Ricky Perry completes a 600-pound squat at Thursday’s Power Meet. Perry topped that in his final squat, successfully hoisting 625 pounds.

TIFTON — For those who missed Thursday’s Power Meet at Eighth Street Middle, be assured: Tift County football players moved a lot of weight around.

Head coach Ashley Anders said the 100 or so players at the meet lifted 110,145 pounds or 55.07 tons. Those are three attempts each at three different lifts, squats, bench presses and power cleans.

Airick DeLoach was the meet’s overall big lifter, as determined by the power index, which is weight lifted divided by body weight. DeLoach, a running back listed at 170 pounds in 2017, had a power index was 5.636.

DeLoach was also the middleweight champion. Wide receiver Jeremiah McKinnon won lightweight with a power index of 5.118 and linebacker Antonio Howard was the heavyweight leader at 4.995.

Howard won for heavyweights, but arguably the biggest competition was that between offensive lineman Austin Williams and defensive lineman Ricky Perry.

Perry was the biggest lifter in squats at an announced 625 pounds. Williams also bested 600 pounds, at 605. Williams won bench press, at 350 pounds, which Perry attempted but could not quite finish.

That led to a showdown in power cleans.

Heading into that portion, strength and conditioning coach Chris Bragg said Williams had to tie Perry to win the battle based on the power index. Williams entered weighing in at 307 pounds to Perry’s 309.

In the end, this portion of the Power Meet went to Williams. Anders said Williams was able to lift an amount Perry could not hold. Perry and Williams each totaled 1,235 pounds.

Additionally, the duo might have set school records.

Bragg believed Perry’s 625-pound squat was new Tift County mark. The 350-pound bench press ranked highly as well.

Howard had a 300-pound power clean, Anders said and Landon Bateman had 290 pounds in that left.

Anders was very satisfied with the Power Meet. This group of Tift County athletes are the strongest he’s had, he said. Already in store for a monster offensive line in 2018, Anders said his defensive line was going to be massive as well.