A person doesn’t have to be the size of the Hulk to lift like him.

In a complete rebuilding year for Vicksburg High’s powerlifting team, two of its members still managed to get to the 2016 MHSAA State Powerlifting Championship. Senior Tyler McDowell and junior Cardell Spencer will compete with the strongest Class 5A lifters in Mississippi on Saturday at Mississippi Coliseum. The competition begins at 8 a.m. and continues throughout the day.

Warren Central’s Lee Fortner, Kievon Dee and Caleb Watts all qualified for the Class 6A meet.

McDowell and Spencer are what coach Bubba Nettles calls “dynamite in a small package.” He described the 5-foot-10 McDowell as one solid muscle with incredible strength, and Spencer — whose nickname is “Shrimp” because of his 5-foot-3 frame — as a competitor with the heart of a lion in the body of a kitten.

“Spencer is 117 pounds, can squat over 350, bench almost 200, deadlift almost 400. He’s a little firecracker,” Nettles said. “McDowell from head to toe is one big solid muscle. Nowhere in America should a man that weighs 170 pounds be able to deadlift almost 600 pounds. It shouldn’t happen.”

To qualify for the state competition, lifters had to place in the top three of their weight class at the North State meet. McDowell was third in the 181-pound weight class and Spencer second in the 123-pound division.

Each competitor will get three chances per technique in the deadlift, bench press and squat to successfully clear a given weight.

“I’ve just been working by myself. Going to the gym late at night after track practice, just trying to better myself and make myself stronger,” McDowell said.

McDowell and Spencer have qualified for the state meet each year as a member of the team. While this isn’t new territory for these guys, they’ve encountered unusual circumstances when competing.

As a freshman, Spencer qualified but overslept and missed the state meet. The following year, he had to dig deep to move from fifth place to second. He needed an extra 40 pounds for this accomplishment.

“I had to hit 365 (pounds) in order for me to get second place in the meet,” Spencer said, recalling how easy it was for him to deadlift the weight. “It was nice. I think I could do more and at the championship that I’ll do more.”

McDowell went through a similar situation at this year’s division meet.

Nettles tabulated potential results and knew how much McDowell needed to lift to place. At the last moment, he told McDowell that if he wanted to continue his powerlifting career at Vicksburg he needed to lift 75 pounds more than the third-place competitor.

The third-place holder deadlifted 470 pounds, but McDowell cleared 545.

Before lifting the weight, however, McDowell put his headphones over his ears and listened to the mid-tempo, adrenaline boiling lyrics of Lil Boosie’s “Set it Off.”

“It put me in my mode,” McDowell said. “I got up to the bar, squatted down, struggled but I got it up. That’s not easy weight to pick up, it’s like picking up 1.5 coach Nettles. When I saw all three white lights I just felt great. I thought I hitched and missed the weight and wasn’t going to state.”

Nettles has been with the duo since they were in junior high, which was the same time the coach took over the program. Since first acquainting himself with McDowell and Spencer, he recognized the fear of failing in both young men that has fueled their determination to be better.

There is a healthy appreciation of Nettles between McDowell and Spencer. He’s watched them grow from middle school adolescents to disciplined young men.

“He’s been on my good side for a long time,” Spencer said. “Even after high school I’m going to still come out and visit him and make sure he’s doing good and check on his family. He means a lot to me.”

“I feel nothing but love,” McDowell said. “He’s been pushing me and pushing me. I’m just glad he’s been there since ninth grade.”