By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

More than ever, Hanna golfer Santiago Garcia is ready to take the next step.

Garcia, a junior, has participated in the Region IV-6A golf tournament in San Antonio twice before and come up just short of qualifying for the UIL state tournament. This time around he believes it’s his turn to advance to state.

He lost out in a playoff a year ago at regionals that kept him from making a trip to Austin, so he’s already come close to achieving about the only goal that has eluded him thus far during his high school career. Garcia is a three-time District 32-6A individual champion who has attracted the interest of college recruiters, even with another year of high school golf still ahead of him.

“It’s good to have experience (going to regionals before) because I know how it feels to be nervous (in an important tournament such as that one) and I can (now better) deal with the pressure to play well,” Garcia said. “It’s good that I’ve been there a few times before and that I’ve been in tournaments with the same (high-pressure) situation.”

Garcia returns to the regional tournament as an individual competitor next Wednesday and Thursday at San Antonio’s Republic Golf Club.

The Hanna girls will be playing as a team in the Region IV-6A Tournament as well. Their tournament is scheduled Monday and Tuesday at the same course.

Hanna golf coach Adrian Garcia, father of Santiago, estimates his girls team now has gone to the regional tournament at least eight years in a row.

“If we can beat the other Valley schools at regionals, that will be a good trip for us,” said Adrian Garcia, who is assisted by David Cornejo. “We can do it. We’re going up there (relaxed) and we’re going to have fun.”

This season’s members of the Lady Golden Eagles squad that finished second behind Los Fresnos at the 32-6A Tournament earlier this month in Harlingen are Kimberly Garcia, Victoria Garcia, Alexis Rodriguez, Hannah Rodriguez, Natalia Gonzalez, Natasha Gonzalez and Alicia Dominguez.

Natalia and Natasha are sisters, while Alexis and Hannah are cousins. Kimberly and Victoria aren’t related, but they are senor co-captains of the squad.

“We expect to do really well and shoot better than normal because we’re playing the same course again,” Kimberly said. “It means a lot to go (to regionals) as a team. We just need to focus, be patient and have confidence in ourselves.

“I would just like to say thank you to our coaches and all the parents who have supported us on this journey (back to regionals),” she added.

While Kimberly has gone to regionals all four years of high school, this will be the first time to advance to San Antonio for Victoria Garcia.

“I wasn’t on the varsity the past three years, so to get to go this year as a senior means a lot to me,” Victoria said. “I’m proud of all of us and what we did at district (to qualify for regionals). I feel that we just have to have fun and be confident in our shots. If we have a bad hit, we can’t let it get to us. I’m proud of our season. I feel that we’ve all really done well by practicing a lot and pushing our limits. We’ve dedicated ourselves to golf.”

Santiago Garcia, as well, remains dedicated to golf and intent upon improving his regional showing of a year ago when he shot a 2-under 69 to lead the field after the first day, but shot a 7-over 78 the next day and then waged an unsuccessful battle in a playoff for a berth at state.

“I think about that a lot,” Santiago said. “I’m a little extra fired up (for regionals this time) and I’m confident. I’m going up there and sticking with the same game plan of playing the course and trying to beat it. I think my experience there will help a lot.”

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

LAGUNA VISTA — The Los Fresnos girls golf program is on the rise with senior Briana Garza leading the way.

The Lady Falcons won the girls team title with a decisive 44-stroke edge at the District 32-6A tournament earlier this month in Harlingen and Garza was the girls individual medalist, shooting 73-71 — 144.

It was the first time in recent memory for the Lady Falcons to capture a district team title in golf and the first time for Garza to take top honors as the 32-6A individual medalist.

The next challenge for the Los Fresnos girls comes Monday at the two-day Region IV-6A Tournament at Republic Golf Club in San Antonio.

Garza has advanced individually to the regional tournament before, but never with her team.

“I want to play at regionals exactly how I played at district,” Garza said. “Hopefully I can stay focused and make it to the next level, which is the state tournament.

