt to pass Oliver.
“I wish I would’ve gotten all my lifts,” said Oliver, who missed two attempts at 200 in the bench press, “but it’s not too bad to come 5 pounds behind the first-place winner. I’m glad I made it to state this year and came this far.”
Bakken comes close to a runner-up finish
Bakken almost took second in the 183-pound class for the second straight year, but she settled for third with an overall total of 380, which was 5 pounds behind runner-up Marleah Dampier of Fernandina Beach. She had a best bench-press attempt of 180 before unsuccessfully going
for 190 on her final attempt.
In the clean and jerk, Bakken jumped from 180 to 200 on her first and second attempts before an unsuccessful attempt of 205 on her final lift.
Madison Atwood of Imagine School North Port won the championship with a 465 total. She broke the state-finals record in the clean and jerk for her class with her first attempt of 235 and then broke the record again on her third attempt, which was 250.
“I expected to push myself really hard and win first,” Bakken said, adding that in the end, she just wanted to do her best and improve from last year.
She did just that. Her bench press of 180 was a 20-pound improvement from last year’s state finals, while her clean and jerk of 200 was a 30-pound improvement.
Griffis is expecting big things from Bakken in the future.
“We’re going to win it next year,” he said. “She’s promised me she’s going to work all summer. We’re going to set some records next year.”
Bakken said, “I’m going to work my butt off. I’m going to work really hard.”
McFarland, Cooper lift in 1st session
The first session consisted of just two Bradford lifters, but McFarland helped set the tone for the day with her fourth-place finish. She had a 115 bench press and a 140 clean and jerk for a 255 total.
Based on regional totals, McFarland entered the state meet seeded sixth in the 110 class.
“It’s amazing,” McFarland said. “I’m just giving all the glory to God.”
It was a rough start for McFarland, who had two bench-press attempts disqualified as judges ruled her rear end came up off the bench. Lifters’ rear ends and heads must be in contact with the bench throughout their attempts. One of the disqualified lifts was a 125 total, which would’ve
ultimately resulted in McFarland placing third if it had counted.
Still, she had to put it behind her. She still had work to do. Griffis said he told McFarland, “We can’t worry about the past. It’s all over. We’ve got to worry about what we do in our best lift, which is clean and jerk.”
McFarland said she knew her team was counting on her to place and earn points.
“My mindset was, ‘I’m not just doing it for me. I’m doing it for God and my team,’” she said.
McFarland did 125 on her first clean-and-jerk attempt. Griffis then told her if she wanted to finish ahead of Suwannee’s Cheyenne Morgan, she needed to do 140. He said her response was, “Put 140 on the bar.”
“It was what needed to be done,” McFarland said.
She did it successfully before then almost getting 150 on her final attempt.
Her 255 overall total put her 5 pounds ahead of Morgan.
It was a great showing for someone who rehabbed from a shoulder injury that prevented her from competing in last year’s postseason.
“She gave it her all,” Griffis said. “I’m proud of her.”
Mikayla Cooper also competed for Bradford, making her second straight appearance at state. The 119-class competitor had a tough go of it. After bench pressing 110, she failed to clean and jerk 125 three times, finishing with no official total.
If you make it to state, though, you’ve proved you’re one of the best lifters in Florida, a fact that wasn’t lost on Comer, who said, “I’m still proud of Coop.”
Of the state competitors, Cooper, McFarland, Reeves and Traylor are the only seniors, so a feeling of optimism exists regarding the 2022-23 season.
“Next year, Bradford is going to come through and win state again,” Comer said, while Bakken said, “I have 110-percent faith in all of us girls winning again.”
