by susan knapp posted 02/23/2010 RECAP OF WEIGHTLIFTING COMPETITION 2/22/10
The SCC Invitational weightlifting competition was a huge success. Athletes from Guilford, Branford, Hand and North Haven competed in the bench press, squat and power clean in 5 different weight classes. Each weight class had 3 athletes compete in each of the 3 lifts.
Branford took 1st place overall with 11,380lbs lifted with Guilford a close second with 11,290lbs lifted. Hand was third with 10,805lbs and North Haven was fourth.
In the over 220 lb weight class Guilford’s Luke Zergiebel took 2nd in the bench press with a lift of 270 lbs. Hand’s Casey Dowd also lifted 270 lbs and he took first since he weighed less. Guilford’s Ian Rorke was 3rd with a lift of 260 lbs and Guilford’s Andrew McCloskey was fourth with a lift of 255 lbs. Guilford’s McCloskey and Zergiebel were 1 and 2 in the squat with each squatting 420 lbs. Hand’s Casey Dowd was 3rd with a lift of 405 lbs. In the power clean Dowd was first with a lift of 245 lbs and fellow teammate AJ Hill was 2nd with a lift of 235 lbs. McCloskey also lifted 235 to take 3rd since he is the heavier athlete. Rorke was 4th with a lift of 225 lbs. Casey Dowd won the overall class title with a 3 lift total of 920 lbs and Guilford’s McCloskey was a close 2nd with 910 total lbs lifted.
In the 201-220 lb weight class Branford’s captain Sean Doherty and Guilford’ co-captain Tony Serra battled it out in a hard fought class. Doherty won the bench press with a lift of 245 lbs and Hand’s Saxe took 2nd with a lift of 265 lbs. Serra was 3rd at 260 lbs. Doherty squatted 425 lbs and Serra lifted 405 to take 2nd. In the power clean Doherty took 1st with a lift of 250 lbs while Serra was a close 2nd with a lift of 245 lbs. Doherty won the class with a total lift of 915 lbs while Serra lifted 910 lbs. Tony improved his 3 lift total from a year before by 120 lbs!
In the 181 – 200 lb weight class Guilford’s Jack Singleton dominated! At 182 lbs he lifted 915 total lbs. The North Haven lifter Matteis also lifted 915 lbs but weighed 25 lbs more than Jack. Jack took 2nd in the power clean with a lift of 215 lbs, 2nd in the bench press with a lift of 265 lbs and he crushed the squat competition with a lift of 435 lbs which was also the highest squat of the competition!
In the 161 – 180 class Guilford’s Jesse Iassogna and Mike Knapp had a hard fought battle with Branford’s Bob Teulings. Knapp won the power clean with a lift of 225 lbs, a personal best and Iassogna was 2nd with a lift of 205. Teulings also lifted 205 but was the heavier athlete. In the Bench Branford’s Logan Yelle and Bob Teulings were 1st and 2nd with lifts of 225 lbs. Knapp and Iassogna tied for 3rd with lifts of 215 lbs. Teulings won the squat with a lift of 355 lbs while Iassogna lifted 350 lbs. Teulings took the class with a 3 lift total of 775 lbs and Knapp and Iassogna both lifted 770 lbs.
In the under 160 lb class Branford’s Bereton was first with 760 total lbs in his 3 lifts, while Ross from North Haven took 2nd with 355 lbs and Guilford’s Matt Hoey was 3rd with 730 total lbs. Ross won the squat with a lift of 360 lbs, his teammate Nate Alleyene was 2nd with 335 and Hoey was 3rd also with a lift of 335 lbs. Branford’s Teddy Bereton was first in the bench with a lift of 230 lbs and his teammate RJ Sember was 2nd with 225 lbs. Hoey took 2nd in the power clean with a personal best of 215 lbs while Hand’s Troy Smith was 1st with 215 lbs.
The competition was a huge success for all teams involved. The Guilford athletes realized that they are VERY STRONG! This was the first time they did a one rep max and the competitive juices showed with numerous athletes posting personal bests in their lifts. All athletes demonstrated great sportsmanship and cheered on their teammates and their competition. Guilford improved their total from a year ago and the players are excited to compete on March 13th in the state weight lifting meet at Masuk high school in Monroe. They have 3 weeks to continue their work and keep getting stronger. Many players learned that they can lift much more than they realized and that their form and technique is 2nd to none! The Guilford coach’s are very proud of their players. All of the competitors included Matt Hoey, Ethan Curry, James Ferrara, Jesse Iassogna, Mike Knapp, Pat Saunders, Bennett Lovejoy, Jack Singleton, JP Peters, John Lisitano, Ed Hobson, Tony Serra, Ryan Sutowski, Andrew McCloskey, Luke Zergiebel, Ian Rorke and Shane Fonicello. Another impressive statistic to note is that 4 of Guilford’s lifters were freshmen. Those four got a great taste of competition and what players they will compete for positions with can lift.
The Coach’s from all four schools helped out tremendously, thank you to the Guilford TD club for having drinks and snacks available for sale. We will try to provide snacks for the players at the state meet on the 13th.
A big thank you needs to go out to all of the people responsible for providing our players with a first class weight room. This includes the TD club, Netminders, Ron Nault, Kenny Horton, Bob Leary, Scott Neleber, Billy Bell, Mr. Schilling, Chip Dorwin, Rick Misenti and more, I apologize in advance for whoever I missed! The facility does need our help. We will be holding a weight a thon to raise money for the facility. The players will be collecting pledges and donations to purchase power racks with platforms. More info will be provided soon, the players should be bringing home a packet this week. Let’s rally together and see if we can improve the facility! These will provide more efficient lifts, safer lifts, and will continue to increase the player’s motivation.
Thank you to all of the parents for supporting and helping to motivate your sons. Guilford Football is headed for big things, get everyone on board, it’s going to be a great ride!
Sincerely,
Coach Unger