“I’m glad I get to experience my last regional tournament with these girls and see how we finish out the rest of our season,” she added. “It’s much better going (to San Antonio) as a group. There have been many different girls who came to the program to try playing golf and they ended up loving it. We’ve grown (as a program) so much.

“I would just say thank you to my coaches (Luis Gonzalez and Kim Edquist) for a good four years.”

Other members of the Lady Falcons squad are senior Ana Islas, sophomores Brianna Munoz and Josie Garcia and freshmen Kassandra Garcia and Alexandra Montes. Josie and Kassandra are sisters.

“We have a really good team that is playing in a really good district,” said Gonzalez, who is completing his fifth year as the Lady Falcons’ coach. “We’re providing girls with an opportunity to play golf here in the Valley, and it’s only getting better. We want to start letting them know even at a younger age that golf is an opportunity for them. It takes hard work, but it is possible (to do well).

“It’s taken four years to build up this team and we’re very proud of this group,” he added. “It’s taken the youth of my freshmen and sophomores to go with my seniors leading the pack. There’s a good balance. There’s been growth and experience to help us play at a competitive level. These girls came ready to play (well) this year. They understood the pressures and responsibilities they were going to face. (It helps that) we have a lot of support from the community and our administration.”

As the Lady Falcons played a practice round Thursday afternoon at South Padre Island Golf Club, there was a feeling of anticipation and confidence for what they might accomplish at next week’s regional tournament.

“It’s been a good experience winning district and bonding with this team,” Munoz said. “We’ve played separately and come together (to do well). We just have to focus on playing our game and work together at the same time (in San Antonio).

“It’s been a hard-working year, and at the end of the day, we won district and made it to regionals,” she added. “That’s all we could ask for.”

The girls realize they are helping build a foundation of success for the future.

“I’m very grateful to be a part of this amazing team,” Josie Garcia said. “I’ve learned a lot and met so many new people, and I really love it.

“Thank you everyone for a great year, and I hope we have many more to come.”

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The Los Fresnos Lady Falcons have set a high standard of UIL girls soccer success in the Rio Grande Valley.

Yet, even with all their accomplishments of winning district (five times in seven years) and going to the regional tournament (six times in eight seasons), the Lady Falcons feel something is missing. They want more.

Since UIL girls soccer first came to South Texas in 1997, no girls team from the Valley has made it to the state tournament. Three times Valley girls squads have advanced to the regional final (McAllen High in 2007, Sharyland High in 2012 and Los Fresnos in 2015) only to come up just short of reaching state.

The District 32-6A champion Lady Falcons (27-2) believe they have a team this season to do something special that would crown all their achievements.

“I see us as on our way up to state,” said senior Rubi Soto, a four-year starter as a defender/forward for the Lady Falcons. “We’re working hard for it.”

The Lady Falcons make their third straight Region IV-6A Tournament appearance at 1 p.m. Friday against District 27-6A champion Cibolo Steele (18-1-2) at San Antonio’s Blossom Athletic Center.

“I just want to go out my senior year knowing we made it over there for the third year in a row,” said Clarissa “Claire” Castaneda, a four-year starter as a center midfielder. “No matter what happens, I’m happy that we’ve made it back to the same level we’ve gone to before.

“It’s amazing (to play for the Lady Falcons),” added Castaneda, who recently signed to play for the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley next school year. “I guess when I was a freshman, we were just trying to get the hang of it. Now that we’re seniors, you can see that we’ve grown so much and how we hold each other accountable (to do our best) from the freshmen to the seniors. We treat everyone as a senior.”

Los Fresnos advanced to the regional tournament thanks to Tuesday’s 2-0 win at home against Rivera in the regional quarterfinals. Cibolo Steele earned its spot opposite the Lady Falcons by winning its regional quarterfinal against Austin Westlake 2-1 on penalty kicks, also Tuesday.

