Amherst Central's Gayles places second at 158
NYS Powerlifting Championships

Anthony Durno of Sweet Home deadlifts 220 pounds during the 37th annual New York State Championships last Saturday at Sweet Home High School. Durno finished 13th in the 200-pound division with 865 points. Photo by John Rusac Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

Churchville-Chili powerlifters made the long bus ride from Rochester to Sweet Home High School a memorable one.

Students from the school won six events at the 37th annual New York State Championships on Saturday at Sweet Home.

Churchville-Chili also accumulated the most team points with 118, 58 more than second-place Grand Island. North Tonawanda came in third with 57 followed by Kenmore East (45), Pioneer (38), Niagara-Wheatfield (14), Lewiston Porter (11), Warsaw (10), Amherst and Starpoint (8) and Sweet Home (0).

"The event went great," said tournament director Paul Strefeler. "There were no hiccups."

Also at the meet, Paul Childress, a competitor at the NYS Championships in the 1980's and a world record holder in the squat (1,146) and total (2,662), displayed proper lifting techniques by bench pressing 225 pounds 35 times.

Strefeler said the event raised over $1,500 with all proceeds going towards the Sweet Home track team and the school's fitness center. Sponsors included Dick's Sporting Goods, Tim Horton's, Pepsi, Coca-Coca, Upstate Milk, My Tomato Pie and Fafaro Enterprises.

Here are results for the top three finishers.
Female
Jessica Mysliwiec (Grand Island),
538
Rahsanica Ford (Grand Island),
419
Melissa Harris (North
Tonawanda), 409

*Mysliwiec and Ford each
deadlifted tournament record
320; Ford squatted a school
record 260
116
Daniel Lapidus (Kenmore East)
and Jason Dey
(Churchville-Chili), 645
Josh Zimmerman
(Churchville-Chili), 600
Michael Regis (Kenmore East),
575
126
Dominic Cannata (Grand Island),
860
Justin Skretney (Pioneer), 650
Jeff Owens (Kenmore East),
590
136
Darryl Howk (Pioneer), 905
Michael Magatis (Grand Island),
875
Erin Little (Grand Island), 725

148
Jesse Howk (Pioneer), 920 and
Brandon McClinsey (North
Tonawanda), 920
Alex Patterson (Kenmore
East), 880
Keith Kandrick
(Churchville-Chili), 855
158
Ryan Steedman
(Churchville-Chili), 1115
Pharaoh Gayles (Amherst),
1095
Garth Boldt (Pioneer) and
Michael Pierce (Kenmore East),
960
168
Vance Lenney
(Churchville-Chili), 1175
Anthony Kukovica (Lewiston
Porter), 1005
Nick Ross (Churchville-Chili),
1000

178
Adam Ferchen (Niagara-Wheatfield),
1255, deadlifted tournament
record 525, won most valuable
lifter
Peter Minurka
(Churchville-Chili), 1040
George Mccraith (Grand Island)
and Ryan Boyle (North
Tonawanda), 1020
188
Dustin Dillard
(Churchville-Chili), 1145 - won
most improved lifter
Vlad Sokolov (North Tonawanda),
1105
Josh Rowley (Warsaw), 1080
200
Corey Nickolson
(Churchville-Chili), 1130
Brandon Bratek (Starpoint),
1125

Pat Hoock (Churchville-Chili),
1105
220
Joe Yanaitis
(Churchville-Chili), 1305
Matt Kerwin
(Churchville-Chili), 1260
Jon Lattanzio (North Tonawanda),

1120
Unlimited
Steve Dunn (Churchville-Chili),
1425
Dominic Fraterrigo (Kenmore
East), 1295
David Kuburycz
(Churchville-Chili), 1250