WOODVILLE — Wilkinson County High School has a strong powerlifting tradition, with numerous state championships and runner-ups.

But senior Wildcat lifter Marcus Wyatt is unquestionably the best to ever come out of the program.

Wyatt, who lifts in the 132-pound weight class, will be going for his third consecutive state championship at the state meet on April 17 at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.

Not only has Wyatt won the gold medal at state the past three years, he has won a gold medal in every regional, south state and state meet he has competed in with the exception of a silver medal he won at state his freshman year.

“He’s the best kid I’ve ever had,” Wilkinson County powerlifting coach Bobby Webb said. “He has one state record and he’ll set two more at the state meet. Another gold medal will give him 11 total in his career.”

Wyatt is dominant in each of the three lifts that make up the powerlifting competitions — squat, bench and dead lift.

Webb said Wyatt will be squatting 455 pounds at state, which would be a state record for his weight class. Wyatt also plans to bench 235 pounds and dead lift 455 pounds.

“When you add those up, it’s over 1,100 pounds,” Webb said. “And he weighs only 132 pounds. He has lots of determination and the will not to lose. When he gets into competitions, he’s a tough little kid.”

Wyatt said he didn’t originally set out to be a champion powerlifter, but since he is too small to star on the football field, powerlifting became his sport of choice.

“(Coach Webb) wanted me to come out (for powerlifting),” Wyatt said. “I didn’t like it at first. But when I got the hang of it, I liked it. It grew on me.”

Wyatt said a lot of hard work and determination goes into his preparation, much of that comes from the coaching of Webb.

“He stays on me, getting me to work hard,” Wyatt said. “He tells me if I do hard work, I’ll come out successful.”