The 36th annual Midwestern Athletic Conference (MAC) Weightlifting Championships were held on March 2 at the Blackhawk High School gymnasium. This event was run by the MAC Football Coaches’ Association which also organizes the Penn-Ohio All-Star Football Classic. Although not required, most participants are members of their respective high school football teams.
The MAC weightlifting competition can be a team-builder where the players can motivate each other to do their best. The competition can be redemption, possibly achieving a better outcome than that of the football season. Typically, teams that had successful football seasons do well at this event. Beaver Area High School’s team won the competition. Moon finished second, followed by Seneca Valley. Freedom finished fifth out of 12 teams.

Tom Liberty, Freedom High School’s head football coach, chose Freedom’s participants: juniors John Blinn, Kyle Borgman, Michael Muron, George Robinson, George Schoedel, Seth Weismantle and Daniel White, sophomores Tanner Boyer, Jacob Pail and Cody Ross, freshmen Fernando Franco and Joseph Leasha.84

There were three individual weightlifting categories: bench presses, squats and deadlift. Central Valley’s Vinnie Verrico bench pressed 315 pounds, lifting his way to a victory. Muron benched 275 pounds, which was the most for Freedom. Central Valley’s Preston Cron squatted 500 pounds to win. White set the bar high squatting 440 pounds and deadlifting 485 pounds, which were the highest scores for Freedom. Joel Ables from Ellwood City won with a deadlift of 555 pounds.

Additionally, there was a category known as total weight, which is the combined bench press, squat and deadlift. White led Freedom with 1,150 pounds followed by Boyer with 1,110 pounds. Jordan Taylor of Quaker Valley totaled 1,320 pounds to win individually. Indexed weight, which is calculated by adding lift totals, dividing by body weight and multiplying by 200, determined team winners.

“I do continuously get stronger in the weight room, but the MAC competition is very demanding,” White said. The focus of weightlifting shifts from that done during football season. During football season, the players lift to maintain strength. Offseason weight-training focuses on building strength. The MAC competition has given Boyer something to work towards.

“We all worked very hard and it showed at the competition,” Boyer said. “It was a blast competing with other schools.”

The competition was open to the public, so the athletes enjoyed competing in front of an audience that may not see them during football season. This competition doesn’t consider the size of the school each team is from. Based on total student enrollment, Freedom’s football team plays AA compared to Seneca Valley High School’s football team playing in 6A division. The smaller schools don’t have a large pool to choose participants from.

Liberty and the Freedom participants hope the continued work on strength of the individual players will result in a stronger football team. The MAC Football Coaches’ Association helps to promote these goals as well by holding offseason events.