For the second straight season, the Etowah Eagles returned to Woodstock with the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Area 1 Weightlifting title in hand.
Placing 12 lifters in the top-six over 10 different weight divisions, the Eagles racked up 70 points, nearly doubling the output of Chapel Hill (40 points), which edged the Sequoyah Chiefs (39) for second place. Calhoun finished fourth with 30 points, followed by Woodstock (18) in fifth, and Creekview (14) in sixth.
Of the 10 divisions, Cherokee County lifters won six individual titles and had at least one athlete place in the top-three in all but one weight class (191-205 pounds).
Among the champions, Sequoyah senior Dalton Trevino (181-190) was won of three lifters to post division bests in all three lifts, charting 325 pounds on bench, 480 on squat and 285 on power clean for a 1,090 total, 115 pounds ahead of second place Ian Carmichael of Calhoun.
Joining Trevino in capturing individual titles were Etowah’s Brandon Goodman (141-150 division; 830 pounds), Jake Jones (161-170; 935) and Zach Lopez (171-180; 985), Sequoyah’s Stuart Johnson (141-150; 855), and Woodstock’s Hunter Pooser (226-245; 1,090).
Jones recorded the top squat in his division at 450 pounds, while Lopez led the 171-180 class in both bench (315 pounds) and squat (430), Johnson turned in the best bench (275) and power clean (245) for his division, and Pooser tied Etowah’s Nick Rowell for their division’s top squat with a 520-pound lift.
Other divisional category winners from Cherokee County were Creekview’s Brett Morrell (140-under; 325-pound squat), Etowah’s Ben Cornelilus (151-160; 265 power clean), Darius Varcarcel (161-170; 315 bench), Christian Harris (226-245; 285 power clean - tie), Joey Gilkey (226-245; 285 power clean - tie), and Sequoyah’s Obie Myers (141-150; 360 squat).
With the top-three from each division qualifying for the GACA State State Weightlifting Championships, March 20 in Hawkinsville, 12 other county lifters advanced with the six title winners, including: Creekview’s Morrell and Luke Brown (181-190 pounds; third place); Etowah’s Zach Rogers (140-under; second), Cornelilus (second), Ryan Wilborn (151-160; third), Varcarcel (second), Jason Holdway (171-180; second) and Rowell (third); Sequoyah’s Myers (third), Jordan Basone (206;225; third) and Somto Dkeke (246-over; third); and Woodstock’s Corey Carmichael, who finished runner-up in the 206-225 division to the meet’s top lifter, West Forsyth’s Ben Emert (350 bench, 575 squat, 375 power clean, 1,300 total).
Other county lifters placing in the top-six to score for their respective programs were: Etowah’s Martin Fuentes (161-170; fourth), Harris (fifth) and Will Hagood (206-226; sixth), and Sequoyah’s Josh Rogers (181-190; sixth).
