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ALL-AREA WEIGH TLIFTING TEAM All-Area First Team
Breanna Altizer
Angie Benson
Torri Bethel
Chyna Degginger
LIFTER OF THE YEAR BRANDI LUCAS
Coach of the Year
MELLISSA SMITH
Sebastian River, first year This season: Guided the Sharks to a fifth-place finish at state with an individual champion (Brandi Lucas) and runner-up (Torri Bethel). Bethel finished higher than she was seeded, despite competing on an injured ankle, and Lucas won her third state title. Sebastian River, which placed third in District 9, was one point out of fourth place at state. Quotable: “It was an up-and-down season, but to finish like we did, that was a great feeling. Our girls got in the weight room before the season and were working hard from day one. It wouldn’t have been possible without the attitude of the girls and the coaches who have helped and mentored me — coach (Charles) Washington and coach (Randy) Bethel.”
Honorable Mention
Savannah Dutoi
Jessica Golden
ALEX BOERNER/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
Sebastian River High School’s Brandi Lucas is the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers All-Area Weight Lifter of the Year.
Noel Jadon
Cristian Mathes
Lifting herself to new heights
Brandi Lucas undefeated, has won three state titles Brejhyla Noble
Prelixus Taylor
By Laurel Pfahler laurel.pfahler@scripps.com 772-978-2282
Elle Terranova
BREANNA ALTIZER
Port St. Lucie senior, 183 pounds Notable: District 9 runner-up (305-pound total); finished 13th at state; three-time state qualifier
ANGIE BENSON
Martin County sophomore, 119 pounds Notable: District 9 champion; finished 19th at state; recorded a best total lift of 235 pounds
TORRI BETHEL
Sebastian River senior, 154 pounds Notable: District 9 champion; state runner-up; best lifts of 170 (bench) and 170 (clean & jerk)
CHYNA DEGGINGER
Port St. Lucie junior, 129 pounds Notable: District 9 runner-up (275 pound total); two-time state qualifier
SAVANNAH DUTOI
Sebastian River senior, 129 pounds Notable: District 9 champion (280-pound total); finished 15th at state; best lifts of 150 (bench) and 130 (clean & jerk)
JESSICA GOLDEN
Fort Pierce Central junior, 101 pounds Notable: District 9 champion (200 total lift); finished 15th at state; 7-0 record in her weight class
NOEL JADON
Jensen Beach senior, 110 pounds Notable: District 9 champion; third at state; best total lift of 275 pounds
CRISTIAN MATHES
St. Edward’s senior, 139 pounds Notable: District 9 champion; failed to get any qualifying lifts at state; best total lift of 305 pounds
BREJHYLA NOBLE
Fort Pierce Central senior, 139 pounds Notable: District 9 runner-up; finished 20th at state with a total lift of 260 pounds
SEBASTIAN — Brandi Lucas already was an accomplished weight lifter going into this season, but the Sebastian River senior was determined to continue improving. She ended up accomplishing everything she set out to do. Lucas capped an undefeated career with her third state championship at 169 pounds, recording a 370-pound total in the final meet to help Sebastian River to a fifth-place finish. She also became only the sixth female lifter to win three state titles since the Florida High School Athletic Association sanctioned the sport in 2004. “I accomplished everything I could, and my team accomplished everything we could,” Lucas said. “It was a very satisfying and successful year. I’m very proud of what we did. I have all my medals hanging up in my front room so everyone can really see and so I can reflect what that means to me.” Lucas never expected to do so well as a lifter. She originally joined the team as a sophomore as a way to strengthen her knee after hurting it in gymnastics, but she quickly found success and became addicted. It wasn’t long before it became a “real sport” to her, and not just a way to get in shape for track and field, another sport she
excels in. “I just needed to get stronger, and it ended up taking off,” Lucas said. “It helped me with other sports, so I just continued to do it. I didn’t expect to like it so much, but I was competitive and I had a lot of fun. Everything went better than I expected.” Lucas said her senior year went so well because she finally got the cleanand-jerk technique down. “My senior year, I felt like I had it down,” Lucas said. “Every other year, it was shaky, but I was always strong, so I was able to get away with it. It definitely made a big difference. I was able to carry more weight and also get it over my head without as much effort.” Sebastian River coach Mellissa Smith said Lucas was so successful because she was always trying to improve herself. “She’s such a determined person, being undefeated was important, but seeing that improvement, in her mind was more important,” Smith said. “Weight lifting is a sport where you’re competing against others, but it’s more about competing against yourself to beat your last lifts. People would say to her after her first lift, ‘You’ve already won. Why do the next two lifts?’ She would still push to get the second and third lifts and be willing to fail, just to make an attempt at a better lift.”
BRANDI LUCAS
Sebastian River senior, 169 pounds Notable: Won her third state championship, recording a 370-pound total (190 bench press and 180 clean and jerk) to beat the runner-up by 15 pounds. Best lift total was 390 at the district meet; had a 210-pound bench press negated by a walkout call, which one judge said was a good lift before being overruled by the other two judges. The lift would have been a state record. Coach Mellissa Smith: “She’s such a phenomenal athlete. She had a history being a gymnast, and she brought that intensity into weight lifting. She was very focused on her technique this year, and I saw a huge difference. When she was getting into the second phase of her lifts, that’s where it clicked. The strength was always there, but she was able to do so much more because of technique.”
