New Hope and Caledonia both showed up and showed out at the MHSAA Class 5A state powerlifting meet on Saturday where the Trojans’ boys team captured the 5A state championship with 30 points and the Cavaliers’ girls team nabbed the runner-up spot in a second-place finish with 35 points.

The Trojans’ boys squad left with three individual championships as well, which helped fuel their run to the overall title – the first in team history. Jacob Newson won the 165-pound class with a total of 1,110 pounds –a 450-pound squad, a 210-pound bench press and a 450-pound deadlift. Tari’Q Butler won the 242-pound division with a total of 1,430 pounds. He squatted 585 pounds, benched 295 pounds and deadlifted 550. His brother Micah Butler followed up by winning the 275-pound class with a 1,445-pound total that included a 590-pound squad and a 315-pound bench press. 

“I am very proud of them,” head coach Brad Butler said. “I thought we had a shot going in. We had seven guys competing, which there were several other teams that had seven and a couple had eight, so we knew it was going to be a tight race but I felt like we had the team to do it.”

The Trojans were stuck at fourth place going into the second half of the day’s lifts, just six points behind eventual runner-up Brookhaven’s lead. It was in that afternoon session that New Hope managed to turn it around.

“We had a good showing from our big guys and we were able to get two firsts and a second (place finish) in the second half and pull it through,” Brad Butler said. “I’m super proud of those guys.”

Aiden Hysaw took second place in the 198-pound division with a total of 1,225, Christian Parker placed third in the 132-pound class with a total of 1,000 pounds, Connor Richards finished fifth in the 148-weight class with a total of 955 pounds and Brayden Blanchard finished sixth in the 123-pound division with a total of 610. Not everyone won a gold medal but everyone contributed to winning the overall championship.

“It took everybody,” Brad Butler said. “We had some really big wins.”

In the girls state meet, New Hope sent seven lifters and captured third-place overall with 24 points. Kayla Dyson and Jakalee Smith both won individual state titles to lead the way. Dyson won gold in the 105-pound class with a total of 540 pounds, and Smith conquered the 132-pound division with a total of 685 pounds.

Caledonia girls take second

The Cavs put together a great showing at the girls Class 5A state meet as well on Saturday and left as the runner-ups with a team total of 37 points – just three shy of tying state champion Pontotoc’s 40.

Three of Caledonia’s seven lifters captured individual state titles along the way and two more grabbed the silver medal in their respective weight classes. Molly Clements won the 123-pound division with a total of 645 points, Peyton Tucker took gold in the 148-pound class with a total of 680 pounds and Madison Woody won the 181-pound group with 715 pounds total.

“They did a really good job,” head coach Jason Forrester said. “ (We) started out really well, everybody was doing everything like we had planned, everything was projected going just like we wanted. Pontotoc was just a little bit better. They ended up getting a couple of lifts in that we were hoping that we could avoid, but they did a really good job there, a good team, too. Our girls worked really, really hard and it paid off. We missed the state championship by three points; It was really close.”

Pacey Rushing finished in second place behind Tucker in the 148-pound class with 625 total pounds, and Justice Shinn grabbed silver in the 242-plus division with 860 total pounds. Camelia Clay grabbed third behind Shinn with a total of 840 pounds, and Julianna Andrews took third in the 132-pound class with 635 pounds.

“Everybody who lifted placed,” Forrester said. “So that was very impressive, and I was very happy with that.”

Caledonia’s boys team sent five lifters to the state meet, but only three of them finished as two Cavs could not complete their lifts due to injury.

“They are both fine, they are OK,” Forrester said.

With only three still competing the Cavs finished in ninth place as a team but had one individual champion and two bronze-medal winners. Holden Counts won the gold in the 198-pound division with 1,240 total pounds, Eli Cantrell grabbed third in the 308-plus class with 1,360 pounds and Mason Parker netted bronze in the 123-pound group with a total of 695 pounds.

“That’s the most boys we have taken to a state meet and we’re very, very proud of that and those three lifted really well.”

West Point

The Green Wave sent three boys to the state and one captured an individual title while another grabbed silver. 

Lamarcus Collins took gold in the 123-pound class with a total of 760 pounds, Tytus Davidson finished second in the 308-pound division with 1,495 pounds and Maurice Heard finished fifth in the 165-pound group with 965 pounds.