YULEE - With district boys weightlifting titles won by Fleming Island and Middleburg in two separate districts last week, the clash of Region 1-2A 2024 at Choctawhatchee High School on Thurs., April 4 will feature both schools looking for numbers going to state.

Fleming Island, a defending 2A state co-champion with Choctawhatchee last year with both tied at 19 points and runner-up New Smyrna Beach at 18 in Traditional and also tied at 25 points for the Olympics title with Leesburg with Choctwhatchee at 22 and Lemon Bay at 20, more numbers, hopefully, will be added to in the county mix to state with Middleburg taking both ends of their district meet at Baker County with impressive totals of 81 and 64 points beating Baker County.
Fleming Island lost two-time state champion coach Damenyum Springs to Georgia, but new coach Sean Coultis has been in the mix with a successful campaign this year with the girl's weightlifting team.
"My first year, we got two state champions coming back; Kevin Reyes and Tyler Beverly, but a lot of young guys that are working hard," said Coultis. "We lost two state champs; Jered Rhodes and Zach Davis, lost Gage Isbell; second in the state last year, to Middleburg and lost Braden Cunningham, seventh in the state last year, to track. That being said, we hand-selected a bunch of kids that are mentally tough."
Middleburg's emergence as a contender comes with the Broncos and Ridgeview's Panthers, now under new coach Merlin Smith, finishing eighth and ninth at last year's 2A championships in Traditional and Ridgeview 17th, Middleburg 27th in Olympics.
In their district 4-2A lineup, Fleming Island's road was a bit closer with the Golden Eagles getting a 57-51 win over Yulee with Ridgeview third at 50 in Traditional while, in Olympics, Fleming Island won a bit more decisively with a 61-51 slate over Yulee with Ridgeview again third at 48 in a tight 1-2-3 in both disciplines.
Fleming Island ace in the hole is defending Olympics state champion Kevin Reyes, who only needed 495 pounds to win his district title, but hit 540 to win his state title last year.
For Middleburg, in district 3-2A, returners will be Gage Isbell, third behind Reyes last year in Unlimited as well as second in Traditional as a Fleming Island lifter and Josh Senear, who was second in Traditional last year at 169.
For both teams, as well as a handful of new faces bent on making splashes at regions; Jayden Campbell, Ridgeview 129 with a 330 total at 129 in Olympics (win by 55 pounds) and a 410 total in Traditional (win by 55 pounds also), and Brice Sagar, Orange Park 169 (second by just 10 pounds in Olympics with 410 total), but tied with defending Olympics champion Tyler Beverly and just 10 ahead of Stephan Breval of Ridgeview, the road to state will need a big region meet.
In 2023, Fleming Island finished third in the region meet in both disciplines with Choctawhatchee winning over Fort Walton Beach in both events.
Beverly had a 490 total last year win the Olympics state title at 169.
"Those two guys; Reyes and Beverly, are in line to get through districts and regions, get to state, then go big," said Coultis. "They are the defending champions and no what it takes."
In the big weights, Fleming Island got a 395 total at 183 in Olympics from David Smith, Ridgeview's Shane Georges won at 199 with a 430 and Ridgeview's Braylon Hawkins won at 238 with a 470 total, all in Olympics. Smith and Hawkins were both second in Traditional; Smith by 10 pounds, Hawkins by 60. Reyes won Unlimited by 25 pounds.
Winning Traditional titles in District 4-2A also were Aidan Johannsen of Fleming Island at 154 (505 total, win by 35), David Lava of Orange Park at 169 (540 total, win by 15 over Gavin Gapinski of Orange Park and Beverly of Fleming Island); Riley Stechschulte of Ridgeview at 183 (495 total by 10 over David Smith of Fleming Island); Jayden Smith of Fleming Island at 199 (545 total, win by 30 pounds), and Reyes (625 total, win by 25 pounds).
For Middleburg in district 3-2A, Senear was dominant in his 169 weight class with a 635 total in Traditional winning by 115 pounds with a 35-pound gap in Olympics with a 440 total. Middleburg had three more district titles in Olympics with Charles Little at Unlimited, Trent Robinson at 139 and Jammes Harris at 119.
Harris also won in Traditional with Little fifth.
In the Unlimited, Isbell won with a 655 total by 45 pounds in Tradition while in Olympics, Little was ahead of three Clay County athletes; Eli Escoa, Yadniel Rivera Burgos, both of Clay, and Middleburg's Luke Green giving chase.
For Clay, at 129, Zerek Migliore won his Traditional district title with a 400 total; winning by 35 pounds, and the Olympics title with a 330 total besting Middleburg's Carson Meets by 105 pounds.