CALEDONIA — Kody White has been part of the family for so long that the success doesn’t surprise him.
As a senior, White has worked with many of the members of the Caledonia High School powerlifting team for four years. In that time, they have become accustomed to winning trophies.
With a new weight room and a new field house, White and his classmates will have two more chances to leave more championship hardware to set the tone for future classes.
On Feb. 2, White was one of seven competitors who finished first at the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 4A, Region 3 meet to lead Caledonia to a team title.
Seniors Chris Clements (123-pound weight class), Bret Stanley (165), White (198), Eli Seabrooks (242), Floyd Pickens (275), junior Logan Canerdy (308), and sophomore Dalton Cantrell (super heavyweight).
Josh Joseph finished second in the 114-pound weight class. Kelvin Robinson was second in the 123-pound weight class. Quentin Chiquito finished fourth in the 148-pound weight class.
For their accomplishment, the Caledonia High powerlifting team is The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week.
“We have established a large foundation,” White said. “Most of us have been powerlifting for three or four years. This is my sixth year. The amount of work we put in, you can’t describe it.”
White said the Confederates have changed aspects of their workouts this season to stay fresh and to help them continue to improve. He everyone on the team is friends, which helps in an individual/team sport. White said all of the competitors on the team want to do better than their teammates, even if they are in different weight classes. He said that dynamic has fostered competition in practice that has pushed many of the team members to personal bests and records. Clements had a region record in the bench press (205), White had region records in the squat (585), dead lift (565), and total weight (1,485), Seabrooks had a region record in the bench press (315), and Cantrell had region records in the squat (610) and total weight (1,470).
“The main thing we have done differently this year is bench,” Clements said. “We work heavier on the early sets and you get your lighter work on the way down. That has helped me bring my bench up farther than it was last year. There is definitely a big gap. You can tell we have grown in the bench press.”
Last year, Clements lifted a total of 955 pounds to win the 123-pound weight class in the MHSAA Class 4A meet in Jackson. Clements lifted 350 pounds in the squat and season-bests of 195 in the bench press and 410 in the dead lift to win his first state championship.
This season, Clements hopes he will have several of his teammates join him at the state meet. To realize that goal, Caledonia will have to build off its regional title, which was its third championship in a row and fourth in six years, at the Class 4A North State meet, which will be March 10 at Itawamba Agricultural High. Lifting will start at noon.
“We’re all close to each other, and all of the seniors come over from football and have been competing in powerlifting for at least four years,” Clements said. “We’re not just teammates. We’re more than that. It is a nice thing to be close like that. … When you really enjoy what you’re doing, it works out and you end up winning because we are not just doing it to compete or work. We’re doing it because we want to do it. The winning is just something that happens because of that.”
Caledonia coach Brian White, who was the defensive coordinator on the school’s football team, has orchestrated a renaissance in the powerlifting program in his six years as coach. This will be his final season at the school. He said he is retiring and will move on to take a job at Coosa Valley Academy in Alabama.
Clements’ win last season marked the third-straight year Caledonia has had a state champion. Zach Weathers won state titles in the 132-pound weight class in 2014 and 2015. The Confederates have a strong chance to build on that mark this season.
“It is absolutely a team sport, but when one person does good it is always trying to step up or do the same,” Stanley said. “If they get their third lift and it is their top weight, no matter how much the weight difference is, you want to get your top weight, too.”
Coach White said Caledonia’s final point total missed out on the region scoring record by three points. Houston, Kosciusko, Leake Central, Noxubee County, Newton County, and Louisville also competed at the region meet.
Caledonia’s success in the weight room has played a role in the success of the football team. Caledonia football advanced to the playoffs in 2014, finished 5-5 in 2015, and returned to the playoffs in 2016.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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