[4/10/03]The Vicksburg High powerlifting team will spend the better part of Friday lifting hundreds of pounds of weight into the air. By the time they’re done, they hope to celebrate by lifting a little more.

The Gators are the favorites heading into the Class 5A state meet, which begins Friday at Pearl High School at 9 a.m. Vicksburg will have eight lifters who are expected to finish in the top four in their weight class, giving the Gators their best chance yet at a state championship.

“We’ve got a chance to win it. We’ve got eight lifters, but there’s eight lifters that have a chance to win points for us,” Vicksburg coach Robert Erves said.

“It’d be something that I’ve been wanting to achieve in powerlifting. We’ve won district, we’ve won North State, but we’ve never won state … This is the group that has a chance to win it.”

Vicksburg has had individual state champions in the past, but never qualified enough lifters for the state meet to make a serious run at the championship.

Last year, the Gators only had five lifters and finished fourth at the state meet. In 2001, they qualified six lifters and were third.

This time, Vicksburg has plenty of depth in addition to its usual set of first-place contenders. Phelan Gray (242-pound weight class), Justin Randle (220 pounds) and Darrell Williams (165 pounds) are all favored to win in their weight classes based on performances at meets throughout the season.

Williams is the defending state champion in the 165-pound weight class.

“Those are three solid first-place finishers we can say can win,” Erves said.

Anthony Sanders (165 pounds), Darius Williams (148 pounds), Quinnard Wilson (123 pounds), Lorenzo Williams (114 pounds), and Derrick Hinkle (super heavyweight) are lower in the pecking order, but could provide important points with second- or third-place finishes.

“We’ll walk away with an easy win if my 123, 114, and super heavy come through,” Erves said.

Unlike the Gators, Warren Central doesn’t have nearly enough lifters to contend for a team title. That doesn’t mean the Vikings aren’t hoping to bring some hardware home, though.

One of WC’s two lifters in the meet, super heavyweight Deonta Selvy, is the favorite to win an individual title in his weight class. His best effort this season is 115 pounds better than the closest competition.

“The only one that can stop me is me, if I decide to mess up. And I don’t plan on messing up,” Selvy said.

Selvy has been close to a state title before. Last year, judges ruled he had a hitch in his technique during his final deadlift and disallowed the 565-pound lift. He ended up losing by 15 pounds.

“It burned me a lot. It was on my mind for a good two weeks,” Selvy said. “I was so mad I didn’t even want to get the second-place medal.”

Selvy returned to the weight room with a vengeance this year, and has blown away most of the competition. Now, there’s only one meet left to worry about.

“I’d probably be the happiest person in the world to win state for the first time. I’ve been thinking about it since the ninth grade,” Selvy said.

Warren Central’s other lifter, 123-pound junior Danny Robinson, isn’t shooting for a state title this year. His best effort is fourth-best in his weight class heading into the meet, and he said he’d like to move up a place or two.

“I’m going to try to shoot for third. I’ve got to push about 410 in squat, 225 bench, and 410 deadlift,” Robinson said, adding that his best lifts so far are 10-to-15 pounds below that. “I know I can get more than that, because I’ve been pushing myself.”