Shelton weightlifting teams pumped for state

Matt Baide | Apr 28, 20220

The Shelton powerlifting team is pumping the iron in anticipation for the state championship meet May 7 at Northwest Christian High School in Lacey.

Shelton hosted a home meet April 16, and coach Josh Munro said the meet went well. It was the first full meet with all teams and spectators since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“This has been a tough year,” Munro said in an email to the Journal. “For one reason or another we have not been able to go to the meets/ the meets have been canceled so this was actually the first meet my kids have been able to attend. Normally this is the fifth or sixth meet of the season. The shortened season did affect us is some ways that will hurt us at state but there was nothing the kids have done differently.”

In girls results, Shelton’s Naveah Haskins, Madison Gill, Brooke Sheetz and Amanda Cruz Santos each won their respective divisions. Masie Todd and Avery Rizzo each placed second and Alexandra Cheatham and Judy Gaze each finished third.

The Shelton girls powerlifters are going for their fourth straight team state championship, highlighted by Amanda Cruz Santos. Santos finished second in the 220-pound division at the USA Powerlifting High School National Competition in Chicago at the end of March.

Munro said the girls team is talented and all of them are “attempting to be the strongest girls in their weight class in school history.”

“Amanda is trying to be No. 1,” Munro wrote. “Her goal is to hold the best squat/bench/deadlift and total of any girl in any class ever at Shelton High School. Our records go back to 1961 so that is a considerable feat. I could not be more proud of my girls’ team.”

Like the girls team, the Shelton boys have also won state four years in a row.

The boys team finished second at the home meet, which has many underclassmen. Shelton’s Xavier Cordova and John Jordan each won their respective weight classes. Jonathan Morales-Hernandez, Jacob Quintano and John Michael Escobedo earned second place and Scott Jordan, Rory Ball and Brad Tiller each earned third place.

Munro said most of his powerlifters are multisport athletes and do not train differently heading into state.

Munro said Stanwood High School has an impressive team.

“I want them to be successful on the field and let our base overall strength carry us at meets,” Munro wrote. “Girls are in a good spot to take down yet another title and the boys are looking at a very good battle between Montesano for the 2nd place position at state. You never know though all Stanwood would need to do is have one kid make a mistake and all the sudden it is a very close three-way battle for the state title.”