Under the tutelage of strength coach Matt Hayes, the Cougars have been working diligently in the weight room to get themselves stronger. They have been pitting themselves against other teams at weight lifting competitions around the region, most recently at Oldham County, on March 1. With 15 teams competing, the Cougars took a fifth-place finish.
According to head coach Keith Graham, the team is setting new standards in the weight room, particularly the offensive line.
"We have five or six guys who are going to be interchangeable in our line who have really been working hard to get stronger," Graham said. "I think that is the direction we need to go here. We are never going to 'out-athlete' anybody, but we can get in the weight room and work harder than anyone else and be stronger than they are."
Graham pointed to Anthony Smith, Matt Thurman, Cody Brooks, Michael Decker and Korey Fulkerson, all of whom are going to be seniors next year, and Nik Dunkelberger, who will be a junior.
Smith is bench pressing 220 pounds, squatting 350 pounds and cleaning 215 pounds. Thurman is benching 220, squatting 350 and cleaning 190. Decker is at 240, 370 and 235; Fulkerson is at 240, 250 and 215; Dunkelberger's numbers are 260, 360 and 225.
Brooks has made the biggest impression so far among the coaches, especially with his clean numbers. Brooks benches 280 pounds, squats 500 and cleans an unbelievable 285.
"Michael is winning the competitions in the clean hands down wherever he goes," Graham said. "Two hundred eighty-five pounds is just an incredible number.
This Saturday, March 15, the Cougars will be taking part in the State Power Lifting Meet being held at Central Hardin High School, in Elizabethtown. Graham said some 55 schools will be participating with more than 500 lifters taking part.
"It gives us a good opportunity to see how we stand among some of the other teams in the state," Graham said.
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