By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

He’s a repeat winner.

A year ago, on the brink of his sophomore season, Callaway’s Cartavious “Tank” Bigsby won the football team’s annual ironman competition.

Bigsby was looking to defend his title last week, and he made it happen.

Bigsby accumulated 219 points to edge second-place finisher and fellow junior Jacob Freeman.

Those same two men finished first and second last year as well.

Qua Hines was next with 200 points, and Nathan Sapp (194 points) and Tely Fanning (192 points) rounded out the top five.

Completing the top 10 were Charlie Dixon (192 points), Jaleen Sheppard (189 points), LaQuize Gilbert (189 points), T Bonner (187 points) and Marcus Morman (186 points).

During the ironman competition, the players compete in a handful of different events designed to measure their speed, quickness, agility and strength.

“They get after it,” Callaway head coach Pete Wiggins said. “It’s really competitive.”

For two years in a row, Bigsby has been the man to beat in the ironman competition, and he’s been getting it done on the field as well.

Bigsby enjoyed a breakout sophomore season with more than 1,000 rushing yards, and he’ll be the featured back this year.

The second-place finisher the past two years, Jacob Freeman, is another standout player for the Cavaliers.

Freeman was Callaway’s leading wide receiver last season, and he’s competing to be the team’s starting quarterback this fall.

Callaway also has an Iron Hawg competition, which is just for the linemen.

Wiggins does that since the Ironman competition is catered more to the skill players like Bigsby and Freeman.

“It’s more speed events,” Wiggins said. “There’s bench, power-clean and squats, and that’s it. And the rest of them are quickness and speed.”

Jabari Smith was tops in the Iron Hawg competition with 167 points, and he was followed by Tre Heard (162 points), Keiondre Jones (161 points), Adrian Porter (161 points), Hye Douglas (155 points), Tyrique Andrews (155 points), Destin Patrick (149 points), Lavarius Patterson (139 points), Tray Dukes (137 points) and Lavaris Patterson (116 points).

Senior offensive lineman Keshawn Cameron likely would have been among the leaders, but he was on a recruiting trip.

“I’ve got some big guys that didn’t participate, that were at camps,” Wiggins said. “(Cameron), he would have been in it, but he was at a Kennesaw State camp.”

The ironman competition led into the start of preseason practice on July 25.

Callaway held its first full-contact practice on Wednesday as it gears up for a season that begins on Aug. 24 against Opelika.

Callaway head coach Pete Wiggins said the first week of practice “went great.”

Callaway has a preseason game at Starr’s Mill on Aug 10.

“I’ve watched them on film, and they’ve got really good players, and a really good coaching staff,” Wiggins said.

Callaway is coming off another successful season under Wiggins, who is 115-42 in his previous 13 seasons.

Callaway went 11-2 last year and advanced to the Class AA quarterfinals before losing to Brooks County.

Callaway is 34-5 the past three seasons, and it reached the state semifinals in 2016 before losing to eventual state-champion Benedictine.