JACKSON — Noxapater sophomore Ryan Whitfield won the 242 pound weight class at the MHSAA 1A state powerlifting meet last Saturday at the Mississippi Coliseum.
In the team competition, Nanih Waiya finished sixth and Noxapater tied for seventh.
Whitfield totaled 1,310 pounds with a 475-pound squat, a 295-pound bench press and a 540 pound dead lift. That was his best ever performance and 10 pounds more than runner-up Garrett Crowder of Sacred Heart.
Whitfield was third in the state meet last year. “I worked harder in the weight room and just gave my best effort today,” he said.
Nanih Waiya had five representatives at the meet and Noxapater three. They qualified by finishing in the top three for their weight classes at the South State meet.
For Nanih Waiya, Daniel Triplett at 181 and Caleb Warren at super heavyweight both finished second behind lifters from state champion Sacred Heart.
Triplett totaled 1,200 pounds, 190 less than Tanner Blakney and Warren lifted 1,420 pounds to 1,585 for Gavin Bradford. Blake Sheets was third for Nanih Waiya at 220 with 1,245 pounds, Braxton Stokes fourth at 198 (1,060) and Clay Misso fourth at 308 (1,195).
For Noxapater, Ty Duren was second at 123 with 735 pounds. That was 15 pounds better than he did at the South State meet, but 20 pounds less than Ahmad Langston of Okolona. Josh McClendon was sixth at 165.
Sacred Heart had four individual champions and finished with 44 points. Leake County had 29 points, Okolona and Tupelo Christian 20 each, Ethel 18, Nanih Waiya 18, Noxapater, Thrasher, Sebastopol and Stringer 12 each.
