Trigg has won four straight 2A titles after winning eight consecutive 1A titles.
On a grander scale, the Wildcats will be looking to dethrone defending overall champion Trinity, whom they have finished second to each of the last three years.
Trigg County has narrowed the gap between them and Trinity each year – from 53 points in 2003, to 22 points in 2004, and down to nine points last year.
“We’re awfully young, but I think we have three or four guys who can win their division,” said Wildcat head coach Coby Lewis. “Trinity just has so many in each class. We have to be able to steal some points somewhere.”
Trigg County returns two of their five individual champions from last year, the 22nd straight year the Wildcats have produced at least one state champ. Since 1984, Trigg County has had 54 individual state champions.
Taylor McGee became the first TCHS lifter since 1987 to win the heavyweight division last year, with a total of 1,030 pounds.
Lewis said McGee could challenge the state bench press record with a good day of lifting.
Jeff Adams and Montrell Humphries could score in the heavyweight division with a good day of lifts.
Devin Wilson is looking for his third state title in the 125-pound class in four years. He had a total of 660 pounds last year and should add to that total this year.
Eighth grader Ricky Hamilton, who was sixth in the 125-pound class last year, moves up to the 135-pound division where he could add 100 pounds to last year’s total of 545 pounds.
Scotty Mayes was a sixth place finisher in the 135-pound class last year and makes the move Saturday to the 145-pound class.
Greg Acree could provide the Wildcats with some depth and multiple scorers in the class.
Barron Adams, who was fourth in the 125-pound class last year, moves up to the 155-pound class this year. Lewis said he and A.J. Bridges could both challenge for the state title in that division.
In other divisions, Lewis was expecting Jason Olin and Brandon Bridges to be Trigg’s top lifters in the 165-pound class, Kevin Smithers and Antonio Grubbs to lead the 175-pound class, and John David Fourqurean and eighth grader Akeem Johnson to pace Trigg in the 185-pound class.
Junior Devin Herndon also has a legitimate chance to win the 195-pound class for the Wildcats, Lewis added.
Meanwhile, Trigg County prepped for the state meet with a third place finish at Hopkinsville’s Best of the West competition March 4.
Lewis said Trigg was without five of their top lifters for various reasons, but expected all to be ready for this week’s state meet.
Trigg County was third in both the team bench press and squat, but won the dead lift with a total of 5,335 pounds despite being without four lifters who could top 500 pounds.
Taylor McGee tied the meet record with a deadlift of 650 pounds and set new marks in the bench press (420 pounds) and squat (580 pounds).
McGee is close to tying the school’s oldest lifting record – a 655-pound dead lift by Stacey Thomas in 1985.
Eighth grader Akeem Johnson set a new middle school record with a dead lift of 500 pounds and his total lift for the day at 1,085 beat the mark set last year by Dustin Calhoun (1,030).
Montrell Humphries was fifth in the deadlift with a total of 575 pounds.
Henry Wharton was fifth in the squat with a lift of 450 pounds.
