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Pine’s Braeden Arceneaux and Franklinton’s Shelton Jenkins captured powerlifting state titles at last week’s meet that was held at the Fant-Ewing Coliseum on the campus of the University of Louisiana in Monroe.

“It feels good to be on top because I worked my tail off the whole year,” Arceneaux said.

Arceneaux, a freshman, won the Division IV 114.5-pound weight class. He squatted 290, benched 120 and deadlifted 335 for a 745 total. Second place was 625 total.

Arceneaux set personal records in the squat, deadlift and total weight.

This was Arceneaux’s second time making it to state, but the first time competing at state. Last year’s state meet was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Arceneaux is the first powerlifter from Pine to win a state title.

Arceneaux said he was a little bit nervous.

“Being in the coliseum with everybody watching made me a little nervous, but I pushed through,” Arceneaux said.

Arceneaux said the nerves went down after this first lift.

He talked about his key to winning.

“Pushing through all of my lifts and making sure I warmed up right,” Arceneaux said.

Jenkins, a junior, is the Division II state champion in the 198.3-pound weight class.

“To me, it was pretty good, but I know I could do better, but I did what I know I could do,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins set the Division II state record in bench press for the 198.3s with a 410. Jenkins broke the record on all three attempts.

“It meant a lot to me because I worked so hard for it,” Jenkins said. “I worked all year for it.”

Jenkins tallied a 510 squat, 410 bench and 500 deadlift for 1,420 total. Runner up was 1,320.

Like Arceneaux, this was Jenkins’ second time reaching state and first time competing with last year’s state competition getting cancelled.

“It was pretty nice because I’ve never seen that many people at once for powerlifting,” Jenkins said about his first time performing at state.

Also locally, Northlake Christian School’s Emmanuel Powell, who is a resident of Bogalusa, is the Division IV state champion in the 275.5s.

Powell squatted 635, bench pressed 400 and deadlifted 530 for 1,565. Second place was 1,430.

Four more lifters from Franklinton made it to state.

Jaylin Magee and Ethan Sharp are in the 181.8s.

Magee was fourth, while Sharp took 10th.

Magee tallied a 1,255 with a 465 squat, 295 bench and 495 deadlift. Sharp posted a 985 after squatting 405, benching 210 and deadlifting 370. Tioga’s Joshua Ponthier won the title with a 1,400 total. Ponthier was the best lifter for the 181 to SHW weight classes.

Adam Galloway was sixth in the 275.5s. Galloway, who was an alternate last year, squatted 500, benched 330 and deadlifted 405 for 1,235. Tioga’s Jonathan Baeza won the state championship with a 1,370.

Collin Penny was 10th in the 198.3s with a 930 after a 340 squat, 205 bench and 385 deadlift.

Tioga won the state title with 39 points, as 21 teams posted points.

North Vermilion was second with 33 points, followed by South Terrebonne’s 27, Assumption’s 21 and Leesville rounded out the top five with 17 points.

Franklinton was eighth with 11 points. Peabody also had 11 points, but Franklinton won the tiebreaker, which is most first-place finishes, 1-0.

Bogalusa had two lifters in Kevin Wells and Derek Keating. Both made it to state last year.

Wells was fifth in the 148.8s with a 1,045. Wells tallied a 360 squat, 270 bench and 415 deadlift. Lutcher’s Marty Riley won with a 1,265.

Keating took eighth for the 275.5s after going for an 1,180. Keating recorded 450 squat, 315 bench and 415 deadlift. Lutcher’s Brandon Bouwin posted a 1,460 to win the title.

Lutcher won the Division III championship with 43 points, as 17 teams put up points.

Iota won the tiebreaker over Abbeville for second with each posting 36 points.

Buckeye and Church Point tied for fourth with 22 points to round out the top five.

Bogalusa was 14th with two points.

Also locally, Pope John Paul II’s Cael McDaniel, a Bogalusa resident, was fifth in the Division IV  220.3s after totaling a 1,145. He squatted 440, benched 250 and deadlifted 455. Holy Savior Menard’s Cameron Kinder won the championship with 1,485.

Pope John Paul II’s Matthew Kirkland, a Bogalusa resident, was 10th in the SHW.

Pope John Paul II and Northlake Christian School were second and third in the team competition with 31 and 25 points respectively, as 19 teams posted points.