Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Pirates prove tougher second time around

By DEREK LaRIVIERE
Published December 29, 2005

Lecanto (2-0) and Crystal River (1-1) met for the second time this season, this time in Pirates' territory.

Crystal River dropped its season-opening meet to the Panthers on Dec. 7, but the team rebounded nicely to share the first-place crown with Lecanto at the Crystal River Invitational last weekend.

Crystal River amassed 61 total points. Four of coach Charles Brooks' lifters won their individual weight classes.

Lecanto had only one lifter finish in first - Danielle Whitelaw (169). The Panthers counterbalanced the results by having six lifters take home second-place honors: Jen Corriveau (110), Kelly Butler (119), Kim Hargis (139), Victoria Mele (154), Breannya Edwards (183) and Shaneatha Gates (199).

Citrus was third with 41 points, Belleview fourth with 39 and West Port last with 14. All five participating programs are in Class A, so the meet was a good barometer of what the competition will be like entering sectionals and state in February.

MIDWAY POINT: Coming off of the first-place crown at the Invitational, Lecanto coach Bob LeCours foresees a more difficult second half of the season.

"(Crystal River) was much tougher at the meet than when we faced them the first time," LeCours said. "They have begun to drop a lot of girls down to smaller weight classes. It makes a big difference."

The Panthers have designs on doing the same with some of their roster spots in upcoming meets. Corriveau looks to move down to 101 before the middle of January.

LeCours put a team deadline out in practice for his girls to drop weight. If they intend to compete in a lower class before districts, regionals or state, the lifters must be at weight before Jan. 7.

"I need to put in the list for what girls I am competing in what levels," LeCours said, "and I don't want to cut it so close that I don't know whether or not they'll make weight."

[Last modified December 29, 2005, 01:00:08]