Winning is nothing new for the Paradise High School powerlifting program. The boys and girls have been doing plenty of it the last four years while becoming one of the best in the area.

The Panthers, however, even surprised their coaches in the season opener Saturday afternoon. They won four events and all 11 boys medaled en route to winning the team championship at the Decatur Invitational.

"As far as expectations, I thought going in that we were a solid group. As the day progressed I thought we might be able to finish in the top five because there were a lot of competitive schools, big schools," said PHS coach Kevin Pitman whose team beat teams from Classes 5A through 2A. "I knew how many points we had scored before the awards were announced, but I still thought we would only be in third place."

The final results were like a late Christmas gift unwrapped for all to see.

"Coach (Scott) Broussard and I were completely surprised that we had won the meet," said Pitman. "I would have to say we exceeded my expectations. I was pleased overall, but I also told the kids that this was our first meet of the season, and I do not want it to be the highest point of achievement of the season."

In the girls' action, the Lady Panthers finished in the top four of their weight classes in three events. The top performance came from standout Briana Lambert in the 148.5 division.

The junior captured first place while lifting a total of 675 pounds. She posted a 265-pound squat, a 135 bench press and a 275 deadlift.

Juniors Bridget Meyer and Kelly Lewis finished second and fourth, respectively, in the 132.5 weight class. Meyer racked up 555 pounds and recorded a 235 squat, 110 bench press and a 210 deadlift.

Lewis, meanwhile, finished the day with a total lift of 525. She had a 214 squat, 100 bench press and a 100 deadlift.

In the boys' competition, Caleb Page had a day to remember while leading his team to the meet championship. He won the 181.5 division with 1,235 pounds and broke a meet record along the way.

The junior broke the bench press record with a lift of 325 pounds. He secured the title by lifting 460 in the squat and 405 in the deadlift.

Zach Smith also came out on top in the 148.5 weight class where he finished with 1,030 pounds. His lifts included a 410 squat, 220 bench press and a 400 deadlift.

Kendall Dethloff captured second-place honors in his first meet of the season with 1,225 pounds in the 181.5 division, just 10 pounds behind Page in the group. He posted a 455 squat, a 305 bench press and a 465 deadlift.

Junior Cody Webber (220.5) and senior Zach Strand (275.5) also took home second-place honors. Webber tallied a 460 squat, 295 bench press and a 435 deadlift for 1,190 pounds, while Stand followed with a 550 squat, 290 bench press and a 425 deadlift for a total of 1,265.

Junior Nike Pike also had a silver finish where he lifted 1,305 pounds in the 198.5 group. His totals included a 500 squat, 340 bench press and 465 deadlift.

Third-place honors were captured by Clayton Zimmerman in the 220.5 competition. The sophomore posted 1,115 pounds which included 450 in the squat, 235 in the bench press and 430 in the deadlift.

Junior Gage Langley finished with 925 pounds in the 148.5 weight class to take fourth place honors, while senior Kainen Nelms, junior P.J. Fuller and sophomore Corgan Andrews received fifth-place medals. Fuller tallied 1,000 pounds in the 165.5 weight class, while Nelms had 1,085 in the 181.5 division and Pittman recorded 1,090 in the 220.5 action.