WOODVILLE &045; With football, basketball and baseball forever hogging the spotlight in the wide world of high school sports, the ink powerlifting receives is marginal.

But when a team wins its fourth consecutive South State title, outdistancing itself in points by more than the combined total of the second and third place finishers, it proves worthy of being mentioned.

That is the exact scenario for Wilkinson County High School’s powerlifting team as it looks to win its first state title April 11-12 in Jackson after winning another South State title this weekend.

Coached by head football coach Bobby Webb, Wilkinson scored 58 points, including with five first place finishes in 12 different weight classes, and easily won the South State crown with Forest (32 points) and Hazelhurst (23) rounding out the top three.

&uot;I make it an honor to be on the powerlifting team and it’s similar to being in the Marines,&uot; Webb said. &uot;You have to be dedicated to be successful. It’s my job to convince the kids that to be successful you have to pay a certain price.&uot;

Always the best man, never the groom, Wilkinson’s chances for wrestling a state championship away from six-time defending champ Pontotoc are better than ever this year since 10 of its 11 lifters qualified, Webb said.

Athletes compete in their respective weight class and have three attempts and three different types of lifts &045; the squat, bench press and dead lift.

Each individual’s best lift in the respective lifts are summed up for the grand total.

Wilkinson’s Zamon Granger set four South State records in the lowest class 114-pound class to finish with a total of 800 pounds and the most valuable lightweight lifter title.

Other first-place winners included Jeremy Hamlin in the 123-pound class, who lifts totaled 838 pounds; Urenze Ephion in the 132-pound class, who amassed 905 pounds; Luke Fredrick in the 220-pound class, who pressed 1,325 pounds; and Eddie Veals in the 275-pound class, who set an overall meet high by lifting 1,395 pounds.

&uot;A lot of our success and the reason kids want to be involved with powerlifting is because they participate in other sports,&uot; Webb said. &uot;They’re trying to build conditioning for next year.&uot;

He added that those athletes who have been a part of the powerlifting teams have carried their discipline over into the classroom and community.

Webb feels that through discipline, his lifters are learning much quicker than others that sacrifice is a part of life in order to be somebody.

&uot;I think all good coaches strive for more than just winning. To make their kids better people off the field,&uot; he said. &uot;We’ve got good, hardworking kids here that realize the demand on them is tough, but they’ve responded.&uot;

Second place winners included Mike Brown in the 132-class with a total of 890 pounds; James Jones in the 165-class lifting 1,090 pounds; and Amad Wyatt in the 181-class and his 1,190 pounds.

Ian Wallace, Kevin Williams and Percy Jordan all took home third-place honors.

Not surprisingly, some athletes, who never seriously lifted before, partake begrudgingly and are reluctant to go through the strenuous routine each day, Webb said.

But, he added, over time those particular loathsome lifters come back to Webb and cannot find the words to express their gratitude toward him.

&uot;We see that every year. Kids will go off and then come back and want to help with the young kids again,&uot; he said. &uot;It’s a maturing process. So much of a coach’s reputation and livelihood depends on these 15 and 16 year olds and what they can do on the field.

&uot;That’s not important to me any more. I want more for them than that.&uot;