By EDWARD SEVERN, Staff Writer
La Feria, Port Isabel and Rio Hondo girls powerlifters competed Thursday at the state meet in Corpus Christi.
Port Isabel and Rio Hondo competed in the Class 4A small school division, and La Feria competed in the big school division.
Port Isabel’s April Puente is the state champion in the 220-pound weight class after destroying the competition with a 1,055-pound total. Puente beat the field by 50 pounds and put up an extremely impressive 480-pound squat. Puente benched 205 and deadlifted 370.
Rio Hondo’s Lizette Zuniga is a state champion in the 165-pound weight class. She finished at 925, highlighted by a massive 225-pound bench. Zuniga squatted 360 and deadlifted 340.
La Feria’s Alyssa Ramirez is the big school 220-pound state champion. She crushed the competition as well with a 1,315 total. Ramirez’s 575-pound squat beat the nearest competitor by 100 pounds, and her deadlift of 465 was 50 pounds higher than the field.
Ramirez benched 275 and her total was 130 pounds higher than second place.
Rio Hondo’s Abigail Castellanos finished 10 pounds short of a state championship in the 132-pound weight class. She had the joint highest squat at 360 and also impressed with a 350 deadlift. Castellanos finished with an 860 total.
La Feria’s Eneece Avila put up a total of 580 in the 97-pound weight class to finish fifth. She benched 125, squatted 215 and deadlifted 240.
In the 105-pound division La Feria’s Emily Avila took home bronze. She posted a 250-pound squat, 145 bench and 245 deadlift for a total of 640.
Galilea Rodriguez of La Feria finished eighth in the 123-pound class at 765. She squatted 325, benched 155 and deadlifted 285.
La Feria’s Zeena Flores barely missed out on a bronze medal by five pounds. She finished with the heaviest squat in the division at 405 pounds. Flores posted a 200 on the bench and 360 in the deadlift for a 965 total.