OAKLEAF - Oakleaf High’s girls weightlifting held off impressive individual lift totals from state powerhouses Bartram Trail and Creekside to hoist their first district weightlifting title on Thursday at the Oakleaf High gym.
“Of course, everyone knows we have the defending state champion here, Tamira Briley, and that brings some program prestige,” said Oakleaf coach Ben White. “Today, the rest of the team stepped up and created teams points with a total team effort that was enough to get our goal of a district title. Every team in this district brings a lot of firepower.”
White’s team title was a first-step to putting Oakleaf in the same conversation as Keystone Heights and Fleming Island high boys state title winners as well as chasing Clay High’s storied program.
“Clay County weightlifting has some of the best athletes and coaches around and I try to mirror what we do like my friend Rodney Keller at Clay,” said White. “Weightlifting is exploding in Clay County with coaches like Rodney, Springs (Fleming Island boys champion coach Damenyum Springs) and my friend Steve Reynolds (assistant coach to Lantz Lowery at Keystone Heights boys state champions). We have had our individual champions like Lexi Perez here at Oakleaf and now we want a team trophy.”
In the Olympic Snatch competition, a new discipline (bar from floor to overhead in one motion) added to the FHSAA weightlifting Bartram Trail, with 57 team points, won over Creekside (38) with Oakleaf (29) third just ahead of Buchholz (25).
In the traditional lifts; Bench Press and Clean and Jerk, the two historical disciplines of Florida high school, Oakleaf scored 70 points with Creekside second at 59 and Buchholz third at 43. Creekside was fourth at 27 with Fleming Island fifth at 21.
“Our strategy was to fill the weight divisions with athletes; we have a softball pitcher, a cheerleader, a track athlete; all high-level athletes, and they bring a certain competitive element to the weightlifting team,” said White. “I had a feel we could challenge for the win. The girls stepped up.”
At Ridgeview, Clay High’s Lady Blue Devils dominated both disciplines to win two district titles in one day with Ridgeview and Middleburg getting seconds to the Blue Devils. Middleburg had Katlyn Griffin dominate with district titles in both disciplines with teammate Kendall Bryan winning the 139 division in the Traditional lifts.
“The Olympic Snatch is kind of a scary technique; very technical in a one motion move from floor to overhead,” said Clay coach Rodney Keller. “Our girls use it to improve our technique in the clean and jerk. Theoretically, any team can win two state titles in two days when we get to the state meet. That’s interesting.”
In 2021, Clay was the district champion of district 6-2A while Ridgeview won in district 5-2A.

Region Weightlifting Venues

Region 1-3A: FIHS, OHS at Flagler Palm Coast, Sat., Jan. 29, 10 a.m. start

Region 2-2A: CHS, MHS, OPHS, RHS at St. Augustine High, Wed., Jan. 28, 3:30 p.m. start
MHS: 14 to regions. Katlyn Griffin (199), Kendall Bryan (139) district champion; Regions-Kaylnn Gaither (2nd 101), Ari Seibel, Nya Russell, Summer Repogle, Kaelyn Hagan, Allie Cox (2nd 169), Bryanna Walker, Brittney Barksdale, Kendall Bryan, Madison Underwood, Tara Rawlins, Taylor Mills, Becca Staefe, Kendyl Wahl, Ava Clinkscale

Region 2-1A: KHHS, SJCDS at Father Lopez High, Sat., Jan. 29 11 a.m. start
KHHS-Two district champions, 11 girls to regions: Grace Wagner, senior 139, Ariel King, junior 129. Kaylee Wright, junior 183 finished second.
SJCDS: Two district champions: Addison Frisbee, Olympic Snatch, second in Traditional; Evelyn Hanson, Traditional, second in Olympic Snatch

State Championships at Port St. Joe High School, Thurs.-Sat., Feb. 10-12

At Oakleaf, Briley won by 25 pounds in the Traditional and also the Olympic Snatch to lead her teammates while not looking to peak too early in defense of title of 2021.
“I just stay in my own element to keep my focus on being ready for the state meet,” said Briley, champion at 110 last year, now at 119. “Everyone knows who I am, but the rest of the team has raised their totals and we are excited to try for a team title at regions and state.”
Briley also won in the Olympic Snatch; by five pounds.
“She’s one of the best ever athletes in the history of the school and she brings a lot leadership for the younger girls,” said White. “Our first goal was the districts, now we go on to the regions and state. We want to get as many girls to the state meet.”
One of Briley’s Oakleaf teammates, Ivy Gunn, in the 169 pound division, won her first district title in her first year of varsity competition. Gunn outlifted her competition; Creekside’s Giselle Cruz and Buchholz’ Layla Thomas by 70 pounds to dominate her Traditional efforts.
“With Tamira getting most of the attention when we lift, it’s makes it easy for us; I’m a first year lifter, to surprise people with our lifts,” said Gunn. “Tamira is a great teammate and always inspiring us and coaching us. She’s so small and so strong. She pushes the team to be better.”
Gunn did not compete in the Olympic Snatch.
Oakleaf’s third district title went to Caylin Volpe in the 199 pound division with a 15 pound gap on Fleming Island’s Layla DiCristafaro.
Creekside had champions at 110; Oakleaf Lola Nana third; 129, Oakleaf Madison Linscomb second, Lilly Auble third; 139, Fleming Island Jillian Labelle fourth, Oakleaf Nathalie Philogene fifth; 154, Oakleaf Arianna Eason third;
Buchholz had champions at 183, Arina Acosta-Ramirez, Oakleaf’s Lelia Brown second, Amari Grant fourth; and at Unlimited, Oakleaf’s Kayla Aldridge second, Alexandra Lahnese third, Fleming Island’s Juliet Fowler fourth.
Bartram Trail was champion at 101; Oakleaf Hannah Piniero and Gabby Grandy, third and fourth.

Weightlifting Records (FHSAA)
Bench Press: Oakleaf Tamira Briley 110, 175 Lbs., 2021
Clean: Keystone Heights Brittany Meng 119, 165 Lbs., 2004
Total w Clean: Keystone Heights Brittany Meng 119, 300 lbs. 2004

Individual titles
2004 Brittany Meng, Keystone Heights 119; Team Second
2010 Morgan Buettcher, Keystone Heights 199
2010 Brooke Baudendistel, Clay 110; Team 10th
2012 Jordan Steinmetz, Ridgeview, 199; Team ninth
2014 Angelica Greene, Fleming Island 199; Team 10th
2014 Sabrina Palmares, Clay Unlimited; Team third
2104 Alexandra Hamilton, Clay 110; Team third
2017 Ashleigh Dean, Clay 129 1A; Team fourth 1A
2017 Erykah Murray, Clay 169 1A; Team fourth 1A
2018 Clay team fourth 1A
2019 Brooke Berger, Clay 154 1A
2020 Lindsey Brooks, Clay 199 1A
2019 Lexi Perez, Oakleaf 154 2A
2019 Clay team third 1A
2020 Clay team fourth 1A
2021 Clay team eighth 2A