Friday’s Los Fresnos-Cibolo Steele winner plays McAllen High (17-2-1) or Austin Vandegrift (17-1-4) on Saturday afternoon for the Region IV-6A championship and a trip to state.

Leading the way on the offensive end for the Lady Falcons is senior forward Tanya Prazelini, who scored both of her team’s goals in Tuesday’s match. She now has scored a remarkable 66 goals this season.

“I just scored (Tuesday) so we could get a good lead and move on to the next level,” said Prazelini, who is expected to sign a scholarship to play soccer in college after Los Fresnos’ season is over. “I would like me and my girls to go over there (to San Antonio) and win it and I would like us to be the first ones (from the Valley) to go to state.

“It’s the playoffs, so it’s unpredictable,” Prazelini added. “Any team can beat any other team in the playoffs.”

Patricia K. Hernandez is enjoying her second season as the Lady Falcons’ head coach. She was an assistant for two years prior to that. She likes her team’s chances in San Antonio this weekend.

“We have the talent, the leadership, the experience and the desire,” she said. “We have the determination to go beyond the first day at the regional tournament. The sisterhood these girls have is amazing. They play for each other. Regardless if someone’s injured or coming off the bench, they all play for each other with a common goal in mind.”

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The Rivera Lady Raiders are one of the feel-good stories of the 2017 soccer season in the Rio Grande Valley.

After last year’s frustrating 0-14 finish in District 32-6A, the Lady Raiders turned things around by going 8-6 in district this season to tie Hanna for third place in 32-6A behind Los Fresnos and Harlingen South. The Rivera girls have returned to the playoffs after a two-year absence.

Prior to the postseason, Rivera’s district record actually became 9-5 because Harlingen High had to forfeit some 32-6A games that benefited Hanna as well.

The Lady Raiders, 10-9-2 overall, are a lot happier these days as they play on a more competitive team and feel more confident about themselves.

“It’s a good feeling because we’re showing everyone that the Rivera girls can play and that we have a good team even though we had a bad season last year,” said Alyssa Ayala, a sophomore attacking midfielder. “We’ve shown that we can rise up and overcome what happened before as underdogs in the district.

“I love how we’re playing,” she added. “ We push each other to do better and we’re playing in sync. We all support each other and treat each other like family. There are a lot of positive vibes on this team.”

Things went from pretty good to even better for the 32-6A fourth-seeded Lady Raiders when they triumphed over District 31-6A champion Edinburg Economedes 3-1 in bi-district last Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium.

“We’ve made it farther than most people thought we would, and I’m so happy about that,” said Viridiana Diaz, a senior defensive midfielder. “At first, we were nervous (going against Economedes) because they were first in their district with no losses (14-0) and we were the fourth-place team with some losses.

“But our coach (Peter A. Rodriguez) told us that even a fourth-place team can beat a first-place team (in the playoffs), and that’s what motivated us,” Diaz added. “He told us to believe in ourselves, we did, and we made it happen (with our bi-district win).”

Next up for the Lady Raiders is a Class 6A area-round matchup against District 29-6A third-place Eagle Pass at 6 p.m. tonight at Roma. Also today at Roma, the Rivera boys play Laredo Alexander in the second half of a playoff doubleheader at 8 p.m.

In all, there are 11 area-round playoff matches on tap today involving teams from the Brownsville area. The only one in Brownsville has the Brownsville Veterans Memorial boys playing host to Corpus Christi Veterans at 8 p.m. at Sams Memorial Stadium.

Rodriguez, the first-year Rivera coach, said he’s done his homework in preparing for Eagle Pass, 12-5-8.

“Everyone that I’ve talked to, including coaches, has said they’re surprised Eagle Pass is in the playoffs as the third-place team from their district,” Rodriguez said. “It’s not very different than us. For us (to win), it depends on which team shows up (and plays well), and that’s what I’ve been telling the girls.

