WEST NASSAU - All season, Keystone Heights High boys weightlifting coach Lantz Lowery has been playing the soft-pedal game of not having enough horsepower for his team to win individual titles, but that his depth and consistency was going to rule the day as the Indians ventured to West Nassau High for the region 2-1A weightlifting championships on Saturday. Keystone Heights did have team titles from the Suwannee Invitational, the Clay County Championships and the districts.

At West Nassau, Keystone Heights buried the competition with a 66 team point total to West Nassau at 42 and Union County at 29 with six individual titles en route to another team title for 2021.

“We had one guy that didn’t make his clean and jerk and that made the other guys step up,” said Lowery, part of a tie for a state title in 2014 for Keystone Heights. “Our depth has always been our strong point and the guys made up for the loss. Pressure of the big meet.”

Keystone Heights, with six of the 10 weight classes having two Keystone Heights lifters in the top six, will advance to state as one of the top teams to be aware of in the top three medals chase.

With region titles to Reid Begue (119), Zach Glover (139), Nathan Tisdale (154), Kade Sanders (169), Caleb Moncrief (219) and Mason Dicks (Unlimited), Lowery got a little show of force from his team that bodes well for the state championships in a week. Begue, Glover and Sanders are all three ranked number one in Class 1A according the FHSAA post-region listings. Tisdale and Sanders are ranked second and third in 154. Moncrief is ranked third at 219 and Dicks is sixth in Unlimited.

“We had the classes won at weights a little below our maxes, so we stopped,” said Lowery. “The coaches had this as one of the two toughest regions in state. This team is just on a mission.”

Keystone Heights tied for a state title with Baker County in 2014.

“I’ve seen unofficial numbers from around the state, we have a pretty good shot at a state title,” said Lowery. “Mount Dora, Wewahitchka will be good; probably five schools that can win it. West Nassau can make an impact because more teams competing; they have probably two guys that could win a state title. We won the state title in 2014 with just 16 points. You really only need one or two state champions and a few top fives. It’s all about getting points.”

Keystone Heights did have multiple lifters finishing in the top six with the Indians gaining valuable team points from top six finishers.

“We have five or six weights that we can place two guys and that’s huge for points,” said Lowery. “We just have to stay safe for a week and a half.”

At 119, Begue won a five pound battle, 330-325, with Lowery getting team points from Wyatt Van Zant’s fourth place.

At 139, Glover won by 35 pounds with Sam Ulsch fifth.

At 154, Keystone Heights dominated with a 1-2 finish to Nathan Tisdale and Colton Tibbetts with both over 500 pound totals; 520-510.

At 169, Kade Sanders won at 555 by 45 pounds.

At 183, Keystone Heights got a fourth from Tyler Jenkins and a sixth from Kaleb Vojnoski, both at 545 and 65 pounds away from first and seconds; both just over 600 pounds.

At 199, Tyler Anthony-Rozier was second by just 25 pounds with Brayden Hall fifth.

At 219, Caleb Moncrief got a region title by 10 pounds.

At Unlimited, Mason Dicks won with a 635 with Luke Snider, Lowery’s long shot pick, fourth at 575.