By BFS

BFS has run many news items about powerlifter and strongman Josh Bryant, but lately it’s his brother Noah, a shotputter and hammer thrower, who has been grabbing the headlines. The USC senior almost died two years ago throwing the hammer when the 16-pound metal ball bounced off the protective cage and fractured his face in 14 places – his doctor said that blow came within an inch of killing him. But Noah recovered, and in a big way, breaking the school record with a put of 67’5½” (20.56m) and winning the Pac-10 championships for the second year in a row.

In the weightroom, Noah has also made some impressive lifts, including the following: power clean, 440 pounds; back squat, 665; bench press, 505.

440 POUNDS! Records Fall at National HS Power Clean Championships Meet director Val Balison presents an international standard Olympic barbell, supplied by BFS, to team champions Las Vegas High School.

Three national records were set in the third annual National High School Power Clean Championships, held at Bonanza High School in Las Vegas on May 19. The team championship went to Las Vegas High School, which defeated the 2006 team champions, Mountain View High School from Mesa, AZ. Competitors included athletes from two state championship football teams: Las Vegas High School (NV) and Bingham High School (UT). Here are the winners: BW . . . . . . . . . . Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Weight (lbs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . School 123.5. . . . . . . . . Eric Castro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225* National Record . . . . . . . . . . Las Vegas 136.5. . . . . . . .

. Kyle Jenkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mountain View 152 . . . . . . . . . . Deangelo Saulsberry . . . . . . . . 275* National Record . . . . . . . . . . Las Vegas 169.5. . . . . . . . . Nick Arvayo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mountain View 187 . . . . . . . . . . Jacobi Jordon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Las Vegas 207 . . . . . . . . . . Justin Sorenson. . . . . . . . . . . . . 315. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bingham 231 . . . . . . . . . . Nate Carter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315. . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Las Vegas HWT . . . . . . . . Pat Mendes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340* National Record . . . . . . . . . . Del Sol Bryant Does It Again, but This Time It’s Noah!

Marcus Henderson Accepts His Prize Marcus Henderson received the 2007 BFS Male High School Athlete of the Year, and his story was featured in our May/June issue. Presenting the award to Henderson are coaches Mike Carter (left) and Jason Ross. Got a male or female athlete worthy of this award or at least a mention in our player profile section? Then go to our website and nominate him or her for the 2008 award.

PLAYER PROFILES Alyssa and Brittany Potter BFS Clinician P.J. Brown told us about two identical twins who just graduated from Bentonville High School in Bentonville, Arkansas, who are champions on the field and in the classroom. Both are All-State in swimming, cross country and track – teams that won the state championship this year. Both have identical GPAs of 4.2. Both volunteer for worthy causes, such as with the Special Olympics and teaching swimming to children, and both have partial swimming and academic scholarships from the University of Kansas.

It’s also hard to tell them apart in the weightroom, as both power clean 115 pounds, but Alyssa has a 5-pound edge in the back squat, 160 to 155. Amazing!

Alexa Ebert Alexa Ebert is an exceptional three-sport athlete at Titusville High School in Titusville, PA. For the past three seasons Ebert has been selected to the All-State Volleyball team, and over the past four years Titusville has achieved an overall record of 78-14. In basketball Ebert was selected as the 2006 team MVP. In track Ebert competes in the long jump, high jump, the 200m, and the 4x400m relay; and she was a member of the 4x100m team that broke the school record. One reason for these remarkable achievements is her commitment to strength and conditioning: Ebert squats 210, benches 120 and power cleans 150 and has a Dot Drill best of 53 seconds.

In the classroom Ebert earned a 4.1 GPA and will be attending St. Francis University on a volleyball scholarship, majoring in pre-med.

When Tobias Jacobi was a strength coach at Western Carolina, he would frequently update us at BFS about the amazing lifting performance of his football players. Coach Jacobi is still producing “football strong” athletes, but now he’s doing it at Kent State University. Two of Jacobi’s physical phenoms are senior cornerback Jack Williams and junior offensive guard Joe Marafine. These two athletes were instrumental in helping Kent State progress from just one win in 2005 to six wins in 2006. Williams is a three-year starter, and in 2006 he tied for the lead in interceptions for the team and was named the most outstanding defensive back. At 5’9”

and 184 pounds, Williams has cleaned 343 pounds, squatted 590 and benched 391; he ran the 40 in 4.34 and did a 38” vertical jump. Marafine was named the most outstanding offensive lineman in 2006 and helped the team improve from being ranked 119th in rushing in the country in 2005 to 39th in 2006. At 6’4” and 304 pounds, Marafine has cleaned 343, squatted 672 and benched 478; he runs the 40 in 5.18 and has a 27” vertical jump. Keep us posted, Coach Jacobi!

Calf Stretching Made Easy The BFS Plyo ramp is a great tool for strengthening the ankles and developing coordination, but it also provides an effective alternative for stretching the calves. Standing with your knees straight on one of the angled platforms stretches the upper calf (gastrocnemius), and standing with your knees slightly bent stretches the lower calf (soleus). And for additional variation, you should perform the stretches by alternating between having the feet pointed slightly inward and having them slightly outward. For those with especially tight calves, it’s best to start with the front platform, as it has less of an incline and the stretch is not as intense.

Perform all core lifts in one station. Our most popular Total Program Unit!

From BFS Magazine — July/August 2007. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).