Durant edged rival McAlester but came up just short in the overall Class 5A standings, finishing as powerlifting state runner-up in the recent state finals held in El Reno.
The Lions tallied 46 team points, wrapping up only behind state champ Grove’s 59 tally, while slipping past McAlester by a point after being bested by the Buffaloes in regional competition.
Leading the individual finishers for the Lions was Axel Thurman, who tallied a second place finish in the 198-pound division.
Thurman totaled 1,400 pounds on the three lifts, posting a 520 in squat, 330 on the bench and 550 in the deadlift.
Senior Tucker Dry added a third place mark of 1,445 total pounds in the heavyweight category, compiling that sum with a 545 on squat, 310 in the bench and 590 on deadlift.
At 168 pounds, Stephen Manhard contributed a seventh place effort of 405 in squat, 205 on bench and 505 in the deadlift for a combined mark of 1,115 pounds. His 505 pounds was the top mark in the deadlift.
Jayden Rangel pitched in a ninth-place individual effort at 220 pounds, notching a total score of 1,275 pounds. That mark included a massive 600 pounds in the deadlift, which tied for individual honors in that lift for his weight group. He also posted a 415 on squat and 260 on the bench.
Other state qualifiers that failed to place in the top event were Michael Mitchell at 123 pounds, Owen Madison at 132, Brodi Payne at 157, Jaxon Cuesta at 220, Dayton Madrid at 242, Grant Bull and Aaron McKay at 275 pounds along with Carson Alivand at heavyweight.