- April 24, 2024
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Matanzas' Will Lam won the 169-pound class. Photo by Ray Boone
FPC's Miguel Correia attempts a clean-and-jerk. Photo by Ray Boone
Matanzas' Will Lam prepares for the bench press. Photo by Ray Boone
Matanzas' Skyelar Williams-Michaud won the 219-pound class. Photo by Ray Boone
Bulldogs lifter Dominique Bennett won first place in the 119-pound class. Photo by Ray Boone
FPC's Dominique Bennett takes on the bench press at the regional meet. Photo by Ray Boone
Matanzas' Skyelar Williams-Michaud attempts a bench press. Photo by Ray Boone
FPC's Miguel Correia attempts a clean-and-jerk. Photo by Ray Boone
Matanzas' Will Lam attempts a clean-and-jerk. Photo by Ray Boone
Matanzas' Will Lam attempts a clean-and-jerk. Photo by Ray Boone
The Bulldogs’ Dominique Bennett was nervous as he approached his final lift in the boys weightlifting regional meet on the afternoon of Saturday, March 30, at Flagler Palm Coast High School.
He was neck-and-neck with rival Spruce Creek’s Trajan White in the 119-pound weight class.
Bennett topped out at 185 pounds in the bench press, while White benched 180. They both hit 155 on their opening clean-and-jerk attempts. White hit 160 on his second attempt, while Bennett lifted 165.
With the crowd and his teammates roaring around him, Bennett clean-and-jerked 170 pounds for a 355-pound total, 10 pounds more than White, to win a regional title, becoming the first freshman boys lifter to advance to the FHSAA weightlifting state championship under Bulldogs coach Duane Hagstrom.
“I was very confident, yet very tired. But I had to push through it,” Bennett said. “I stayed confident, and that’s all that really mattered.”
FPC and Matanzas were both well represented at the meet, with the Bulldogs finishing fourth as a team and the Pirates taking fifth. While Bennett was the only Bulldogs lifter to win his weight class, two Pirates earned automatic bids to the state meet, with Skyelar Williams-Michaud and Will Lam winning their respective weight classes.
“This whole year has been about redemption for me.”
Matanzas lifter Will Lam
Williams-Michaud won his second-straight regional title. He took the top spot last year in the 199-pound weight class.
He benched 340 and clean-and-jerked 295 to win the 219-pound class.
Will Lam bombed out in the district meet in the 154-pound class last season, scratching out in all of his clean-and-jerk attempts.
This year was all about redemption.
He won the 169-pound weight class Saturday with a 355 bench and a 290 clean-and-jerk.
“It’s overwhelming,” Lam said. “It feels good to be going to states — especially for my senior year.”
