Southeast’s Larry Cannon continued his stellar season during Saturday’s Class 1A-Region 3 meet at Naples Golden Gate.
Cannon took first at 138 pounds with a 16-5 major decision over Fort Myers Dunbar’s Shaquon Young in the finals. The junior ran his record to 39-2 and advances to next week’s state meet in Lakeland. The top four finishers in each weight class made it to state.
Joining Cannon will be fellow Noles Nick Kemick, who came in third at 126 pounds, and Gage Takacs, who finished fourth at 170.
Southeast finished fourth in the 28-team event with 108.5 points.
The state meet begins 10 a.m. Friday at The Lakeland Center and runs through Saturday.
CLASS 2A-REGION 3 -- Lakewood Ranch junior Blake Riley-Hawkins was the lone area wrestler to advance to state out of the Punta Gorda Charlotte region when he finished fourth in what his coach, Pat Ancil, called a “brutal” 132-pound weight class.
Riley-Hawkins (39-6) will make his second straight state appearance after going 2-2 Saturday.
Girls weightlifting
STATE MEET -- Southeast’s Carleen Porter just missed a podium finish at Kissimmee, placing seventh in the unlimited weight class.
Porter turned in the best performance of area weightlifters, totaling 365 pounds with a bench press of 215 points and a clean and jerk of 150 pounds. Bradford’s Samantha Cook won the state title with a 445 total.
Among other area participants, Braden River’s Laura Otaiza was 12th in the 183-pound class with a 285 total, Lakewood Ranch’s Hannay Asay came in 18th in the 129 class with a 260 total, and Lakewood Ranch’s Amanda Johnson was 20th in the 152 class with a 270 total.
-- Herald staff reports
