{"id":13469,"date":"2026-01-26T21:55:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T21:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13469"},"modified":"2026-01-26T21:55:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T21:55:00","slug":"wildcat-powerlifting-teams-set-sights-on-state-tournament-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13469","title":{"rendered":"Wildcat powerlifting teams set sights on state tournament in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One may think a team losing several members to graduation means a rebuild is in the immediate future.<\/p>\n
To those entrenched in that belief, Meridian High School powerlifting coaches Demetrius Hill and La\u2019Toya Atterberry have a message: Don\u2019t turn away.<\/p>\n
The 2025 Wildcats lost three lifters to graduation after the trio all qualified for the state tournament.<\/p>\n
Ethan Wright won the 148-pound division following an effort of 500 pounds in the squat, 270 in the bench press and 550 in the deadlift, good for a grand total of 1,320.<\/p>\n
Dane Hill won at 198 pounds (575 squat, 335 bench press, 625 deadlift, 1,595 total), and Patrick Heidelberg took first at 275 pounds (635 squat, 340 bench press, 625 deadlift, 1,600 total).<\/p>\n
Returning this season, 181-pounder Grant Hill is expected to be one of the team\u2019s standouts, along with Aston Dawson.<\/p>\n
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At state last season, Hill registered 575 in the squat and 250 in the bench press. He was injured during the deadlift event.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a great season,\u201d Demetrius Hill said. \u201cWe qualified four for the state championship meet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got much younger guys coming in this season,\u201d he added, \u201cbut we have some talented lifters coming in this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hill will continue what has been a lengthy and successful coaching career, which began in 1992 at Meridian.<\/p>\n
After leaving Meridian, he took coaching and athletic director jobs throughout the state, before returning to the Wildcats in 2004.<\/p>\n
Since then, his squads won state championships from 2005-2010 and again in 2017.<\/p>\n
Hill said entering this season, the message to his team has not changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tell them, it\u2019s all about the numbers,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you bench 330 pounds, somebody is going to come bench something close to that. It\u2019s hard to beat someone who has been lifting five or six years longer. But you can do it if you stay focused and work hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
For 2026, Hill said his team will be \u201cvery competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to fit everyone in their weight class,\u201d said Hill, who added that fitting everyone in 12 weight classes between 114-308 pounds is a major challenge.<\/p>\n
He added that the Wildcats\u2019 strength will once again be in the squat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more you can squat, the better off you\u2019ll be,\u201d Hill said. \u201cTwo years ago, we had a guy who squatted 740 pounds. A guy on another team squatted 840 pounds. So you want to be as strong there as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hill said he believes that even more of his team can make it to the state championship. In order to qualify for the state tournament, a lifter must finish third or better in the district, region and South State tournaments.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019ll have five make it to state,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have lifters in 114, 118, 198, 275 and 308 who can go. It all depends on the numbers, and that they stay focused and keep working hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hill also wanted his team members to keep one other thing in mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cPowerlifting is a team sport,\u201d he said, \u201cbut it\u2019s also an individual sport. If you perform well, other doors can open.\u201d<\/p>\n
Entering her fifth season as the Meridian High School girls\u2019 powerlifting coach, Atterberry has a full squad returning from last year.<\/p>\n
The Lady Wildcats sent one to the state championship meet in 2025 \u2014 Charlise Payne. She has qualified for state the past two seasons, finishing third as a freshman at 114 pounds and a sophomore at 123 pounds.<\/p>\n
Still, Atterberry said, she expects many new faces in 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year, we get a different group of girls,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re building every year, but we always expect to be competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Atterberry, a former assistant coach under Hill before being named head girls\u2019 coach, credited her former boss for what she has learned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest thing he taught me,\u201d she said, \u201cwas to tell them to keep pushing. If you work hard, powerlifting is a sport where you can get where you want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Atterberry added that she believes her team has a strong possibility of making it to state.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re hungry and they\u2019re ready to go to the mat,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re pushing themselves and working on being consistent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have a great drive this season,\u201d Atterberry added. \u201cThey\u2019re working out and practicing with the guys. They\u2019re not being fearful.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for taking her team to the next level, Atterberry said the keys will simply be a continuance of what they\u2019ve already shown.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need the willingness to keep building,\u201d she said, \u201cand no complaints about the weights.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two teams open their seasons at the district meet. The boys begin on Feb. 5, while the girls start the day after.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n