Local powerlifters qualify for this week’s state meet

HARTSHORNE — Several local high school and junior high powerlifters qualified for this week’s state meet in El Reno at last week’s regional meets.

In Class 4A, Sallisaw 157-pound high school powerlifter Ty Bennett qualified on Friday as the lone Black Diamond to make state as he was fifth. As a team, the Black Diamonds were 15th.

The Black Diamonds did very well in the junior high portion of the Class 4A Regional Meet last Wednesday as the Black Diamonds got six lifters to state — Trevor Crawford, Harley Schuh, John Throne, Dimitri Sebastian, Cash Girdner and William Arnold. As a team, the Black Diamonds were 14th.

Schuh (123 pounds), Throne (132), Girdner (220) and Sebastian (heavyweight) were regional runners-up, Arnold (220) was third and Crawford (168) was fourth.

Seven other JH powerlifters placed but did not place high enough to get at-large bids to state. Garrett Deel ( heavyweight), Cade Tate (198 pounds) and Zach Davis (123) were sixth, Blaine Martin ( heavyweight ) was seventh, Israel Moss (220) and Bryce Cox (132) were eighth and Connor Hancock (132) was 10th.

Also in Class 4A, the Muldrow Bulldogs got two high school and four JH lifters to state. Muldrow 220- pounders Devon Holland and Alejandro Santacruz both made the cut for Friday’s Class 4A State Meet in El Reno.

The four Bulldogs who made the Class 4A Junior High State Meet are David Keenan (105 pounds), Gage Garvin (123), Gabe Smalley (145) and Braxton Thrailkill (220) all placed third. Keenan had a total of 515 pounds lifted, Garvin a total of 620 pounds lifted, Smalley a total of 800 pounds lifted and Thrailkill a total of 1,140 pounds lifted.

In the Class 3A Junior High Regional Meet last Wednesday, Roland’s Devon White was third at 132 pounds to punch his ticket to the state meet Thursday in El Reno.

In Class A, while the Gore Pirates did not qualify anyone in Friday’s Class A High School Regional Meet, 10 JH Pirates did punch their tickets to state in Thursday’s Class B Junior High State Meet in El Reno — Cole Brooksher, Jayden Gates, Treydan Daugherty, Cole Ralston, Devon Mannon, T.J. Abercrombie, Luke Wisdom, Jaxon Denton, Seth Current and Julian Madrid. One Gans Grizzly is heading to state as 181-pounder Anthony Vasquez made the cut for Friday’s state meet in El Reno as an at-large entry. Gans coach Randy Taylor said that had the freshman competed in the Class B Junior High Regional Meet last Wednesday, he would have ended up being the a regional champion due to how he and other JH 181-pounders finished.

Four Webbers Falls lifters also qualified for the Class B High School State Meet on Friday. The Warriors, who were the Class B Regional Meet team runners-up, had two regional powerlifting champions — Maddux Shelby at 181 pounds and Zane Nolan at 168. Gunner Carey was runner-up at 123 pounds, while Brutus Robinson was sixth at 123 pounds and got an at-large berth.

The junior high state meets will be Thursday and the high school state meets will take place Friday in El Reno.