“It’s up to us to make our own destiny,” he added. “We can worry about our opponent and how much talent they might have, but the only thing we can control is how much effort each one of our girls puts forth towards winning. That’s something I’ve tried to emphasize throughout the whole season.”

The Lady Raiders are eager to add to the achievements they’ve already experienced in 2017.

“We’ve made a lot of progress because we’re communicating with each other more and passing the ball more,” said Myrka Guevara, a sophomore midfielder on the wing. “We’ve won our first playoff game and that felt great. Now we feel that we can do more. Winning that playoff game boosted up our motivation.”

Diaz, a team captain and four-year member of the varsity, is one of only three seniors on the squad, so she’s enjoying every minute of her final soccer season at Rivera.

“We didn’t start off the season winning, but Coach Rodriguez has motivated us to play better and has conditioned us by making us run a lot,” Diaz said. “He told us not to worry about what other people might say because it wasn’t going to be the same season as last year.

“He’s told us to never give up, and we haven’t,” Diaz added. “Even if we were losing, he told us we had to play hard every moment. We couldn’t give up. For the sophomores on our team, they still have time, but I’m a senior, so I have to play every game with (all) my heart.”

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Brownsville is sending two of its top track and field athletes to this week’s 90th Nike Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin.

St. Joseph Academy hurdler Gaby Garza, a junior, and Pace discus/shot put thrower Gertrudis Ruiz-Balli, a senior, have met the qualifying standards to participate in the high school division of the prestigious college meet at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the University of Texas campus.

Both girls are scheduled to compete today. Ruiz-Balli will be throwing the discus in the Division II high school competition (Class 6A/5A athletes), while Garza is running the 100- and 300-meter hurdles in Division I (Class 4A athletes and below).

It’s the first time for each girl to participate in the Texas Relays. They’ve each set Valley-best marks this season in their respective events.

For Ruiz-Balli, who already has signed to compete at Texas A&M-Kingsville, it’s a matter of getting a better taste of what to expect at the Region IV-5A meet later next month in San Antonio. Athletes who figure to be her primary competition at the regional meet, such as a girl from Calallen, also will be at the Texas Relays.

“The main reason we’re going is for the experience (against top-level competition),” Pace girls track coach Sergio Sandoval said. “Gertrudis (barely) missed out on going to state by placing fourth at the regional meet as a sophomore and a junior.

“I told her, ‘I’m going to take you up there (to Austin) so you can throw against the competition you’ll be seeing at the regional meet, and hopefully you can do way better (and make it to state) this year,’” Sandoval added. “More than anything, we just want Gertrudis to gain that experience against the other (strong) throwers.”

Garza is going to the Texas Relays for basically the same reason, plus it also will be a good way to showcase her hurdling skills for college recruiters.

“We wanted Gaby to go and have this as a high school experience,” St. Joseph track coach Meme Garza said. “She’s a junior, and the junior year is usually when the college coaches really start looking at you. Gaby needs to be in that type of situation in order to put her name on the radar (for college coaches to see).

“It will be very, very competitive,” the SJA coach added. “Gaby can see what she has in the tank in that type of environment.”

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Powerlifting has come a long way since programs to promote it were implemented five years ago at Brownsville ISD high schools.

That fact was clearly evident Saturday at the Texas High School Powerlifting Association state meet in Abilene as the Lopez and Hanna boys finished 1-2 in the Division I team standings with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Port Lavaca Calhoun was third with 11 points. Division I included lifters from Class 6A and 5A schools.

Also in Division I at the state meet, Brownsville Veterans Memorial was seventh (seven points), Pace was 18th (five points) and Porter was 26th (three points).

Two weekends ago, the Lopez Lady Lobos finished second in 5A at the Texas High School Women’s Powerlifting Association state meet in Waco, so powerlifting at Lopez is on the rise.

