The third and final day of the 2026 FHSAA Boys’ Weightlifting State Championships brought four area programs to the RP Funding Center in Lakeland on Friday, with Baker, Destin, Walton and Seacoast each sending lifters to compete on the 1A stage.
- Baker led the local contingent with a fifth-place finish in traditional, tallying 10 points. The Gators finished two points behind fourth-place finishers Fort White and Blountstown, four behind third-place Jay and 10 behind West Nassau and Keystone Heights. West Nassau claimed the state title on tiebreakers.
The centerpiece of Baker’s team performance was Connor Harmon, who won the state championship in the 139-pound traditional class with a 505-pound total — 15 pounds clear of Keystone Heights’ Colton Hollingsworth and Glades Central’s Javier Flores. Harmon posted a 215-pound clean and jerk and a 290-pound bench to earn the title.
Dawson Jones added a fourth-place finish in the 154-pound class with a 485-pound total, posting a 215-pound clean and jerk and 270-pound bench. Jonathan Ulsch of Fort White, Joseph Abrantes of Father Lopez and Zach Kinson of Lake Highland Prep rounded out the top three ahead of Jones.
In the 238-pound class, the Gators placed two lifters inside the top 10. Makani Abdon finished eighth with a 600-pound total on a 285-pound clean and jerk and 315-pound bench, and Pete Grace came in ninth at 585 pounds with a 275-pound clean and jerk and 310-pound bench.
On the Olympic side, Baker had two top-10 finishers. Caanan Sheats placed seventh in the 129-pound class with a 340-pound total, posting a 155-pound snatch and 185-pound clean and jerk. Harmon added a seventh-place finish in the 139-pound Olympic class at 370 pounds with a 155-pound snatch and 215-pound clean and jerk.
Walton’s top performer was Reed West, who posted a 300-pound total in the 129-pound Olympic class with a 130-pound snatch and 170-pound clean and jerk. In traditional, West totaled 355 pounds, adding a 185-pound bench to his clean and jerk.
Destin’s lone state qualifier, Parker Jones, competed in traditional but was unable to complete any of his clean and jerk attempts. He posted a 135-pound bench.
Seacoast’s Carter Schnader competed in Olympic, finishing with a 395-pound total on a 170-pound snatch and 225-pound bench.
