Varnado’s powerlifting team came back from Alexandria after competing in the Division V state championships with two state champions — one that was Most Outstanding Lifter — a state runner-up and a team that finished in third.
It should be noted that Varnado is just in the second year of its program.
“It’s always exciting to see kids succeed, especially in that type of environment and I felt like, my kids, not only did they succeed, but they actually thrived,” Varnado coach Adam Brumfield said. “This is our second year to have a powerlifting team. To be able to come in third place in the state is a great accomplishment and not only did we have a few guys that won, a runner-up, but the two kids, one got fourth and one got eighth, they actually had their personal best lifts at the state competition. I’m extremely proud of our guys.”
Chris Kimball and Jep Bonnette are Division V state champions for their weight classes. Jadarell Magee is a state runner-up. Varnado’s T’Andrew Foster was fourth and Jacorrius Bickham was eighth.
Varnado finished third in the team competition with 21 points, finishing just five points out of second to St. Mary’s.
Catholic of Pointe Coupee was the team state champion with 46 points, as 15 teams posted points.
Kimball was named the Most Outstanding Lifter for the Light Platform. It was the sophomore’s second year at state.
Last year, he finished third in the Division V 148-pound weight class.
This year, he came back and won that weight class with a 1,065 total. Kimball squatted 375, bench pressed 245 and deadlifted 445.
Kimball’s motto is, “don’t stop until you succeed and don’t stop until the job gets done. You live to work and work to live.”
Kimball said it went well and that it was challenging.
“It was a bad start off, but in the end, I didn’t know I was going to come out on top,” Kimball said. “There were a lot of winners. There was a lot of successful moments and there were some bad moments, but in the end, everyone had a good time and it was a really, really good meet.”
Kimball set his personal best in deadlift at 445.
Kimball talked about winning outstanding lifter.
“Outstanding lifter — I’m kind of proud of myself. I’ve got something to look at and something to say, ‘well, you know, if I can get that far, then, I know I can do more than get outstanding lifter because I didn’t know I was going to get outstanding lifter,’” he said. “I’m really proud of myself. It’s really something good to be proud of. We all have goals in life and that was one of my goals is to get outstanding lifter, and there’s still going to be more challenges ahead.”
Bonnette is the state champion in the 114s.
Bonnette lifted 615 total with a 195 squat, 135 bench and 285 deadlift.
Bonnette set personal bests in bench and deadlift. The deadlift PR was for the win.
Bonnette, who is also a sophomore, is in his first year of powerlifting.
“First, I started off, it was a little rocky,” Bonnette said.
Bonnette said he qualified on his first squat, but not on his next two.
“I was really kind of down on myself in the break between squat and bench. I was kind of down on myself a little bit, but then I just said, ‘I just gotta get over it,’ so I focused,” Bonnette said. “I got my first set of bench, got the second set and then I got the most I’ve ever done on my third set, which is 135. It’s kind of like my personal best.”
Bonnette said the deadlift came down to his final attempt for him to win.
“The second attempt, the dude that I had to beat, he didn’t get his. I got mine,” he said. “Third attempt, I was going to do 285, he was going to do 265. First, he had the wrong weight up. Coach was pointing it out to me saying, ‘well, if he gets up there and does that weight, no matter what, you still beat him.’ We were talking it over and watching and his coach caught on to it and they went and changed his weight.”
Bonnette said his opponent made his lift, so he knew he had to that weight to win.
“I just got up there and I did it,” Bonnette said.
Bonnette said it was like time was in slow motion almost when he got his final deadlift.
“I was up there, I was ready. I was about to lift and I just kept thinking, ‘I gotta get it. I gotta get it,’ and then as soon as I locked it out and I saw three white lights, happiest moment of my life,” Bonnette said.
The white lights that Bonnette is referring to correspond to three judges for each lift. One is in front of the lifter and the other two are on either side. The judges’ decision is indicated by white and red lights. White lights are successful lifts while red lights are unsuccessful. Two or more of either light indicates the lift being successful or unsuccessful.
Jadarrell Magee was second in the 220s after posting lifts of 385 in the squat, 235 in the bench and 470 in the deadlift.
Magee, who is a senior, is also in his first year of powerlifting. He set a personal record in deadlift.
“This was my first year doing powerlifting. I really got the feel of what was going on and everything, so I was just really basically paying attention to what everybody was going,” Magee said. “Got to state and the dude that was in first, I knew he was pretty strong. I knew I had a chance to get state runner-up, so basically had to beat one dude to get state runner-up. Throughout the whole meet, me and him were pretty close. He’d be up by a few points and I’d be up by a few points.”
Magee said it came down to deadlift.
“I had to beat him by 25 pounds in order to get state runner-up. I told coach 475, so that’s what we went with. I knew I pretty much could do it. I had faith I could do it, so I just got up there and did it,” Magee said.
Magee said talked about his happiness once he locked in the deadlift.
“I got there and I seen all three of the white lights, I thought I had tore coach’s arm off, I shook his hand so hard. I was so happy. My first year, that means a lot to me to get state runner up in my first year doing it.”
Magee defeated Delhi’s Lamell Loyd, who had a 1,085.
Catholic of Pointe of Coupee’s Gared Beauvais, who was the heavy platform’s Outstanding Lifter, had a 1,600 total for the title.
Foster, a sophomore, squatted 235, benched 160 and deadlifted 275 for 670 total for fourth place in the 132s. Catholic of Pointe Coupee’s Michael Farque won the title with a 955.
Bickham, a senior, tallied an 815 total with a 270 squat, 240 bench and 305 deadlift in the 148s.