Three Pirates win their weight classes to lead Matanzas to the District 7-2A girls weightlifting title

Matanzas followed the game plan and left the District 7-2A girls weightlifting championships with a first-place trophy.

The Pirate lifters won their fifth district title — their first since moving up to Class 2A — in a tight battle with New Smyrna Beach at the Jan. 19 meet at St. Augustine High. Matanzas edged second-place NSB 58-56 in the bench press/clean and jerk competition.

The Pirates finished third in the snatch competition.

"I told the girls the game plan, and they focused on their numbers and not what the other lifters on their platform were doing," Pirates coach Jeremy Ossler said. "They followed the plan, and it worked."

Andie Tice and Karissa Jackson each broke their own school records in the bench press on the way to district titles. Tice won the 129-pound title with a 150-pound bench. Jackson won the 139-pound title with a 165-pound bench.

Tabatha Salcedo also won her weight class, grabbing the first-place medal at 183 pounds.

Tice and Jackson were so far ahead of their competition that they each did just one clean and jerk lift, saving themselves for regionals.

Matanzas qualified 16 lifters for the regionals, which were scheduled for Jan. 26 at St. Augustine High. Seven of the lifters qualified in snatch as well as bench/clean and jerk.