Lee Trawick
Reporter2@riverbendnews.org
It was only fitting that on Friday, Jan. 28, the Florida High School Athletic Association girls' weightlifting Class 1A Region 1 finals were held at Suwannee High School, the home of the 2021 Class 1A State Champions. There, the Lady Bulldogs made sure to announce their presence early and often.
"This team has the opportunity to be special. I have a lot of girls that I have confidence in making a run to state,” said coach Dan Marsee. “These are good problems to have, but this team is so competitive that some girls won't get the chance to compete that could win their class."
The Lady Bulldogs entered the day with 19 members qualifying for the Regional finals; the day ended with 16 on their way to the State Championship, 13 of which have qualified for both events. They also had four class winners in the traditional event and six class winners in the snatch event. Lady Bulldogs Tyra Kalandyk, Maddie Carte and Kaly Cuffy each won their individual classes in traditional and snatch events.
At the end of the day, the Lady Bulldogs stood tall on the podium with an overall score of 71 points in the traditional event, outscoring the second-place team, Altha Public School, by 51 points. They also took the top spot for the snatch event with a total of 74 points, outscoring the second-place team, Baker High School, by 50 points.
The following Lady Bulldogs will be traveling to Port St. Joe High School to compete in the Class 1A State Championships: Tobie Peterson, Macy Bowers, Bre Rodriguez, Cheyenne Morgan, Matti Marsee, Ali McMillan, Jordyn Rodriguez, Maddie McMillan, Amaya Johnson, Sophia Baldwin, Johanna Alicea, Lucy Jolicoeur, Tyra Kalandyk, Emily Gamble, Maddie Carte, Erin Starling, Brooke Hanuszak, Kaly Cuffy, Autumn Latrielle and Tarynn O'hara.
The Class 1A State Championships will be held at Port St. Joe High School, located at 100 Shark Dr., on Saturday, Feb. 12, where the Lady Bulldogs will enter the event as the overwhelming favorites.