By Lee Trawick Riverbend News
A sport which appears as if it were, on the surface, as individual as tennis or golf, is anything but for the Suwannee High School (SHS) Bulldogs Boys Weightlifting Team. Maybe that is the secret; perhaps Head Coach Dan Marsee of the Bulldogs has instilled in his boys that no man stands alone. Regionals opened up Friday, April 9, where SHS, of Live Oak played host to the 2021 Class 2A Region Finals. Coach Marsee had 17 of his young men qualified and poised for a tough battle all afternoon. As the crowds rolled in with anticipation, the boys themselves were eagerly waiting behind closed doors.
With several avenues available for the young men to earn a trip to the State Championship, the Bulldogs knew, if they won their class, they’d be in. However, placing in the top six would also earn them a chance for a spot in the championship. "Weightlifting isn't just brute strength, it's not always about being the strongest," competition judge Kellen Snider said. “Not only does weightlifting involve perfect form, but also a very strategic approach. They don't want to tip their hand too early by allowing the competition to gauge what they are possibly lifting, but they don't want to wait too long and let their lift weight pass them by,” Snider said. “So, each competitor must be self aware to know their limits, regardless of the competition. It's all about total weight; someone may not be very strong in the bench press portion of the competition but is very strong in the clean and jerk portion of the competition allowing a competitor to make up ground on his opponents. Hats off to these guys who have put themselves in a position to be here today to compete, each of them have to monitor their food intake to either make weight or maintain weight as each class is broken down according to weight class. This isn't something that is done for a month or two, but year round or you lose."
While the Suwannee Bulldogs had 17 competitors at Regionals, individually they would collaborate for a total team score, with only six scoring high enough individually to have a chance to move on to the State Championship.
First up for the Bulldogs were Ricardo Garcia and Keenan Tucker in the 119 weight class. Garcia coming in with high expectations did not disappoint. Garcia came in second in his weight class with a total lift of 365 lbs. Next up in the 119 class was Tucker, who had an outside shot at making it to the State Championship. Tucker would not get lost in the moment but rather rise up to it. As the dust settled, Tucker would put himself in the very position he wanted to be in, finishing fifth overall with a total weight of 345 lbs. allowing him to join Garcia with an opportunity to compete at the State Championships.
In the 129 weight class Xander Kirkland would come into the competition with a looming presence over his competitors, as the District Champion. It was widely known Kirkland would be the pace setter for the class. Within his class was teammate Brandon Pratt, with a total weight of 365 lbs., placing him outside of the top six in his class. While Kirkland came just short of winning his class by five pounds, he would put himself in a very good position for the State Championship.
The Bulldogs would not have another qualifier for the State Championship until the 183 lb. weight class, while the 139, 154 and 169 weight classes all had competitors from the Bulldogs team hoping to have an impact for their teams overall score. Including Marquavious Owens, Yael Hernandez, Yahir Hernanadez, Sam Wainwright and Will Wainwright, all of whom came up short in their totals that would have allowed them to score for the Bulldogs.
In the 183 weight class, the Bulldogs would have two competitors competing for a shot at the State Championship. From the outside looking in, Garrison Beach gave it his all. On this day, the competition was too stout for him to be able to score any points for the Bulldogs. Then it was time for the house favorite to step up and not only win his class, but show his dominance without any drama. Jacquez Moore had the opportunity for three lifts to achieve his total weight. Moore would blow by the competition leaderboard in only two lifts. With no need for a third lift, as he was the clear winner, Coach Marsee would shut Moore down for the day. Moore would be the lone class winner for the Bulldogs, guaranteeing him a spot at the State Championship.
In the 199 weight class Bryce Kearce would step up for the Bulldogs. Kearce would fight for the top spot with an unprecedented effort totalling 635 lbs. Down 50 lbs. by the overall strongest competitor of the day, Kearce would not back down. Knowing he had a lot of work to do, he got started. The weight kept piling on and other competitors continued to fall by the wayside as Kearce tried to run down the class leader. Unfortunately, Kearce wasn't able to come out victorious, but he did place himself second in the top six for a shot at the State Championship.
Austin Smith would compete in the 219 weight class, hoping to make a splash into the top six. Smith came in knowing it was going to be an uphill battle for him. Being down 75 lbs. from the leader of the board, going into his clean and jerk event, Smith knew he had work to do in order to qualify for a spot in the top six. So, he began his climbing until there was no one left, outlifting the front runner by 35 lbs. As the dust settled, Smith had exceeded his own expectations, but found himself just shy, of the top six.
The heaviest class for the Bulldogs would be the 238 lb. weight class, where Coach Marsee had two of his young men prepared to make their bid for the State Championship. Louis Pena had a strong performance at the District Championship, qualifying him for Regionals. Pena would take advantage on this day to perform his personal best. Unfortunately, his efforts would not show up on the scoreboards for the Bulldogs and he would not make it into the top six.
As the 238 weight class continued to unfold, Brian Robinson found himself right in the thick of the leaderboard. Going into his final lift, he knew he would have to push himself to new heights, as he had a 10 lb. difference to make up in order to claim the top of the leaderboard. With the competition watching his every move, the leader of the class was able to fend off the late charge by Robinson. But Robinson would claim the second spot of the top six, earning him a chance at the State Championship.
With the podium at the forefront of the stage, Suwannee found they had earned third place overall at the Regional Finals. Six Bulldogs qualified for the State Championship at Wewahitchka High School in Port St. Joe, Fla., Saturday, April 24.
Individually, if there is such a thing with the Suwannee Bulldogs, Moore was the only overall class winner, guaranteeing him a spot at Port St. Joe for the State Championship.
Coach Marsee has done much more than coach the mechanics and strategies of lifting to these young men. As it was evident, these gentlemen compete as a team. Each team member was pulling for each other all afternoon, as you usually see in team sports. But in a sport such as weightlifting, team camaraderie could be the secret to success for the Bulldogs this season. "I am extremely proud how far we have come this season. To finish third in this region is a major accomplishment, considering the top two teams in our region. Our performance puts us in a legitimate chance to win state this year," said Coach Marsee upon reflecting on his team going into the State Championship.
Although their day did not go as they had hoped, congratulations to these young men on a great season allowing them to make it all the way to the Regional Finals.