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Panther secures state berth

BUSHNELL -- After coming up five pounds short of qualifying for the state meet last spring, Lecanto junior Phil Reed is off to a fast start in 2002.

Reed posted a 555-pound total at the Citrus/Sumter Invitational on Wednesday, giving him a win in the 199-pound weight class and qualifying him for state. Led by Reed and three other winners, the Panthers placed second, six points behind South Sumter. Crystal River was third, followed by Citrus and Wildwood.

"I wanted to do better in the clean and jerk, but it's all right," Reed said. "I'm qualified for state and that's what counts."

Reed trailed by five pounds after a 290-pound bench press, but lifted 25 pounds more than any competitor in his weight class in the clean and jerk to win the division by 20 pounds. He is Lecanto's first state qualifier.

Terence Hollis (169 pounds), Louis Santos (139) and Jimmy Sudlow (219) also had first-place finishes for the Panthers.

Lecanto's Travis McCauley had the same total as Hollis in the 169-pound class, but finished second on body weight.

Tyler Boyd, who finished second at 238, also was solid for Lecanto. Boyd's 570-pound total would have qualified him for state at 219, his regular weight class. The 216-pounder competed at 238 because Lecanto had no other lifters available in that class.

"I'm pretty happy," Lecanto coach Ron Allan said. "We had some really good lifts by everybody. Everybody went up this week."

Crystal River's Norman Hamner was Citrus County's only other winner. The 129-pound senior totaled 420 pounds (220 bench; 200 clean and jerk), 10 more than he lifted in the Pirates' opening meet last week, when he easily qualified for state.

Hamner, a transfer from Williston, was second at state last season at 119 pounds. He injured his right arm at that meet and still experiences pain when he lifts.

"On the bench, my arm was really hurting me," Hamner said. "When that gets better, I'll definitely be on the road to the state championship."

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