Joyer king of the iron at TC

Posted Aug 14, 2010 by Bill Ward

Updated Aug 14, 2010 at 02:52 PM

Sometimes lost in the hype of Tampa Catholic fullback/linebacker Hunter Joyer is the fact this guy is an amazing weight lifting athlete. But just in case anyone forgot that, Joyer turned in some impressive numbers at Saturday’s “Lift-a-Thon” at Tampa Catholic.

The 5-foot-11, 245-pound Joyer, a senior who recently made a verbal commitment to the University of Florida, bench pressed 455 pounds, had a squat of 550 and a dead lift of 620 for a school record total of 1,625 pounds for the three lifts.

“He’s just an amazingly strong, powerful athlete,” Crusaders head coach Bob Henriquez said. “That’s a record that will stand a while.”

The next closest TC athlete Saturday was no slouch either. Taylor Timmons, a 6-0, 250-pound lineman expected to see duty on both sides of the ball this fall, produced a combined total of more than 1,300 pounds, including a 655-pound dead lift, Henriquez said.

The scary thing about Joyer is that he did not produce a personal record in the bench press. That’s because he is still being careful with a pectoral muscle he tore more than a year ago. Joyer, a former age group world record holder in weight lifiting, still has a bench PR of 495.