KEYSTONE HEIGHTS - Keystone Heights High's boys weightlifting has its own history of winning big on the big stage and Friday's Olympics region title emphasized the point with the Traditional title going to West Nassau by two points.

"This area is ripe for strong weightlifting programs because good coaches are getting good kids and the small schools like Keystone Heights, West Nassau and Williston are all on the bubble of being in the mix for a long time," said Keystone Heights coach Steve Reynolds. "The kids in areas like ours; small, farm areas with tough, hard working kids and then they get a good coach that can teach proper technique and strategy is a good start for great programs. You could see some surprises at state from some schools not normally in the hunt."

Keystone Heights, with champions Elijah Mize at 119, Colton Hollingsworth at 129, Kyle Perkins at 199 and Jackson Herman at Unlimited took the Olympics title with a 56-48 gap on Williston who had three individual titles.

"This team has a lot of guys that have been lifting for five, six years together and that makes a difference from top to bottom," said Keystone Heights coach Steven Reynolds. "The athletes here at Keystone Heights are just hard working grinders, in all the sports here."

In Traditional, Keystone Heights got titles from just Mize and Hollingsworth plus top three finishes from Zane Leger and Perkins; 2-3, at 199, Brayden Wester at 238, third, and third at Unlimited by Herman to accrue enough points to chase West Nassau. West Nassau won just one title in Traditional, Rica Garrett at 199, who was five pounds up on Leger; 15 on Perkins.

Hollingsworth was fifth in 2024 in Traditional with Herman 10th at 238 in Olympics.

"We have a handful of guys that we were holding back at the regions because they didn't need a big number to get to state," said Reynolds. "We are in good position to add 10-15 pounds on some totals that will make for a solid team score."

In Region 1-2A, at 2024 defending 1A champion in Olympics and Traditional Suwannee, now back in 2A, hosting, it was 2024 2A runnerup in Olympics and 2A champion in Traditional Choctawhatchee turning the trick on the powerful Bulldog program with the wins in Traditional; 45-38 over Suwannee and, in Olympics, 62-52, again over Suwannee.

Keystone Heights beat Suwannee for the Traditional title in 2023 with a tie with South Sumter in Olympics behind Suwannee. In 2024, the Indians were third behind Suwannee and South Sumter in 1A in Olympics and second to Suwannee in Traditional.

Clay County's lone individual 2A title went to Middleburg's Sam Craven, at 183 in Traditional who beat Fernandina Beach's Luke Twardy by five pounds.

"Class 1A has always been very tough and there are a lot of new schools in the mix that can shake up the scoring," said Reynolds. "In the past, it has not taken more than about 20 points to win the state title. We just have to get as many guys in the top 10 and we just have to execute our lifts, then we have a good shot."

In Olympics, Fleming Island, with Deh'mir Jackson, seventh last year at 219, second at 219, and Cohen Cioffi fourth at 238, finished sixth with 12 with Middleburg, with 11 points seventh behind a third by Wein Sulph at 183 with Sam Craven sixth in the same weight, and Charles Little at Unlimited finishing fourth with Bronco teammate Trent Pavlus sixth. Little was sixth last year in Olympics.

In Traditional, Middleburg and Clay finished ninth and 10th with scores of seven points apiece with Clay's Zerek Migliore at 139 taking second in a total tie with Fernandina Beach's Clay Hicks, but awarded second by body weight.

At 119, Clay's Wyatt Hickox was sixth while at Unlimited, Clay's Eli Oscoa was sixth.

Jammes Harris, 10th at 119 last year for Middleburg in Traditional and ninth in Olympics, finished 10th at 129 and fifth in Olympics at the region meet.

For Fleming Island, Cioffi was second but 80 pounds away from Choctawhatchee's Alex Urtecho, 650-570.

Middleburg got seventh place finishes from Caiden Thigpen at 154 and Danny Raines at 169 with Bronco teammate Mason Peevy ninth also at 169.

Unofficial State Qualifiers

Region champions, top 16 lift totals per weight

Class 1A Traditional

Keystone Heights: 119: Elijah Mize, Dylan Currington; 129: Colton Hollingsworth, Aiden Nobles; 154: Damien Dunlap, Jagger Lancaster; 169: Layton Wright; 199: Zane Leger, Kyle Perkins; 219: Trace Wooden; 238: Brayden Wright, Pete Bostic; UNL: Jackson Herman

Class 1A Olympics:

Keystone Heights: 119: Elijah Mize, Dylan Currington; 129: Colton Hollingsworth, Aiden Nobles; 154: Clark Byrnes; 169: Layton Wright; 199: Kyle Perkins, Zane Leger; 219: Trase Wooden, Logan Madden-Moore; 238: Brayden Wester, Pete Bostic; UNL: Jackson Herman

Class 2A Traditional

139: CHS Zerek Migliore; 154: FIHS Austin Davis; 169: MHS Danny Raines; 183: MHS Sam Craven; 238: FIHS Cohen Cioffi; UNL: CHS Eli Oscoa, MHS Trent Pavlus

Class 2A Olympics

129: MHS Jammes Harris; 139: MHS Ashton Harp; 183: MHS Wein Sulph, FIHS Brady Digman; 199: FIHS Griffin Vollertsen; 219: FIHS Deh'mir Jackson; 238: FIHS Cohen Cioffi; UNL: MHS Charles Little, CHS Eli Oscoa, MHS Trent Pavlus

Class 3A Olympics

119: OHS Ray Williams; 154: OHS Noah Shevchook; 199: OHS Lucius Manley; 238: OHS Ethan Simons

Class 3A Traditional

119: OHS Ray Williams; 129: OHS Daniel Israel; 154: OHS Noah Shevchook; 169: OHS Christian Rodriguez; 238: OHS Ethan Simons