Pasco County boys weightlifting preview

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COACH: Steve Franks (first year)

KEY RETURNING LIFTERS: none

NEW LIFTERS: Jason Janus (Jr., Hwt.); Tyler Grindstead (Jr., Hwt.)

OUTLOOK: Coach Franks has a new team and only six lifters. This is a total building year for the new school, and Franks thinks his heavyweights are a work in progress.

Gulf

COACH: Bruno Buonsanto (first year)

KEY RETURNING LIFTERS: Trevor Abbott (Sr., 169); Victor Karantonis (Sr., 154); Dimitrios Kalogiannis (Jr., 183)

NEW LIFTERS: Tryston Bussey (Fr., 119); Anthony Buonsanto (Fr., 119)

OUTLOOK: Coach Buonsanto is hoping to get two lifters to state. The team, which has 24 lifters, is young.

Hudson

COACH: Kyle King (first year)

KEY RETURNING LIFTERS: Jon Paone (Sr., 169); Anthony Bishop (Sr., 129); Taylor Foster (Sr., 183)

NEW LIFTERS: Doug Kruse (So., 183); Derek Moore (So., 219); Nick Schlott (Sr., 238)

OUTLOOK: Coach King said his team will compete for the Sunshine Athletic Conference title, which the Cobras won last year. The team had lots of depth last year, but that won't be the case this year. JoJo Cimino won the state title but graduated. Coach King is hoping Bishop, Foster and Paone can get to state.

Land O' Lakes

COACH: Tom Carter (second year)

KEY RETURNING LIFTER: Matt McDonald (Sr., 154)

NEW LIFTERS: Gary Myrick (Jr., 238); Patrick Kronk (Sr., Hwt.)

OUTLOOK: There are just three lifters on the team. Coach Carter thinks Myrick has the best chance of qualifying for state.

Mitchell

COACH: Chris McFarland (fifth year)

KEY RETURNING LIFTER: Leigh Andre (Sr., 219)

NEW LIFTER: Max Gebler (Fr., 139)

OUTLOOK: Coach McFarland said his team is young and it is looking to learn and make a lot of progress. He thinks Andre should be a state qualifier.

Pasco

COACH: Dave Gaffney (34th year)

KEY RETURNING LIFTERS: Chase Sellers (Sr., 199); Travis Southern (Sr., 154); Allen Wells (Sr., 199); Willie Jackson (Jr., 169); Clifford Phillips (Jr., 169)

NEW LIFTERS: Mitchell Wozniak (Sr., 183). Jamail Carter (Jr., Hwt.); John Killgallon (So., 238)

OUTLOOK: Pasco lost a number of seniors, so Coach Gaffney thinks of this as a rebuilding year. He thinks Wells and Jackson might be able to get to state.

Ridgewood

COACH: Chris Taylor (seventh year)

KEY RETURNING LIFTERS: Chris Seltman (Jr., Hwt.); Jamal Dawkins (So., 183)

NEW LIFTERS: Preston Dameron (Jr., 199); Tyler Launi (So., 169); Anthony Muniz (Jr., 219); Timmy Meinzer (Jr., 139)

OUTLOOK: Coach Taylor said his team is really young, and he has 17 lifters. Launi could be a state qualifier.

River Ridge

COACH: Mike Marlin (eighth year)

KEY RETURNING LIFTERS: Stavros Arianas (Sr., 219) state qualifier; Anthony McKinney (Sr., 199); Dillon Edwards (Jr., Hwt.)

NEW LIFTERS: None proven

OUTLOOK: River Ridge was in the top three last year in the Sunshine Athletic Conference. Arianas and McKinney should have a good shot at medaling at state. River Ridge has 21 lifters.

Sunlake

COACH: Matt Smith (second year)

KEY RETURNING LIFTERS: Kyle Anderson (Sr., 169); Jacob Henderson (Sr., 169); Mike Harding (Sr., 238); Dylan Lane (Sr., Hwt.); Alex Curry (Jr., 183); Craig King (Jr., 219); Dean Bui (So., 119) state qualifier

NEW LIFTERS: Raushad Daniels (So., 154); Kyle Fraser (So., 154); John Michael (Jr., 154); Jordan Mills (So., 219); Nate McCoole (So., Hwt.)

OUTLOOK: Coach Smith said he has 41 lifters on the team. It is a young team (one freshman, nine sophomores). The kids have progressed quite a bit since last year.

Wesley Chapel

COACH: John Castelamare (second year)

KEY RETURNING LIFTERS: Ray Nixon (Sr., Unl..); Pierre Charles (Sr., 238); Jacob Fisher (Jr., 238); Luke Fisher (So., 219); Devon Henry (So., 154)

NEW LIFTERS: Robert Jota (Sr., 154); Andrew Welch (Sr., 119); Dean Holliday (Sr., 169); Louis Luna (So., Unl.); Damien Garvey (So., Unl.); Brendon Edmonds (So. 183); Muhammad Sadique (So. 129); Kevin Koth (Jr., 154); Dustin Miller (Jr., 154)

OUTLOOK: There are 24 lifters, including some possible state contenders. Coach Castelamare isn't sure about his team's chances at the Sunshine Athletic Conference meet.

Wiregrass Ranch

COACH: Chris Bounell (fourth year)

KEY RETURNING LIFTERS: Morgan Hendrix (Sr., Hwt.), third in conference last year; Nick Lomba (Jr., 183); sixth in conference; Brandon Geeling (So., 219)

NEW LIFTER: Josh Johnson (Sr., 183)

OUTLOOK: Coach Bounell expects this to be a rebuilding year. He would like to see his team finish in the top four at the Sunshine Athletic Conference meet. There are 24 lifters on the team, and the future looks promising.

Zephyrhills

COACH: David Brown (second year)

KEY RETURNING LIFTERS: Rudy Aleman (Jr., 139); Stephen Cottrell (Jr., Unl..); Travis McDonald (Sr., 183); Billy McDonough (So., 183); Frank Morrison (Jr., 154); Jasper Starnes (Jr., 119)

NEW LIFTERS: Jordan Tiepietkewicz (Sr., 169); John Dodd (Jr., 239)

OUTLOOK: Coach Brown said Tiepietkewicz, Dodd and Stephen Cottrell have a chance at state. There are 37 lifters on the team, and the Bulldogs have a chance at winning the Sunshine Athletic Conference title.

Larry Bugg