by Kurt Ramsey
First, there was no heat...they lifted in sweats.
Then, there were no lights...they lifted by flashlight.
Next, came the floods...they brought mops.
In the final days, they was no weightroom...they lifted outside.
Through it all, their dedication remained, their commitment constant, with vision fixed on the horizon of one goal --- state.
The Burton Panthers long road to state came to an end, as things must, this afternoon, in Abilene.
On the light platform, junior newcomer, Mark Odom, represented the Panthers in the 132 weight class. All three lifts saw Odom to new personal bests with 405 on squat, 225 on bench, and 420 on deadlift for a 1050 total. While this total bested the 1000 pound total that won Odom the Regional Championship, it was not quite enough for a medal. Odom tied for 5th with the lifter from Rosebud-Lott getting the decision by bodyweight, nudging Burton out by a mere 20 ounces.
On the heavy platform, senior stalwart, Keagan Fenner, had his own representing to do. The elder Panther missed totaling enough for a top five placing, and with it, a medal. But placing at state had always been a secondary goal for Fenner. Since last year their had been but one quest for the senior, the state deadlift record. His appetite had been wet when he set the Division 4 Region 4 record that year with a 530 pound lift. But a knee injury had hurt him on squat and he had missed the cut to state. This year was his last shot. His 1520 combined total at regionals had won him both the championship and a berth to Abilene. It was in Comesneil that "every lift a record" became his creed. On that day, the deadlift platform saw Fenner break his own record everytime he lifted the bar, three times in total. He hoped to repeat that performance today.
Fenner's lifts of 545 and 295 on squat and bench respectively, were short of his regional lifts, but he remained undeterred. The state deadlift record stood at 590 from the previous year.
Fenner opened at 595.
The weight went up in "blink and you'll miss it," fashion. That was one.
Next was 635, more than his regional max.
There was more time spent loading the weight than was spent lifting it. That was two.
Next should have been 640 or 645, play it safe, get the hat trick. But 660 would put Fenner back at 1500. It wouldn't get a medal, but some things mean more than medals. The lift would tie for the heaviest deadlift of the day and top the deadlift of the heavier weight classes.
The bar was loaded. Keagan Fenner stepped on the platform. He looked skyward before chalked hands grasped a well worn bar. Last lift on the platform, last lift 242, last lift in high school.
His last lift.
Keagan Fenner finished the day with a combine total of 1500 pounds in the 242 weight class.
That was three.
The Burton Panthers will be back for the 2025 season.