Perseverance allowed Garza to salvage 2nd at state meet

LIVE OAK — Lake Wales coach Tashawn Williams couldn’t express his admiration enough for senior Faith Garza’s performance at Saturday’s girls weighlifting state meet.

Garza was visibly shaken after her second consecutive attempt at 160 pounds in the 169-pound division in the clean-and-jerk was ruled no good by two of the three judges. Garza needed to a good lift on her final attempt to qualify for a medal.

Garza, regrouped, and nailed the lift to give her a total lift of 365 pounds, which nearly clinched her a state title.

Instead, Garza had to settle for second place as New Smyrna Beach’s Daisha Jarvis lifted 195 pounds on her second attempt in the clean-and-jerk to finish with 375 pounds. It ended an uneven day for Lake Wales, which saw two other lifters medal but also one lifter who didn’t make weight. In the end, the Highlanders finished ninth, one spot higher than last year.

Garza appeared on her way to a state title when she lifted 205 pounds on the bench. She had been consistently hitting 170 pounds in the clean-and-jerk, a mark that would have clinched the state title.

However, she ran into trouble when two of three judges ruled her first lift of 160 pounds in the clean-and-jerk bad, and then again on the second lift. Garza came back and nailed the 160 pounds on her final lift.

“They were talking about elbows,” Williams said. “I thought it was a bad call. I really thought the first one was actually the better of the lifts, but she battled back. She got the third lift, and she’s walking away as state runner-up. I couldn’t be more proud of her. She battled back. Most people wouldn’t have been able to do that at all. It would have been a struggle for a lot of people to come back after having those two missed lifts.”

The best Garza has done for total weight was 370 pounds, so she would have needed a personal-best mark to win the state title. After her bench, that number or better was in her grasp. Her total of 365 nearly was good enough until Jarvis made her second lift.

Two Lake Wales lifters did well in the afternoon as well. Also competing at 169, sophomore Kayden Arless had a total lift of 330 pounds and finished eighth, while junior Danielle Garrison finished 10th with a total lift of 315 pounds.

The Highlanders had a senior-heavy team this year, and Williams will rebuild around Arless, Garrison and Lexi Thomas, who did not make weight at 183 pounds and was expected to be a top-three finisher. 

Lake Wales still managed to finish ninth as a team, one spot higher than last year.

“I’m proud of them,” Williams said. “A lot of things didn’t go our way today. It happens. It’s life. To just come here and represent Polk County, leave here top 10, that is the high from any school in our county. So to represent our county ... it’s a beautiful thing.”

The afternoon also wasn’t kind to Auburndale sophomore De’Asia Abrams. After lifting 180 pounds on the bench, Abrams was in position to win a state title in the 199-pound division. However, like Garza, Abrams ran into trouble in the clean-and-jerk. On her first two attempts, first at 140 then at 150, she couldn’t complete the clean portion of the event. She did not make a third attempt due to an injury.

However, Auburndale’s Hailey Burns lifted a personal-record total lift of 315 pounds and finished sixth.

George Jenkins' Dickey second at 3A meet

George Jenkins’ Dallas Dickey finished with a total lift of 365 pounds to finish second in the 199-pound division on Saturday afternoon at the Class 3A meet in St. Cloud. She was the only Polk County lifter to medal at the meet.

Dickey finished with 205 pounds in the bench and 160 pounds in the clean-and-jerk. She finished behind Flagler’s Anniel Buchanan, who finished with a total lift of 450 pounds.