Thanks to outstanding finishes in the state championship meet, St. Cloud’s Julian Sykes and Osceola’s Nolin Eady will share the Osceola News-Gazette’s (ONG) “Weightlifter of the Year” honors for the 2020-21 school year. The duo’s accomplishments on the platform were almost identical, leading to the Co-Lifters of the Year designation.
Competing in the 155-pound class, Sykes hoisted 255-260-550 pounds to win the Orange Belt Conference championship at that weight class. He went on to win district and regional titles before finishing third in the Class 3A state championship with a 270-270-540 total.
Eady was equally impressive. He won the Orange Belt Conference championship at 183-pounds with a 290 bench and a 265 clean and jerk for a 555-pound total. He also won a district crown and placed third in regionals. At the Class 3A state meet, he lifted 290-275-565, which tied for second place in the state, but he was moved to fourth place on the body weight of the tiebreaker.
A nominee for Osceola News Gazette’s Athlete of the Year, Eady was the starting linebacker and leading tackler on the Kowboys’ state championship runner-up team and also placed second in the FHSAA State Wrestling Championships.
Sykes and Eady edged out St. Cloud’s Evan Maldonaldo (129), Harmony’s Austin Cabot (139), Harmony’s Freddy Sanderson (199) and Poinciana’s Andrew Norris (UNL) for Lifter of the Year honors.
Harmony and St. Cloud, which finished one-two at the Orange Belt Conference Championships this year, dominated the Osceola News-Gazette’s all-county team by claiming nine of the 11 spots.
The Osceola News-Gazette’s All-County Weightlifting Team:
119: Ayden McNulty, St. Cloud — After placing third in both the district and regional meet, McNulty came on strong at state for a ninth-place finish, hoisting 175-165-330.
129: Evan Maldonaldo, St. Cloud — After finishing second to teammate Slade McKinley at the Orange Belt Conference Championships, Maldonaldo came back to win a district title, placed second at regionals and then earned All-State honors with a 210-200-410 effort at the state meet, good for a sixth place finish.
138: Austin Cabot, Harmony — Cabot easily captured an Orange Belt Conference championship with a 225-225-450 effort, lifting 55 pounds more than his closest competitor. Cabot went on to capture district and regional titles in Class 2A, before finishing seventh in the state meet with a 450-pound total.
155: Julian Sykes, St. Cloud — The Orange Belt Conference, district and regional champion, Sykes finished third at state and captured Osceola News Gazette’s co-Lifter of the Year honors.
169: Azariah Williams, St. Cloud — Williams’ performances just got better as the season progressed. He won an Orange Belt Conference crown with a 290-210-500 total; took third in regionals at 290-215-505 and then placed 10th at state with a 535-pound total.
183: Nolin Eady, Osceola — A solid all-around season for the multi-sport athlete, Eady won an Orange Belt Conference title, was third in the district and then popped a 290-275-565 total at state, which put him in fourth place overall.
199: Freddy Sanderson, Harmony — Sanderson hoisted 325-225-550 to win his weight class at the OBC Championship by 40 pounds over second-place finisher Logan Boone of St. Cloud. He then captured both district and regional titles to qualify for the Class 2A State Meet, where he finished fifth with a 580-pound total.
219: Anson Pratt, Harmony — Pratt dominated the Orange Belt Conference event at the 219-pound weight class with a 560-pound total that was 60 pounds more than his closest competitor. He then won a district crown by 55 pounds with a 315-260-575 total; before finishing fifth in regionals. That total qualified Pratt for the state meet, where he finished 15th.
238: Sean Paul DeCoster, Harmony — Another lifer that showed continued improvement in the postseason, DeCoster won the Orange Belt Conference crown in the regular season, before taking the district title (300-240-540) and placing fifth at regionals (310-240-550). He had a competition-best 320-245-565 in the state meet.
UNL: Andrew Norris, Poinciana — Norris took home the gold at the Orange Belt Conference meet with a 360-240-600 total. He went on to win a district crown (370-225-595) and tied for a regional title (placing second on body weight with a 370-245-615 total). He then posted a season-best showing at the state meet with lifts of 380-255-635 that netted Norris a seventh-place finish.
