HIGH-SCHOOL

Polk has strong contingency of state lifters

The Ledger

Lake Wales senior Faith Garza pauses before finishing her second lift in the clean-and-jerk in the 169-pound division on Thursday afternoon at the Class 2A, District 12 girls weightlifting meet at Harmony High School.

When this weekend is over, Polk County could have its first two state female weightlifting champions.

The county is sending 27 lifters to the three state meets with Lake Wales senior Faith Garza and Auburndale senior Emily Hart ranked No. 1 in their respective weight classes.

The state meet was scheduled for Panama City but was moved to two different locations because of COVID-19 concerns.

The Class 1A and Class 2A meets will be held at Suwannee High School in Live Oak on Friday (1A) and Saturday (2A).

The Class 3A meet will be held at St. Cloud High School on Saturday. Competition begins at 9:30 a.m.

Garza, who finished fourth last year in the 139-pound division, is seeded No. 1 at 169 pounds with 370 pounds, five pounds more than New Smyrna Beach's Daisha Jarvis.

Hart, who finished third last year, is seeded No. 1 at 119 pounds in Class 2A with 330 pounds. Sunlake's Madison Guincho is seeded No. 2 with 315 pounds.

Six more lifters are seeded in the top four.

George Jenkins' Dallas Dickey (199) is seeded No. 2 at 199 pounds in 3A.

Auburndale's De'Asia Abrams is seeded No. 3 seed at 199 in 2A.

Lake Wales' Madison Gosselin is seeded No. 4 at 129 pounds in 2A. Teammate Lexi Thomas is seeded No. 4 at 183 pounds.

In Class 1A, Fort Meade's Emma Respress is seeded third at 110 pounds.

Frostproof's Alisa Mendes is seeded fourth at 139 pounds.

Polk's Qualifiers

CLASS 3A

Bartow (2): Trinity Fuery (169), Jada Green (Unl).

George Jenkins (1): Dallas Dickey (199).

Haines City (2): Kyndal Green (129), Lillian Markowitz (Unl).

Kathleen (1): Kenisha Branch (Unl).

Lakeland (2): Tori Cunningham (110), Kendall Massey (154).

CLASS 2A

Auburndale (4): Emma Banks (110), Emily Hart (119), De'Asia Abrams (199), Hailey Burns (199)

Lake Wales (7): Kiara Hobbs (101), Kyra Battle (110), Madison Gosselin (129), Danielle Garrison (154), Faith Garza (169), Kayden Arliss (169), Lexi Thomas (183).

CLASS 1A

Fort Meade (1): Emma Respress (110).

Frostproof (6): Tayler Barberree (101), Alissa Thompson (110), Chloe Martinez (119), Alisa Mendes (139), Casey Whittington (154), Alexis McElroy (169),

Mulberry (1): Jacelyn Crawford (101).