WHILE MANY of his classmates were in town celebrating Halloween, Freddy Boza, a junior at De Anza High School in Richmond, was in Reno setting new marks and winning titles as a weight lifter.

The 16-year-old, a special education student who has Down syndrome, won three competitions in his age/weight categories at the World Association of Bench Pressers & Deadlifters championships held Oct. 27 to Nov. 1 at the Peppermill Hotel.

He took first place as a Special Olympian in his 114-pound weight category (no age limit) by deadlifting 242.5 pounds and benching 149.8 pounds to break his own WABDL world records, said Salvatore Morabito, Boza's special education teacher and weight lifting coach and mentor.

He also took the top spot in the nonrestricted (without any disabilities) age 16-17 division in bench press and placed second in dead lift behind the current world record holder, who in turn placed second to Boza in the bench press.

"The Reno competition had 565 lifters and Freddy, as usual, had lots of support from the crowd," Morabito reports.

In the process Boza set new WABDL California records in both dead lift and bench press in the 16-17 division.

"Powerlifting is doing wonders for him," the teacher said. "He is becoming a great helper in my classroom by showing others how to listen and behave. One can see how quickly he is maturing and how much self-confidence he has now."

Boza

and Morabito will return to Nevada later this month for the U.S. Powerlifting Federation world championship at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. That competition doesn't have a 16-17 division or 114-pound weight class, so Boza will compete in the 123-pound class in the 15-19 division.

Boza will be on the five-member dead lift junior American team competing against squads from 11 other nations: Austria, Azerbaijan, Britain, Bulgaria, Georgia, Germany, Holland, Iceland, Ireland, Mexico and Russia.

SUNDAY ROUNDUP: If you're not sure what to do with your leftover Halloween candy, consider taking it to the Berkeley Food Pantry housed at Friends Church, 1600 Sacramento St. at Cedar Street. The pantry, open 2 to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, uses the sweets for its holiday bags.

The second annual Marvin Gardens Real Estate Veterans Day blood drive will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Point Richmond Community Center, 130 Washington Ave. Make advance appointments online at www.givelife.org, using the sponsor code "PRC84."

Crestmont School, 6226 Arlington Blvd. in Richmond, will host a free Swap and Shop event 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. Parents can bring gently used children's clothing (sizes infant to age 12) and books and exchange the outgrown items for something that fits. The grade K-5 parent-run co-op school will also have a holiday shop with handmade crafts and refreshments for sale. Details: Go online to www.crestmontschool.org.

Hansel and Gretel Parent Nursery School, 5151 Argyle Road in El Sobrante, will hold its annual pancake breakfast and open house Saturday. The cost is $5 per person age 2 and up, which includes breakfast (from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.), entertainment by children's singer Ira Marlowe (10 to 11 a.m.) and the preschool open house (11 a.m. to noon). Details: Go to hanselandgretelcoop.com. or call 510-223-7400.

Reach Chris Treadway at 510-262-2784 or ctreadway@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/christreadway.