Trojan power lifters to compete at state

This upcoming weekend will produce a first for the Sacred Heart Trojans, as they will send out their initial edition of a power lifting team at the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Powerlifting State Championships in Alexandria.
The competition is scheduled to begin today and end on Saturday. Sacred Heart will compete in Division V with teams like St. Ed’s, Catholic of Pointe Coupee, St. Mary’s, Cedar Creek, University Academy of Alexandria and other Class 1A, B and C schools, both public and private from around the state.
The Trojans will have seven athletes competing at the meet, all representing a selective weight class. The athletes have three types of lifts they must do and the overall winner will be determined by the total of those three lifts. Those lifts included the squat, bench and dead lift.
Taking on all comers in the 123 pound class is No. 4 seeded Dylan Vidrine. The young athlete has a best squat of 245 pounds, a bench press of 185 pounds and a deadlift of 255 pounds for a total weight of 685 pounds.
Competing in the 132 pound class will be Bradley Reed. The No. 3 seed, Reed, has a best squat of 260 pounds, a bench press of 190 pounds and a dead lift of 300 pounds for a total of 750 pounds.
Seeded No. 9 coming into the meet is Evyn Soileau, who will compete in the 148 pound class. Soileau’s best this season are 335 pounds in the squat, 215 pounds in the bench, and 385 pounds in the dead lift, for a total weight of 955 pounds.
Junior lifter Wesley Launey will be a No. 2 seed in the 165 pound class. Launey has produced bests of 405 pounds in the squat, 225 pounds in the bench, and 425 pounds in the dead lift for a grand total of 1,055 pounds.
Gaining the No. 10 seed in the 181 pound class is Jacob Soileau. His best total of the season is 800 pounds, which includes a 300 pound squat, a 200 pound bench and a 300 pound dead lift.
Another junior, JT Harper, will try to vie for the title in the 198 pound weight class. Harper, the No. 5 seed has produced a 370 pound squat, a 230 pound bench and a 400 pound dead lift as his best performances of the year. His total weight is 1,000 pounds even.
Also competing in the 198 pound weight class is Jody Fontenot. The No. 4 seed has produced a total weight of 1,005 pounds this year. His best in the squat was 335 pounds, while Fontenot’s bench was 270 pounds. He has put up 400 pounds in the dead lift.
“This is the first time that this school has competed at all in power lifting,” stated head coach Bubba Daigle. “And, for us to have five top five seeds heading into the meet is a testament to the hard work the team has put in this season. We are going to go out and give it the best effort we can. Hopefully we will be able to come away with a team trophy and some individual titles as well. It has been a great experience for myself and these performers and hopefully we can expand on this sport.”