Several local powerlifters qualify for this week’s state meets

Several local high school and junior high powerlifters have qualified for this week’s state meets in El Reno, which will see junior high lifters go Thursday, followed by the large school state meet on Friday and small school lifters on Saturday.

For the Sallisaw Black Diamonds, in the high school division, Ty Bennett was the team’s only medalist as he placed fourth in his weight division with a total of 1,085 pounds lifted.

Three other Black Diamonds high school powerlifters earned at-large bids to state from Thursday’s Class 4A Regional Meet in Hartshorne.

T.J. Abercrombie was sixth in his weight class (1,220 pounds lifted), Cade Tate was seventh in his division (1,215) and Austin File was eight in his division (1,115).

In the Class 4A Junior High Regional Meet on Wednesday in Hartshorne, the Black Diamonds seventh-grade team was regional runners-up. All total, 12 JH lifters will compete at Thursday’s Class 4A State Meet in El Reno.

Rowdi Nickell (675 pounds lifted), Jack Sparks (605) and Hagan Compton (915) all were regional champions.

Mattox Buckaloo (605 pounds lifted) was a regional runner-up, Xander Montgomery (495) and Eli Wilson (565) were third and Connor Hancock (645) and Alex Escobar (735) were fourth.

Four more Black Diamonds JH lifters got at-large bids to Thursday’s Class 4A JH State Meet in El Reno. Dylan Lee was fifth (655 pounds lifted), William Arnold (840) and Robert Bennett (805) were sixth and Cash Girdner was seventh (835).

In the Class 4A Regional Meet Thursday in Hartshorne, Muldrow saw four powerlifters, three in the high school division and one in the junior high division, make it to the Class 4A State Meet in El Reno.

Muldrow High School powerlifters heading to state are David Keenan (third at 123 pounds), Braxton Thrailkill (fourth at 242 pounds) and Alejandro Santacruz (seventh at 198 pounds). While Keenan and Thrailkill each qualified by finishing in the top five, Santacruz got an at-large bid to state.

In the Class 4A JH Regional Meet, Muldrow’s Landon Brown was third in the 168-pound division.

While the Roland Rangers did not have any high school lifters qualify for state at Friday’s Class 3A Regional Meet at Hilldale High School in Muskogee, three JH lifters did qualify for Thursday’s Class 3A State Meet in El Reno. Jayden Fancher was the regional runner-up at heavyweight, Channing McKinney was third at 181 pounds and Joshawa Crase was third at 198 pounds.

In Friday’s Class A Regional Meet in Hartshorne, the Gore Pirates qualified three high school and nine junior high powerlifters to this week’s Class A State Meet in El Reno.

At Friday’s Class A Regional Meet, Drake Cowart was the regional runner-up at heavyweight, while Antonio Parker (220 pounds) and Devon Mannon (168) were fourth.

At the Class A JH Regional Meet on Wednesday in Hartshorne, Beau Moore, Cole Ralston, Jaydan Gates and Treydan Daugherty all were regional champions, while Jace Gates, Cole Brooksher, Weston Cunningham, Seth Current and Luke Wisdom all were third.

As a team the Gore Pirates freshmen were the Southeastern Regional runners-up.

Gans Grizzly powerlifter Anthony Vasquez was seventh in the 198-pound division at the Class B Regional Meet on Friday in Hartshorne, but he got an at-large bid to compete at Saturday’s state meet in El Reno.

The Webbers Falls Warriors did not participate in the Class B Regional Tournament on Friday at Hilldale High School in Muskogee, thus no state qualifiers.