Weightlifters from Lake Nona piled into the weight room. Although the mood was competitive, the coaches maintained a calm and supportive vibe as they gave pointers to the other team’s lifters.
Scattered into their weight groups, each lifter warmed up and prepared for the match. Lifters completed three bench presses and three clean and jerks. First attempts at the bench press varied from 115 to 335 pounds from both teams. Senior Colby Ritton benched a first lift of 235 pounds and then onto a best of 255 pounds, and senior Derek Diel benched a best of 200 pounds.
Junior Brandon Bush increased by five pounds throughout his three bench presses, starting with 260 pounds and ending with a best of 270 pounds. Sophomore Reese Blankership benched 245 pounds for his first lift and ended with a 255 pounds best.
Bench pressing the most in his weight group, junior Dylan Smith lifted his night’s best of 235 pounds, and sophomore Daniel Sivongaxy benched the most in his weight class with at 185 pounds.
As the boys weightlifting team ended their bench presses they warmed up their clean and jerks. Throughout their cleans, teammates and coaches yelled their support for the lifters. Ritton clean and jerked a best of 285 pounds and ended the night with a total of 540 pounds, snagging first in his weight group. Diel cleaned a best of 185 pounds and finished with a total of 385 pounds.
Bush finished the night with 460 pounds lifted total, placing third in his weight group, while Blankership ended with a total of 450 pounds, placing second in his weight group.
Winning his weight group, Smith lifted 435 pounds total with a clean and jerk of 200 pounds, a personal best. Like Smith, Sivongaxy won his weight group with 320 total pounds.
In the end, the boys weightlifting team could not pull out a win, and lost 20-56.
Come out and support the boys weightlifting team next Wednesday, March 2, at 5 p.m. at Colonial High School