CALEDONIA — The Cavaliers powerlifting team is rolling again.
Caledonia’s boys and girls powerlifting groups showed off their strength over the last month in local meets, preparing for the upcoming rounds of qualification for another trip to Jackson.
The program only started three years ago but has seen students medal in the Class 4A state meet every spring since then.
“Both groups have put in a lot of work,” powerlifting coach Jason Forrester said of the young program’s success. “We’ve got great groups of kids who want to learn and be more successful, but they have gotten to the point where they’re coaching each other as well. Some have had success and know what it takes. I can’t see everyone at every moment, so they’re helping each other and growing in that way as well.”
Forrester and coach Crystal Martin have put plenty of their own time and effort into the team, but credited the success to the work of the kids. With a program history, however young it may be, they’ve seen the kids buy into helping each other as much as they’ve been able to help themselves.
“It goes back to the community that we have, these are great kids from great homes, where they have leadership and good teaching from their parents,” Forrester said. “It helps me and Coach Martin to keep those kids moving forward because we don’t have to work as hard to establish a culture of accountability because they know what that is, they know what it takes to be successful and do things the right way. They’ve been taught the right way from Day 1 and they just bring that with them.”
In 2023, the program’s first year, Lauren Brown took home gold followed by pairs of gold and silver winners the next year in Delani Clements, Nina Weinstein, Izzy Glasgow and Lacy Goins.
The boys powerlifting team is looking to make a splash this year as well after recording seven first-place finishes and five second-place finishes in a dual meet against West Point at CHS last week.
First-place finishes for the boys in their respective weight classes included Anthony Dorrego, Kadarius Shanklin, Ian Hurt, Holden Counts, Landon McNutt, Jaylon Washington and Jahiem Shinn.
Second-place finishes went to Mason Parker, Caleb Butler, Deitrich Hedgpeth, Isaac Mitchell and Jamarcus Lang, while third-place finishes went to Garrett Shoffner, Tucker Hyatt, Kaleb Johnson, Duncan Whittington and Eli Cantrell.
Both teams are now preparing for a preliminary meet Jan. 29-30 to qualify for North State. They will need to finish within the top three places of each weight class and move on from there.
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