BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Keystone Heights High School won the runner-up Olympic and traditional trophies, with two individuals winning their weight classes in each event at the April 6 Region 2-1A boys weightlifting meet at Suwannee High School.
It was the first time since 2018 that Keystone didn’t win a regional championship as a team. The Indians had an Olympic score of 40 to Suwannee’s 83. In traditional, Suwannee had 59 points to Keystone’s 40.
Still, the Indians will send 13 Olympic individuals and 13 of its traditional lifters to the state finals, which will be held Saturday, April 20, at the R.P. Funding Center in Lakeland.
Trey Jeffries remained undefeated this season, winning the 238-pound class in both Olympic and traditional. Jeffries, who won a state title in traditional last year, had a traditional total of 695 pounds (320 clean and jerk, 375 bench press), which put him ahead of Suwannee’s Alex Mabey by 65 pounds.
In Olympic, Jeffries had a 560 total (240 snatch, 320 clean and jerk) to finish 20 pounds ahead of Fernandina Beach’s Josh Modupe.
Wyatt Van won the Olympic championship in the 129-pound class with a 425 total (175, 250). He finished 30 pounds ahead of Suwannee’s Demontay Brown.
Ben Ulsch won a championship in traditional, topping the 154-pound class with a 585 total (285, 300). He finished 45 pounds ahead of Williston’s C.J. Howard.
The individual champions automatically qualified for state.
Keystone lifters who received at-large state berths in Olympic were Ulsch, Davin Adams, Tyson Baxter, Tyler Duncan, Jayden Goodman, Jackson Herman, Kyle Perkins, Declan Shine, Jed Tisdale Brayden Wester and Bryson Wester.
Earning at-large traditional bids were Adams, Baxter, Duncan, Goodman, Shine, Tisdale, Van Zant, Brayden Hall, Colton Hollingsworth, Brayden Wester and Bryson Wester.
The state meet begins at 9 a.m. with the lighter weight classes (119-154). The heavier classes (169-unlimited) will begin competing at 3 p.m.
Tickets are $11 in advance and $14 on the day of the event. They can be purchased via the R.P. Funding Center box office at rpfundingcenter.com.
Parking will be $10.
Olympic results
Ulsch was the runner-up in his class with a 490 total (205, 285). He trailed Fernandina Beach’s Luke Twardy by 35 pounds.
Duncan tied with Suwannee’s Justice Leggett for the second-best total of 495 in the unlimited class, with Duncan officially placing third due to the weigh-in tiebreaker. He had a snatch of 195 and a clean and jerk of 300.
Goodman also placed third with a 500 total (185, 315) in the 219 class.
Three lifters placed fourth: Tisdale with a 350 total (145, 205) in the 129 class, Adams with a 405 total (175, 230) in the 154 class and Herman with a 485 total (205, 280) in the 238 class.
Baxter and Perkins also contributed to the team’s score, with each placing fifth, with Baxter compiling a 270 total (110, 160) in the 119 class and Perkins compiling a 415 total (175, 240) in the 183 class.
Four lifters just missed out on earning points toward the team score with seventh-place finishes: Hollingsworth with a 300 total (125, 175) in the 129 class, Zane Leger with a 400 total (155, 245) in the 199 class, Bryson Wester with a 500 total (185, 315) in the 219 class and Brayden Wester with a 455 total (175, 280) in the unlimited class.
Shine earned his at-large state bid with a ninth-place finish in the 139 class. He had a 330 total (135, 195).
Two lifters had 10th-place totals: Andrew Ulsch with a 225 total (90, 135) in the 119 class and Layton Wright with a 395 total (165, 230) in the 169 class.
The following finished in 11th place: Jackson Parmeter with a 340 total (140, 200) in the 154 class, Clayton Shaw with a 395 total (155, 240) in the 183 class and Trace Wooden with a 370 total (155, 215) in the 199 class.
Baxter, Herman, Leger, Perkins, Shaw, Tisdale, Wooden, Andrew Ulsch and Ben Ulsch were successful on all six of their snatch and clean-and-jerk attempts.
Traditional results
The Indians had two traditional runners-up: Van Zant with a 480 total (250, 230) and Goodman with a 625 total (315, 310). Van Zant trailed Hilliard’s Colton Conner by 35 pounds, while Goodman trailed Suwannee’s Will Wainwright by 55 pounds.
Earning third-place finishes were Tisdale with a 410 total (205, 205) and Bryson Wester with a 605 total (265, 340).
Two lifers placed fourth: Baxter with a 360 total (160, 200) and Adams with a 460 total (230, 230).
Duncan also added to the team score with a fifth-place total of 635 (300, 335).
Three lifters just missed out on scoring points with seventh-place finishes: Hollingsworth with a 390 total (175, 215), Leger with a 490 total (245, 245) and Brayden Wester with a 605 total (280, 325).
Finishing in eighth place were Damien Dunlap with a 440 total (200, 240) in the 154 class, Perkins with a 480 total (240, 240) and Hall with a 570 total (240, 330) in the 238 class.
Two placed ninth: Shine with a 425 total (195, 230) and Shaw with a 470 total (240, 230).
Andrew Ulsch had a 13th-place total of 260 (135, 125), while Wright had a 14th-place total of 460 (230, 230).
Duncan, Hall, Leger, Tisdale, Andrew Ulsch, Brayden Wester and Bryson Wester were successful on all six of their clean-and-jerk and bench attempts.
