PCHS Bulletin – Jayden Martinez
Date Published - May 20. 2026
The weight room at Parrish Community High School (PCHS) has finally settled, marking the end of a historic spring season for the boys' weightlifting program. From local dominance to a milestone performance at the FHSAA State Championship, the Bulls have officially etched their names into the school’s record books.
The season reached its peak during the FHSAA State Championship (May 6-8) at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. PCHS sent a formidable contingent of five athletes to compete against the best in Florida: Landon Pescuma (119), Bradley Junker (129), Kyle Ni (129), Josh Reisdorf (169), and Ty Baker (238).
The highlight of the weekend came from Kyle Ni, who secured a 5th-place finish in the Traditional category. With this achievement, Ni became the first male athlete in Parrish school history to medal at the state level.
Coach Kody McNear noted that Ni ended the season with two personal records, a 200lb clean and jerk and a 245lb bench press totaling 445.
“I’ve definitely improved by a landslide from last year,” reflected Ni. “My technique and form have drastically improved, allowing me to coach and mentor my teammates to reach the same goal of improvement. I feel honored and proud for setting Parrish Community High School's name on the board, being the school's first State Boys Weightlifting medalist.”
Ni also said, “I look forward to improving my snatch lift form and continuing to polish my clean and jerk form for the next year. I strive to be the state champion for my weight class next year as well.”
Heavyweight standout Ty Baker also made waves on the big stage, securing a 10th place finish in the Olympic category, cementing his status as one of the most versatile lifters in the region.
“I was very happy with my performance this season. States as a sophomore was much more than I could've imagined achieving, and I'm blessed to have been able to make it that far,” Baker said.
Baker also said next season he wishes to increase his overall lifts “by a large margin and hopefully go back to states and win.”
The momentum started with the District Championship on April 9 at Venice High School. The Bulls took fifth place in both the Traditional and Olympic categories with numerous top 10 finishes in each weight class. Most notable was Ni’s first place finish in both categories.
The pressure intensified at the Regional Championship on April 25 at Lake Gibson High School. The Bulls took third place in Traditional and fifth in Olympic. Leading the charge were Baker and Ni. Baker took first in Traditional and second in Olympic, while Ni took first in Traditional and fifth in Olympic to punch their state ticket and set the stage for their record-breaking finishes in Lakeland.
Additionally at the regional championship, Pescuma and Junker each took third in Traditional while Reisdorf took sixth in Olympic and seventh in Traditional to earn their state tickets.
While the team saw contributions across the board, the season was undeniably defined by Baker and Ni. Their consistent presence at the top of the leaderboards provided the backbone for the Bulls' most successful campaign to date.
As the program looks toward next year, the culture established this spring has turned Parrish Community High into a legitimate destination for high school weightlifting.
The bar has been set high, quite literally, and for the Parrish Bulls, the only way to go is up.