"I enjoyed it," Brent Ferguson said. "I thank the Lord that he gave us the opportunity to go down there. My max went up 10 to 15 pounds today. I was a little nervous around a lot of people, but it was fun experience to get to go."
Ferguson, 16, is the son of Steve and Julie Ferguson. He hopes to play college football then work on a biology major, agriculture business minor and become a veterinarian.
Ryan Jackson, 17, son of Ron Jackson and Kristen Wann, said: "There was a lot of competition. It gave me a lot of motivation to go back and work harder and get stronger."
He said he plans to major in recreation and hopefully run a recreation center at a college campus.
Kamden Boyd, 16, the son of Marty and Lori Boyd, said the competition opened his eyes to a higher level of competition.
Beau German, 16, son of Jim and Shamere German, said it was challenging, especially competing against seniors.
Hunter Shackleford, 16, son of Jason and Rica Shackleford, said he plans to push himself harder.
Hunter Gaston, 15, son of Geary and Dadrion Gaston, said: "I thought was a rather good experience. not that meany people are privileged enough to get to go."
Cody Foltz, 17, son of Doug and Robin Foltz, said: "I was kind of leery of the competition, but as it went on, I felt like I did okay against all the other schools. I placed second in 4A. I felt like the atmosphere helped me do a lot better... there was an adrenaline rush.
"I felt like the atmosphere helped me do a lot more than I usually do ... more of an adrenaline rush ... stranger, more people."
"Lifting weights is a big part of football; you can't just be fast, you have to be strong as well," Foltz said. He plans to attend the Naval Academy and become a Navy Seal.
Sports on 05/06/2015