First Team continued PRELIXUS TAYLOR
Vero Beach senior, 199 pounds Notable: District 9 champion (305-pound total); finished 18th at state
ELLE TERRANOVA
South Fork sophomore, unlimited Notable: District 9 champion (305-pound total); finished 26th at state; recorded best lifts of 150 (bench) and 160 (clean & jerk)
LINDA JEAN Vero Beach freshman, 101 pounds REBEKAH MAXWELL Port St. Lucie sophomore, 101 pounds ALLISON KEANE Jensen Beach senior, 101 pounds NESHIYQAH KNIGHT Martin County senior, 110 pounds KENDRA MATHES St. Edward’s eighth-grader, 110 pounds ELIZABETH BROOKS Martin County freshman, 119 pounds CHRISTINA TINAJERO Okeechobee, 119 pounds BRUNICA LEXINE Fort Port Central senior, 119 pounds ABBY REMSBURG Martin County senior, 129 pounds CAITLYN WOOD Jensen Beach sophomore, 129 pounds AMANDA EVERETT South Fork freshman, 139 pounds RONEISHA JORDAN Sebastian River senior, 154 pounds TAYLOR LANE Vero Beach junior, 154 pounds OXILISE JEANOTT Fort Pierce Central junior, 169 pounds DYLORA KOHLER Fort Pierce Central junior, 183 pounds DEIJAH BESS Fort Pierce Westwood, 199 pounds McKENNA BACHMANN Sebastian River junior, 199 pounds NIA WIMBERLY Treasure Coast junior, unlimited WHITNEY WOODSON Fort Pierce Central junior, unlimited
Bills turn to Kolb to be their QB The Associated Press
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Kevin Kolb is getting another chance at a fresh start, this time with the quarterback-needy Buffalo Bills. A person familiar with negotiations said the free-agent sixth-year player agreed to a two-year contract potentially worth over $12 million with Buffalo on Saturday night. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Bills haven’t announced the move. Several media outlets, including ESPN. com and The Buffalo News, first reported the agreement. Kolb spent the past two seasons in Arizona, where injuries hampered his opportunity to prove himself as a starter. The Cardinals were left with little choice but to release Kolb on March 15 in a move that came before they were set to pay the player a $2 million roster bonus and saved the team about $7 million in salary cap space. The Bills are in no position to be choosy with few quarterbacks available in free agency, and questions regarding the crop of prospects available in the NFL draft next month. Buffalo was down to one experienced quarterback on its roster — Tarvaris Jackson — after releasing returning starter Ryan Fitzpatrick earlier this month. General manager Buddy Nix has also expressed an intention to select a quarterback high in the draft next month. Questions remain whether they’ll do so with their first-pick, eighth overall. The Bills have been busy scouting nearly every quarterback prospect this offseason. They’ve held private workouts with West Virginia’s Geno Smith, Florida State’s E.J. Manuel and Oklahoma’s Landry Jones. Assistant GM Doug Whaley also attended Southern California’s pro day this past week, where Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley threw for the first time since hurting his shoulder in November. The Bills are once again in rebuilding mode under rookie coach Doug Marrone, who took over in January after Chan Gailey was fired following three losing seasons. Marrone is an offensive specialist, who spent the past four seasons reviving a struggling football program at Syracuse. Kolb was being counted on by the Cardinals to become their franchise quarterback by acquiring him in a trade with Philadelphia in the summer of 2011. They then signed Kolb to a five-year, $63 million contract with $20 million guaranteed.
Sunday-only special!
buy Limit one deal per customer.
any McDonald’s menu item on Sunday and get the newspaper for half price!
Visit these Treasure Coast McDonald’s locations: 11671 SE Federal Hwy, Hobe Sound 33455
3199 SW PSL Blvd, Port St. Lucie 34953
615 N Federal Hwy, Fort Pierce 34950
2900 SW Martin Downs Rd, Palm City 34990
1740 SW Gatlin Blvd, Port St. Lucie 34953
4878 N Kings Hwy, Fort Pierce 34951
970 SE Federal Hwy, Stuart 34994
10604 Village Pkwy, Port St. Lucie 34987
1925 US 1, Vero Beach 32960
3600 SE Federal Hwy, Stuart 34997
1750 SW SLW Blvd, Port St. Lucie 34986
5875 20th St., Vero Beach 32966
5960 SE Federal Hwy, Stuart 34997
5435 St. James Dr, Port St. Lucie 34983
754 S US 1, Vero Beach 32962
7596 SW Lost River Rd, Stuart 34997
2524 (US 1) S 4th St, Fort Pierce 34982
1919 94th Ct, Vero Beach 32966
3546 NW Federal Hwy, Jensen Beach 34957
7001 Okeechobee Rd, Fort Pierce 34945
9495 108th Ave, Sebastian 32967
1080 SE PSL Blvd, Port St. Lucie 34952
7300 W Okeechobee Rd, Fort Pierce 34945
401 E North Park St, Okeechobee 34972
7626 S US 1, Port St. Lucie 34952
1612 Delaware Ave, Fort Pierce 34950
4151 US 441 S, Okeechobee 34974