“We defied all odds and won a state title,” said Lopez coach Matthew Barba, who is assisted by Hugo Ramirez, Bruce Castro and Guadalupe Perez. “The last school to do that (from the Valley) was Weslaco East in 2011, so it’s been six years. Brownsville has a soccer persona (with four UIL state championships), and now powerlifting is helping put the city on the map.

“Our expectations were met because we accomplished our mission of bringing home a state championship,” Barba added. “The foundation has been laid. Now it’s time to build the house (by adding more state titles).

“Hanna was our main competition. It came down to the end and who wanted it the most.”

Highlighting the meet for Lopez were Jose Alvarado, Jesse Luna and Josh Trevino.

Alvarado became a state champion for the second time. He won the 132-pound weight class with a lift total of 1,305 pounds, which was 120 pounds better than the second-place finisher in his division. Alvarado had a squat lift of 545 pounds, a bench press of 295 pounds and a deadlift of 465 pounds to finish with 1,305 pounds.

Luna finished third in the 198-pound division with a lift total of 1,500 pounds and Trevino took third in the super heavyweight division with a lift total of 1,790 pounds.

Also finishing in the Top 10 for Lopez were Leo Alaniz, fifth in the 123-pound class (1,080 total pounds); Daniel Ramos, sixth in the 220-pound class (1,585 total pounds); Ramses Ramos. ninth in the 165-pound class (1,300 total pounds); and Allen Guillen, ninth in the 114-pound class (915 total pounds).

Hanna’s day was highlighted by a pair of lifters who finished second. Ricky Arreola was the runner-up in the 220-pound division with a lift total of 1,655 pounds, while teammate Adrian Arredondo was the runner-up in the 242-pound division with a lift total of 1,660 pounds.

Also for Hanna, Leo Gonzalez was fourth in the 220-pound division (1,635 total pounds), Osvaldo Lopez was seventh in the 114-pound division (930 total pounds) and Nathan Silva was eighth in the 198-pound division (1,460 total pounds).

“I’m very happy for our guys and proud of them for the effort they gave,” Hanna coach Mike Chavez said. “The competition was intense and it came down to the very end. We were a little off with our numbers and we didn’t quite hit the ones we wanted to hit, but I’m still very proud of our guys for their effort and the way they represented our school and our community.

“Powerlifting in Brownsville has come a long way in a short time,” Chavez added. “The future is bright (for it here).”

Brownsville Veterans boasted a state champion in Joel Sanchez, who won the 123-pound weight division with a lift total of 1,160 pounds (465 squad, 220 bench press, 475 deadlift).

Pace’s Ricky Cuellar took second in the 132-pound weight class (1,185 total pounds). Also for Pace, Christian Castro was ninth in the 275-pound weight class (1,580 total pounds) and Misael Marquez was 10th in the 123-pound weight division (1,035 total pounds).

Porter’s Gio Martinez was third in the 181-pound weight class (1,475 total pounds).

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess

HERALD STAFF

WACO — The Los Fresnos Lady Falcons captured their third straight Class 6A championship at Saturday’s Texas High School Women’s Powerlifting Association state meet at Waco’s Extraco Events Center.

Highlighting the day for the Lady Falcons were Ally Highful, Mandy Sanchez and Jesed Castro, who each won an individual state championship in their respective weight divisions. Highful and Sanchez had won 6A state titles a year ago at the THSWPA state meet in Corpus Christi, while Castro was a state runner-up at the 2016 meet.

This time, the Los Fresnos girls won the 6A team title with 37 points, which included their three individual state champions. Weslaco High, also with three individual state title winners, was the second-place team with 27 points. Laredo United South was third with 19 points.

It was a good day for the Rio Grande Valley as besides the strong showings of Los Fresnos and Weslaco High, Weslaco East was fourth (18 points), Hanna fifth (14), Edinburg Vela seventh (10) and La Joya Palmview eighth (eight).

Highful took first place in the 97-pound weight division with a total of 735 pounds in three lifts — squat, bench press and deadlift. She had a 285 squat, a 145 bench press and a 305 deadlift.

