The Benton weightlifting team had three Panthers medal and one earn a state record on its way to a 7A/6A state championship this past Saturday in Alma.
Benton senior Brock Morris broke the state record in the power clean in the 198-pound division, which was held by former Panther Dontae Winston, lifting 325 pounds. Morris also benched 345 pounds to give him a total of 670 pounds, good for a state championship and gold medal in his division.
“This is the first one we’ve won in awhile,” Coach Brad Harris said of a state weightlifting title. “We were runner-up the last two years. It’s a nice feat for the guys. It shows their hard work commitment in the offseason. We try to get those guys to compete somehow in the spring and it’s a good way to do it. They get to have a lift-off in the power clean and bench press competition.”
As a team, the Panthers lifted 5,090 pounds for the championship, outdistancing second place Lake Hamilton by 70 pounds as the Wolves came in at 5,020. Benton had 10 lifters compete in weight classes from 123 pounds to over 260.