The stories about Saquon Barkley have been non-stop the past two weeks as the Philadelphia Eagles prepare to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s Super Bowl.

Most people have been reflecting on his accomplishments on the gridiron — both at Whitehall and Penn State — or the touching story from his high school track and field days when he gave up his gold medal to a Saucon Valley athlete who had won a race but then was disqualified during a rerun.

But few have talked about his performance at Palmerton High School.

In 2014 — the spring of Barkley’s junior year at Whitehall — the Bombers held a weighlifting competition.

Many from Carbon County didn’t know about Barkley and his lifting abilities, and the thought was that Lehighton’s Wyatt Clements — an excellent athlete who was known for his strength on the field — was the favorite to win the varsity competition.

Barkley, however, participated in the 210-pound weight class and had lifts of 300 pounds in the bench press and 500 pounds in the squat, which established a new meet record.

That record stood when the competition was ended in 2020 after 15 years of holding the mark.

“I had an up close view of seeing Saquon squat that 500 pounds,” said Palmerton head football coach Chris Walkowiak.

“He won his weight class and he did it so effortlessly. You just knew that he was going to be a special player in the future.”

Barkley won the most outstanding lifter trophy in the varisty division, with Clements finishing second.

Tamaqua’s Trevor Schilling was the most outstanding lifter in the JV division.

“I can’t say that I remember any of the conversations that went on that day, but I was impressed by his humility and the way he conducted himself,” said Walkowiak.

‘You can tell he was a top notch individual.”