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Royal Knights lifters looking toward future
By JAMAL THALJI, Times Staff Writer
NEW PORT RICHEY -- Mike Marlin looks at the seven weightlifters from his River Ridge squad headed to Saturday's Class 2A state meet and sees a state title. In their future, that is. Say, 2004? River Ridge is already the top team in the county this season, wresting the Sunshine Athletic Conference from two-time champion Zephyrhills. The Royal Knights also lead Pasco County into this weekend's Class 2A and A state meets with seven lifters among the 29 the county is sending. To Marlin, Saturday's Class 2A state meet is a warmup as much as anything. His team is young, and this is their chance to experience the tournament for the first time. That way, when they go back next year, they'll be ready to win it. Can the Knights win it this year? Not likely. Marlin's lone favorite to come back with an individual state title is 154-pounder Andrew Hutchison. As for the rest, the coach just wants them to match their personal-best lifts and soak in the atmosphere. "Do I think we have a shot at it this year?" Marlin said. "No. But next year is a possibility. If all these guys stay healthy and lift the way they have. Next year we could be pretty tough. We could have five or six guys medal, and that's what it takes." Of the seven lifters headed to state, only one, 129-pounder Chris Agresta, is a senior. Jordan Powell, who will lift in the 169-pound weight class, is a sophomore. The rest are juniors: Hutchison (154), Tom Starala (154), Anthony Daugherty (169), David Onorato (183) and heavyweight Devin Monroe. Hutchison is the only one who has been to state before. "This will be good for these guys to get a taste of what it's like," Marlin said. "Because besides Andrew, nobody else has been there. And it takes once or twice going to get the feel for it and get an idea in order to be competitive at this meet." Marlin said his team is already looking ahead to next season. "They're excited about the prospects for weightlifting already for next year," he said. "They know that the whole team is coming back." This year belongs to Hutchison. He bench pressed 355 pounds to qualify for state and was up to 365 last week. The state record for his weight class is 355, and Marlin expects Hutchison to break it. Hutchison's clean-and-jerk also is up 15 pounds from his qualifying weight to 260. "Andrew is our best medal prospect," the coach said. "He's peaked just about right."
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