Her total pounds lifted were 100 pounds more than the second-place finisher’s 635.

Sanchez took first in the 114-pound division with a total of 790 pounds (320 squat, 150 bench press, 320 deadlift).

Castro won the 181-pound division with a total of 1,165 pounds (500 squat, 265 bench press, 400 deadlift).

Lorena Martinez finished second for the Lady Falcons in the 132-pound division with a 905 total.

Aliana Richardson also was a state runner-up for Los Fresnos in the 105-pound division. Her total was 740 pounds, which was the same total as first-place finisher Helen Reyes of Weslaco High. Reyes took first place on a tiebreaker.

Also for Los Fresnos, Cassandra Puente and Daniela Perez finished fifth and sixth in the 105-pound class with total lifts of 705 and 690 pounds, respectively. In the 114-pound division, Los Fresnos’ Jackie Martinez (745 total), Ianellie Aguilar (745) and Summer Sosa (700) placed fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.

Los Fresnos’ Bella Vargas (835) and Brianna Ruiz (825) were third and fourth in the 123-pound division for the Lady Falcons.

It was also a solid day for Hanna at the 6A state meet.

Leading the way for the Lady Golden Eagles was Alexandra Chavez in the 148-pound division. Chavez came close to capturing a state championship, but had to settle for second place. She was leading her division going into the deadlift and then Palmview’s Felissa Ponce de Leon had a deadlift of 405 pounds compared to Chavez’s deadlift of 365 pounds. Ponce de Leon won with a 1,075 total and Chavez finished second with 1,060.

Also for Hanna, Maya Perez was third in the 181-pound division with a 950 total, and teammate Ale Escandon was third in the 114-pound division with a 770 total.

In addition, placing in their respective weight classes for Hanna were Joy Perez, fourth with a 1,015 total; Amber Gaytan, fifth with a 920 total; Amanda Garcia, seventh with a 960 total; and Brittany Lozano, seventh with a 920 total.

The THSWPA state meet for 5A and 4A teams took place Friday at Estraco Events Center. The Lopez Lady Lobos finished as the 5A state runner-up.

HERALD STAFF

WACO — The Los Fresnos Lady Falcons captured their third straight Class 6A championship at Saturday’s Texas High School Women’s Powerlifting Association state meet at Waco’s Extraco Events Center.

Highlighting the day for the Lady Falcons were Ally Highful, Mandy Sanchez and Jesed Castro, who each won an individual state championship in their respective weight divisions. Highful and Sanchez had won 6A state titles a year ago at the THSWPA state meet in Corpus Christi, while Castro was a state runner-up at the 2016 meet.

This time, the Los Fresnos girls won the 6A team title with 37 points, which included their three individual state champions. Weslaco High, also with three individual state title winners, was the second-place team with 27 points. Laredo United South was third with 19 points.

It was a good day for the Rio Grande Valley as besides the strong showings of Los Fresnos and Weslaco High, Weslaco East was fourth (18 points), Hanna fifth (14), Edinburg Vela seventh (10) and La Joya Palmview eighth (eight).

Highful took first place in the 97-pound weight division with a total of 735 pounds in three lifts — squat, bench press and deadlift. She had a 285 squat, a 145 bench press and a 305 deadlift.

Her total pounds lifted were 100 pounds more than the second-place finisher’s 635.

Sanchez took first in the 114-pound division with a total of 790 pounds (320 squat, 150 bench press, 320 deadlift).

Castro won the 181-pound division with a total of 1,165 pounds (500 squat, 265 bench press, 400 deadlift).

Lorena Martinez finished second for the Lady Falcons in the 132-pound division with a 905 total.

Aliana Richardson also was a state runner-up for Los Fresnos in the 105-pound division. Her total was 740 pounds, which was the same total as first-place finisher Helen Reyes of Weslaco High. Reyes took first place on a tiebreaker.

