Junior Mike Augustyniak broke the tight end power clean record with 352 pounds, and freshman safety Darius Ferguson set a school record in all sports with a 43-inch vertical leap last night at the annual Lobo Football Night of Champions.
The Cherry team won 7-4 - while the Silver team cleaned up the field and carried all the weights and equipment back to the weight room.
Strength and conditioning trainer Aaron Day said the Night of Champions is designed to reward players for their hard work during spring practice. Forty-eight players are selected and divided into two teams based on discipline, hard work and consistency throughout the off-season.
"It takes a lot of things into consideration," Day said. "If they're not doing well in school, they're not going to make it to the Night of Champions."
Two other records were broken earlier, including kicker Kenny Byrd's 37-inch vertical leap and receiver Major Mosley's 323-pound power clean. The Cherry and Silver teams participated in power cleans, bench press, incline bench and squats. Records are set according to a players' position.
Augustyniak said breaking the power-clean record was a goal he has worked toward for a long time.
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"This record I really wanted after last year," Augustyniak said. "Zach (Rupp) got it last year and I really wanted to break his record."
Augustyniak said the team lifts together Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, but many of the football players lift on their days off. He said competitions like the Night of Champions are a good motivation to get stronger.
"That's what we need," he said. "We get guys excited about working real hard and working in the weight room."
Augustyniak said spring and summer are the seasons when the football team hits the weight room the hardest because they want to avoid getting injured and they spend most of their practices scrimmaging.
Even though at the Night of Champions each player maxes out in his designated lift, Augustyniak said he is not concerned about straining muscles.
"That kind of stuff just happens," he said. "You don't have any control over it."
Freshman offensive lineman Robert Turner mastered the squatting platform, lifting 606 pounds - nearly twice his body weight. He had three spotters.
"The guys he lifts with every day are there spotting him," Day said. "If they see something wrong, they know what's going on. They know exactly what they're doing."
Day said the opportunity for the players to showcase their strength in front of a crowd is a good indicator of who will perform well under pressure.
"It shows who's ready to come out and play," he said. "You have guys who are great in practice and guys who will step up and be ready to go when there's a crowd a little pressure on the line."
