The Volusia-Flagler area had eight boys weightlifters win individual state titles across all three classifications in 2026.
DeLand’s Peyton McKenzie was the only one to win two of them, though, doing so at 238 pounds at the FHSAA Class 3A meet. He broke the state snatch record twice in the process, eventually beating the previous 290-pound record by 25 pounds.
Spruce Creek had the highest team finish of any local school with second-place finishes in traditional and Olympic weightlifting at the 3A level.
With 12 total spots that include eight state champions, the 2026 Volusia-Flagler All-Area boys weightlifting team was a competitive one. Here it is.
First Team
Brian Begnoche, Spruce Creek: Begnoche lifted 615 pounds to win the 199-pound Class 3A Olympic state championship. He also finished third in the state in the traditional category.
Todd Cutler, New Smyrna Beach: Cutler won a Class 2A 183-pound state title with a 585-pound Olympic score, and he nearly got a second trophy after finishing as the traditional runner-up by five pounds.
Matthew McFall, Flagler Palm Coast: McFall won an unlimited Olympic state title with a 660-pound lift, 70 pounds ahead of the next Class 3A placer. He also finished third in the state in traditional weightlifting.
Peyton McKenzie, DeLand: McKenzie was the only local weightlifter to win state championships in Olympic and traditional weightlifting. The 238-pounder posted a massive 775-pound combined traditional lift and a 685-pound Olympic score to become a dual state champion.
Anthony Nguyen, Atlantic: Nguyen won the Class 2A 238-pound traditional championship with a 740-pound combined lift. He triumphed behind an area-best 445-pound bench press.
Cody Strawser, Flagler Palm Coast: Strawser won the 129-pound Olympic state title with a 460-pound combined lift at the Class 3A meet. He finished as the traditional runner-up with a 485-pound score.
Second Team
Joseph Abrantes, Father Lopez: Abrantes recorded a 480-pound Olympic lift to win the Class 1A title in the 154-pound weight class. He was also a close runner-up in the traditional standings with a 550-pound total, five pounds short of first place.
Grant Chandler, Spruce Creek: Chandler was a 119-pound Olympic regional, district and Five Star Conference champion. He finished second in Class 3A in the same discipline with a 360-pound combined lift.
Maverick Grimm, Father Lopez: Grimm cruised to a 169-pound Class 1A title with a 525-pound lift, 60 pounds ahead of the runner-up. He finished third in traditional weightlifting at the state level.
Christian Jones, Spruce Creek: Jones had a 730-pound traditional lift and 600-pound Olympic lift to win silver in both disciplines at the Class 3A state meet. He was a double champion at the regional, district and Five Star Conference meets.
Brison Sullivan, New Smyrna Beach: Sullivan won unlimited traditional and Olympic weightlifting titles at the regional and district levels. He placed top five in both disciplines at the Class 2A meet.
Jackson Vella, Spruce Creek: Vella won 139-pound traditional and Olympic gold at the regional, district and Five Star Conference meets. He finished third in traditional weightlifting at the Class 3A state meet with a 515-pound lift, and he placed sixth in Olympic weightlifting.
Honorable Mention
DeLand: Angel Alejandro, Jordan Ferrell, Gerald Logan, Jaxson Van Horn
Father Lopez: Owen Albert, Aiden Suklam
Flagler Palm Coast: Marlon Alvarado, Joseph Casanova, Jackson Fedun, Landon Gates, Anthony Giacobbe, Alex Huynh, Mathias Parker, Wendell Weaver
Mainland: Ray Tatro
New Smyrna Beach: Calvin Blount, Austin Hermosillo, Davin Mansfield, Micah Mehalko, Ethan Puckett, Trevor Schnettler
Seabreeze: Dean Hayes, Vincent Pendersen, Guarionex Rivera Seise, Ronald Zimmet
Spruce Creek: Dikshant Acharya, Jeremiah Hall, Cesar Hernandez, John Kinzer, Quinn Lalchan, Kamari McCloud, Trevor McClure, John Wheeler, Logan White
Taylor: Tre Gaines
University: Magnum Rojas
Boys Weightlifting Coach of the Year
Connor Silvey, Spruce Creek: The Hawks were a machine in 2026, and there weren’t many competitions where they didn’t end up in first place. Spruce Creek won the Five Star Conference meet for the fourth year in a row to secure local bragging rights before winning district and regional titles with ease. And yes, the Hawks swept both disciplines in all three events. It translated to the Class 3A state meet as well, as Spruce Creek finished second as a team in traditional and Olympic weightlifting. The Hawks also crowned a state champion, Brian Begnoche, in the process, among several other podium finishers.
Boys Weightlifter of the Year
Peyton McKenzie, DeLand: McKenzie won the Class 3A Olympic and traditional titles in the 238-pound weight class, and neither were particularly close. McKenzie secured the Olympic title with a 685-pound lift that was 25 pounds heavier than any weightlifter lifted at any weight in any classification. That was thanks to a 315-pound snatch that broke his own previous FHSAA record of 300 pounds set minutes earlier on his second of three attempts. A 370-pound clean and jerk clinched the title and set him up for the traditional title as well, which he secured with a 405-pound bench press. His traditional total combined for a monster 775 pounds, 75 clear of his nearest competitor.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Unveiling the 2026 Volusia-Flagler All-Area Boys Weightlifting Team
Reporting by Zach Allen, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