Also for Los Fresnos, Cassandra Puente and Daniela Perez finished fifth and sixth in the 105-pound class with total lifts of 705 and 690 pounds, respectively. In the 114-pound division, Los Fresnos’ Jackie Martinez (745 total), Ianellie Aguilar (745) and Summer Sosa (700) placed fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.

Los Fresnos’ Bella Vargas (835) and Brianna Ruiz (825) were third and fourth in the 123-pound division for the Lady Falcons.

It was also a solid day for Hanna at the 6A state meet.

Leading the way for the Lady Golden Eagles was Alexandra Chavez in the 148-pound division. Chavez came close to capturing a state championship, but had to settle for second place. She was leading her division going into the deadlift and then Palmview’s Felissa Ponce de Leon had a deadlift of 405 pounds compared to Chavez’s deadlift of 365 pounds. Ponce de Leon won with a 1,075 total and Chavez finished second with 1,060.

Also for Hanna, Maya Perez was third in the 181-pound division with a 950 total, and teammate Ale Escandon was third in the 114-pound division with a 770 total.

In addition, placing in their respective weight classes for Hanna were Joy Perez, fourth with a 1,015 total; Amber Gaytan, fifth with a 920 total; Amanda Garcia, seventh with a 960 total; and Brittany Lozano, seventh with a 920 total.

The THSWPA state meet for 5A and 4A teams took place Friday at Estraco Events Center. The Lopez Lady Lobos finished as the 5A state runner-up.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The girls powerlifting program at Lopez has been around only three years and already the Lady Lobos are making an impact at the state level.

The Lady Lobos finished second as a team at Friday’s Texas High School Women’s Powerlifting Association Class 5A state meet in Waco.

Marisol Pulido and Julieann Delgado won state championships in their weight divisions for the Lady Lobos, while teammates Alexis Rivas and Lizeth de la Fuente each posted runner-up finishes to help the Lopez girls take second behind state power Port Lavaca Calhoun, which now has won a state title 12 years in a row.

Calhoun captured state again Friday with 32 points thanks to three individual state champions, while Lopez was the state runner-up with 26 points and its two individual title winners. College Station was third with 23 points and had one individual state champion.

“Honestly, I felt our girls did a really super job today,” Lopez coach Matthew Barba said. “It was an honor to compete against Port Lavaca, a true state power. It was close. We were just a few points away from catching them.

“We’re a young program and we’re growing,” Barba said. “We want to put Brownsville on the map (in powerlifting). I can’t wait til we’re on the other side of the coin (and winning our own state championship).”

The best showing for the Lopez girls came in the 147-pound weight division as Pulido took first place with a lift total of 940 pounds (395 squat, 170 bench press, 375 deadlift) and teammate de la Fuente was close behind for second place with a 935 total (405 squat, 145 bench press, 385 deadlift).

Also for Lopez in the same weight division, Jennifer Cisneros was fifth with an 880 total.

Delgado won the 220-pound weight division for Lopez with a lift total of 1,065 pounds (440 squat, 204 bench press, 420 deadlift).

The Lady Lobos also had a strong showing in the 105-pound weight division as Rivas was second with a 715 total and Norma Vega was fifth with a 680 total.

Rivas and Pulido are seniors, while Vega, de la Fuente, Cisneros and Delgado are sophomores.

Also representing Brownsville in the 5A competition, Pace’s Perla Hernandez was sixth with a 670 total in the 105-pound division, Pace’s Blanca Gonzalez was eighth with an 895 total in the 259-pound division and Veteran Memorial’s Madelyne McKinney was ninth with an 870 total in the 181-pound division.

The THSWPA Class 4A state meet also was held Friday in Waco.

Port Isabel had two girls place in the 4A state meet. Franchesca Sandoval took third place in the 165-pound class with a 970 total and Julianna Barrera was 16th in the 148-pound division with a 770 total.

The THSWPA Class 6A state meet is today in Waco.