The Hahnville powerlifting team is just three years old – and has already crowned its first state champion.
Blaize Donnaud became the state champion of the 242-pound weight class at the LHSAA powerlifting state championship tournament, lifting a combined total weight of 1,650 pounds. He squatted 675, benched 386 and deadlifted 590 pounds to reach that state best mark – clinching the feat with his very last deadlifting rep.
Given the fast rise of its program, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Hahnville produce another state powerlifting champion in the coming years.
But Donnaud is – and always will be – the very first.
“It feels pretty good to be the first one,” said Donnaud. “My second (deadlift) attempt missed and it made my last lift – of my whole powerlifting career – really matter. Pulling through for the win was a crazy experience – I felt like I could pull any number I had to (on that last rep.)”
When he completed the rep, he knew he had clinched state, and the celebration was on.
His mother Sarah saw the moment up close, and says it’s one she’ll never forget.
“It was absolutely amazing. That day was extremely emotional for us, especially that last lift,” she said. “Seeing how disciplined he’s been – when we were teenagers, my husband and I did not have that kind of discipline. Coach (Justin) Lirette and Coach (Jenna) Adams have been huge mentors for him … we are so, so proud.”
Hahnville head powerlifting coach Justin Lirette joined the Hahnville coaching ranks three years ago as an assistant football coach. With four years of head coaching experience in the powerlifting game under his belt, he made the pitch to launch the sport at HHS.
“We didn’t have it, and I kind of pushed to get it started,” Lirette said. “We got that going, then last year Destrehan had their first year. We’re in year three, they’re in year two – We’re both trying to build something here on the river.”
That has progressed well. Hahnville hosted its first ever powerlifting invitational meet this season, and HHS took on DHS in the first-ever Battle on the River powerlifting rivalry showdown.
Hahnville saw four team members qualify for regionals, while senior classmates Donnaud and Chris Wilkinson each qualified for the state meet. Wilkinson finished as the state’s fourth best powerlifter at the 275-pound weight class.
Donnaud was fueled by the disappointment of a year prior, when he “bombed out” – failing to successfully complete all three attempts of a particular lift and therefore cannot post an overall score – at Hahnville’s regional championship meet.
“It was a letdown,” Donnaud said. “I knew I had to lock in during the offseason. I put in a lot of time researching how to train, how to eat healthy and get stronger. And that hard work definitely paid off.”
Lirette said Donnaud’s work ethic is second to none.
“He always wants to get better,” Lirette said. “He’s a kid who trusts the process and someone who I think shows the other kids in the program, and kids who might want to join in the future, ‘Hey, you can do anything you set your mind to.’ He wanted to come back bigger and stronger than ever. He took what happened last year and used it as fuel.
“I can probably count on one hand how many reps he missed in training all season. He knows his body and what he can do. To recall all those numbers for a workout and not miss a rep? It sets him apart.”
Donnaud said playing football in middle school was the doorway to powerlifting, as he worked out to get stronger. He realized he really enjoyed that process, and ultimately walked away from football to focus on powerlifting full-time.
He said the state win almost doesn’t completely feel real yet.
“It’s hard to fathom. Sometimes I think, wow, I’m really the strongest person in this weight class in the whole state,” Donnaud said.
He added that as a junior, he felt he had a lot of potential and really wanted to apply himself.
“I’d love to say that over the summer, I knew I could win it,” Donnaud said. “But I don’t know that I fully believed that. As we got into the season and my numbers were getting better, I thought, OK I can really do this.”
From joining a new program with three fellow sophomores to representing his school as the best in the state, Donnaud’s powerlifting career was one to remember. He said that his competitive powerlifting days have come to an end, but down the line he has an eye on joining the bodybuilding circuit.
“I want to step on that stage in a couple of years,” Donnaud said.
