Ridgeview Global studies junior weightlifter Micah Davis felt pretty nervous, yet excited, heading into the 2026 Class 1A FHSAA Boys Weightlifting State Championships Friday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
After all, it was something Davis (169 pounds) had worked toward all season. Once positioned on the platform, it came down to six lifts that would determine everything, so his mindset was to stay focused. In the end, he trusted his training, didn’t worry about what anyone else was lifting and tried not to focus on numbers, wanting to give it his all and walk away proud of himself no matter what happened.
Davis hit five for six on his lifts, finishing third in the Olympic category with a total lift of 430 pounds. And he didn’t hit any personal records because he had already hit 195 in snatch at regionals and 235 in clean and jerk during the season.
“I’m still very happy with my performance because I adjusted and worked through how my body was feeling,” Davis said. “Before the meet, I honestly thought the highest I might place was maybe top six, and even that felt like a stretch to me. I mainly came in wanting to lift for myself and do my best. When I found out I got third place, I was ecstatic. It showed me that all the hard work and practice I put in this year really paid off, and seeing how proud my family, coaches, and teammates were meant a lot to me.”
But for the Davis supporters to be in this position, there was that one person who inspired to lift in the first place. Davis started weightlifting this year because of his friend, fellow junior lifter Jayden Plaisimond, who encouraged him to try it out.
“He told me I’d love it because it was fun and I’d get to compete while getting stronger, so I decided to give it a shot,” he said.
And as soon as he started, he immediately fell in love with the sport and put all his time into it.
And then an epiphany transpired .
“Weightlifting truly changed my life because there was a point where I was in a pretty dark place and unsure of my value, and this sport gave me confidence, purpose, and something I’m passionate about,” Davis said.
But of course, it wasn’t just about passion for Davis, as there were mentors who guided him along this arduous path. Leading the Davis’ lifting regimen was David Izzo, who is also the school’s athletic director. Izzo taught Davis everything from the ground up, helping shape him into the lifter he is today. Still, others were heavily involved in Davis’ maturation process, including assistant coach Michael Melendez, who always took the time to teach proper technique and help improve him and his teammates who were always there supporting Davis, encouraging and helping him get better throughout the season.
In the future, Davis has dreams of competing in AAU and the USAW competitions. But his ultimate goal is to someday make Team USA.
Other Ridgeview lifters stand out
Ridgeview had two more lifters compete at states last week: Junior Daniel Izzo (119) placed ninth in both Olympic and traditional, while Plaisimond (unlimited) culminated in sixth in Olympic and ninth in traditional.
“I am so proud of this team. We had several setbacks this year, from sickness to our 129-pound lifter suffering a season-ending injury. But these boys just kept fighting back and looking forward. The entire team worked hard and that work ethic gave them a district championship and third placement at regionals. We also had our three lifters qualify for states. It was our goal to get all three lifters to place top ten. They exceeded this goal and placed third, sixth and ninth,” David Izzo said.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Ridgeview weightlifting places 3 in state, Micah Davis finishes 3rd
Reporting by Robert Magobet, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
