Columbus East High School

Built in the Weight Room: Olympians Making Major Gains Under Campbell The foundation is being laid—and it’s not happening under the Friday night lights just yet. Since taking over the Columbus East football program, head coach Tyler Campbell has made one thing clear: if the Olympians are going to compete at a high level, it starts in the weight room. Through the first few months of the offseason, that message isn’t just being heard—it’s being lived. The numbers back it up. From the end of December to mid-March, every single athlete in the program improved their combined “Big 3” total—squat, bench press, and clean. Not one player stayed the same. Not one regressed. The team’s average increase? A staggering 62 pounds. That kind of across-the-board growth doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through consistency, accountability, and a whole lot of work. “We believe strength equals hard work,” Campbell has emphasized, and his team is buying in. The Olympians have averaged roughly 75 players per workout after school since January, creating an environment where competition and commitment go hand in hand. And the strength gains are showing up in a big way. Setting the Standard Leading the charge in the weight room has been a group of athletes putting up eye-popping numbers: Top Squat • Cayden Smith – 545 • Ethan Gilley – 510 • Zander Taylor – 500 • Anthony Zhu – 455 • Connor Gallion – 450 Top Bench • Cayden Smith – 335 • Dallas Dykstra – 300 • Zander Taylor – 300 • Ethan Gilley – 290 • Clayton Miller – 290 Top Clean • Dallas Dykstra – 290 • Clayton Miller – 290 • Ethan Gilley – 285 • Paxton Thompson – 260 • Cayden Smith – 255 Smith’s dominance across multiple lifts highlights the kind of elite strength Campbell is looking to build around, while names like Dykstra, Gilley, and Taylor continue to show up across the board—an indicator of well-rounded development. Strength in Numbers Beyond the top performers, the overall depth of the program is trending in the right direction: • 10 players have reached at least a 400-pound squat • 7 players are benching 275 pounds or more • 16 athletes have hit 225 pounds in the clean • 10 players own a Big 3 total of 900 pounds or higher That’s not just improvement—that’s building a culture. The Bigger Picture Weight room success doesn’t guarantee wins in the fall. But ignoring it almost guarantees losses. Right now, Columbus East isn’t cutting corners. The Olympians are building something that should translate when pads come on—stronger, more physical, and more prepared to handle the grind of a full season. Campbell’s approach is simple, but it’s not easy. And that’s the point. The work being done now, rep by rep and set by set, is shaping what this team will become. Come fall, it won’t be hard to see where it all started!!