LAKELAND ‒ Lake Wales senior weightlifter Josh Canet eventually wasn’t disappointed in himself despite being a tad bit dissatisfied early on with how his snatch went in the FHSAA Class 2A state weightlifting championship Friday at the RP Funding Center.
Still, Canet (219) was close to beating the top guy — Choctawhatchee High School’s Brandon Stenger — something that he eventually deemed not so dissatisfying. How did it all start? Lake Wales took a jump to force his opener, and he failed it. The Highlanders then took the opportunity to shine and Canet hit a 350-pound clean and jerk, a personal record to force Stenger’s hand at taking it again, and he ended up hitting it. Canet ended up placing second in the Olympic category with a 615 total lift.
Canet finished high school his career with two second-place finishes in state. His heaviest lifts in state were a 250-pound snatch and a 290-pound clean and jerk his junior year. This year he was up to 265 on the snatch, 350 on the clean and jerk and a 295 on the bench.
“…For me to pull everything out of me to try to win and hitting something even my coach (Lake Wales head weightlifting coach Tashawn Williams) was skeptical about is a great accomplishment.
“I’ve heard a whole bunch of people calling me the ‘people’s champ’ and telling me that I’ve earned it and that’s something I can live happy with. I may have fell short of being a state champ this year but in my heart I already won. The feeling is bittersweet and I can’t believe it’s finally over. I’m proud of how far I’ve come and thankful to everyone who supported me these years. (I’m) thankful to my coaches and teammates for building me into who I am today. I’d be nothing without them. Glory to God and thats the end of my journey. Thank you guys for covering it every step of the way.”
Other Lake Wales state placers were the following: Isaac Ramos (Olympic, 238 pounds, 535 total lift, fifth), Canet (Traditional, 645, third), and Ramos (Traditional, 625, fifth).
“I am proud of my young men and the way we competed today. It wasn’t our best day but we finished 16th in Olympic and 15th in traditional,” Williams said. “Not what we wanted but happy with the way my guys battled and it’s been a tough stretch of meets. Glad to represent this county and continue to be one of the best programs in the state and it’s about how hard we work and we’ll continue that pursuit of greatness each season.”
The following Polk County weightlifters placed in Class 1A action: Fort Meade’s Juan Estrada (Olympic, 119, 285 total, eighth), and Ridgeview’s Yasiel Rios (Traditional, 119, 305, 10th).
And in 3A action, the following Polk County weightlifters placed: Ridge ...
