CALEDONIA — Forty pounds isn’t a lot to an experienced powerlifter.
But lifting even that amount of weight can seem to be a Herculean task when you’re in position to win a state championship.
To Chris Clements, 40 pounds stuck in his head after finishing second by that amount last year at the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A powerlifting meet.
This season, Clements didn’t let that 40 pounds hold him back. Instead, he used it as motivation to take the next step and win a state championship. On Saturday, Clements realized that goal by lifting a total of 955 pounds to win the 123-pound weight class in the Class 4A meet in Jackson.
Clements, who is a 5-foot-7 junior, lifted 350 pounds in the squat and season-bests of 195 in the bench press and 410 in the dead lift to win his first state championship.
“It definitely was the realization of (all of the hard work),” Clements said. “I put everything I could into it and I knew what my goal was, and that is what I was going to stick to and I was going to make it happen.”
Clements, who has been a member of the Caledonia High football and powerlifting teams since he was a freshman. He said he was at the bottom of his weight class in his first year and moved to the middle of the 123-pound class as a sophomore. This season, he made the most of his position at the top of the weight class en route to first-place finishes in the region and North Half meets.
Clements’ finish was a part of a bigger accomplishment for Caledonia, which won its third region title in the last four years.
Clements credits Caledonia powerlifting coach Brian White and football coach Andy Crotwell for holding all of the team members accountable for their work in the weight room. He said the team has a “rigorous program” that has helped him and his teammates on the football team.
“The 410 and the 195 were my goals for the season,” said Clements, who had a season-best total of 360 pounds in the squat at the region meet. “I worked out every day and didn’t overwork anything. We always have a varied weightlifting schedule we stick to. Coach White and coach (Andy) Crotwell — and all of the coaches that are out there with us every day — hold us accountable for being there every day. It was hard work every day.”
White, who is the defensive coordinator on the school’s football team, has guided a renaissance in the Confederates’ powerlifting program. Clements’ win marks the third-straight year Caledonia has had a state champion. Zach Weathers won state titles in the 132-pound weight class in 2014 and 2015.
White, who is in his first year as a coach at the school, said the powerlifting team’s success played a role in the football team earning a playoff berth in 2014 and finishing 5-5 in 2015.
White said he is especially proud of Clements because he is a perfect example of a student-athlete. To prove his point, he said Clements had to attend a luncheon for Lowndes County students with the highest grade-point averages Friday before he could leave for Jackson to attend the weigh-in for the powerlifting meet. He said Clements has the highest GPA in the junior class at Caledonia High.
“He blew it open in the dead lift and won by about 100 pounds,” White said. “His confidence is through the roof. To him, going down to this year’s state championship meet was more of a formality because he knew if he executed his lifts the way he should he was going to win hands down.”
Clements said he isn’t sure if he will be in the 132- or the 148-pound weight class next season. He said he won’t try to squeeze into a class because he wants to be a good size to play cornerback for his senior football season.
One year after being outlifted in the dead lift, Clements used the confidence he gained from his second-place finish in 2015 to propel him to a state championship.
“It made me realize how close I really was to winning,” Clements said. “Coming out of North Half last year, I had a big deficit to overcome. I believed I would do well, but I didn’t believe first was within reach. When I got that close to it, it made me realize this is something that really was attainable. That’s why it was a bigger deal for me to push to be the best I could be to take first.”
n New Hope High finished fifth in the Class 5A meet with 15 points. Drew Williamson (148-pound weight class), Drew Bishop (181), and Brandon Bishop (242) finished second in their weight classes. Williamson squatted 475 pounds, bench pressed 220, and dead lifted 435 for a total of 1,130. Drew Bishop had totals of 535, 310, and 475 in the three categories for a final tally of 1,310, while Brandon, his brother, had totals of 600, 330, and 600 for a 1,530 final weight.
Also in Class 4A, Jeffery Simmons won the 308-pound weight class with a total weight of 1,540 pounds. Qendarrion Barnett finished third in the 181-pound-weight class with a total weight of 1,325 pounds.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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