EDINBURG — Any time the words “record-breaking attempt” are spoken through a PA system at a powerlifting meet, the normally fast-paced and intense atmosphere comes to a standstill. All eyes — coaches, spectators and powerlifters from all weight classes — shift their attention to the respective platform where the record-breaking attempt is happening.
“At first, it’s very nerve-wracking because everyone is looking at you and now you’re over here thinking, ‘Damn, if I don’t get it, I’m going to look funny.’ But then as soon as you get under there, all the adrenaline kicks in,” Mercedes senior 198-pound powerlifter Miguel Jimenez said.
Nine regional records were shattered and two more were tied at the Texas High School Powerlifting Association (THSPA) Region V Division I championships Saturday at South Middle School in Edinburg.
Jimenez broke the squat record in the 198-pound weight class with a 705-pound lift, surpassing the previous mark of 700 held by Comal Canyon’s Ian Bell since 2010. Jimenez, who won gold in his weight class, and 91 other powerlifters punched their tickets to state Saturday.
Powerlifters qualified for the THSPA State Championships, scheduled for March 25 and 26 at Taylor County Expo Center in Abilene, by finishing first or second in their respective weight class at the regional meet or by posting a qualifying total set for each weight class at regionals. Totals are determined by the combined weight successfully lifted in three events: squat, bench press and deadlift.
Los Fresnos took home the team title with 24 points coming from six powerlifters finishing in the top five of their respective weight classes. Weslaco East earned a second-place team finish with 18 points, followed by Edinburg North in third with 15 points. Points are awarded for the top five finishes in this manner — 7, 5, 3, 2 and 1.
Donna North senior Louie Cavazos finished first in the 123-pound weight class with a state-leading 1,170 total and broke the bench press record with a 285-pound lift. Cavazos now has his eyes set on winning a state championship.
“It’s a game, it’s a competition, and at the end of the day, it’s what we do. You’re first so everyone wants to beat you,” he said. “Any given day, anything can happen, so you got to go with the mindset that it’s going to be a fight every time.”
Edinburg Vela’s Justin Chapa topped McAllen High’s Felipe Garza to win the 114-pound weight class with a 1,125 total, but Garza put his name in the record books with a 275-pound bench press, breaking the previous record of 270 set by Donna High’s Robbie Nieto in 2007.
“As I’m going in, I’m going in with straight focus trying to go hard and break that bench press record. There was a thought in my mind thinking the attention is coming to me, I might get a little bit nervous, but it actually helped me more,” Garza said. “It’s intense, but it’s not as intense as my coach, coach (Daniel) Rodriguez. He got me fired up and ready to go and kill it.”
Weslaco High powerlifters Sergio Lerma (181-pound weight class) and Thomas Santillan (308-pound weight class) combined to break three regional records. Lerma broke his own squat record of 675, set last year, with a 700-pound squat. That led to breaking Weslaco East’s Imanol Ordonez’s record of 1,660 set in 2019 with a new 1,680 total. Santillan’s 740-pound squat beat PSJA Memorial’s Kevin Lopez’s 700-pound lift accomplished last year.
The 148-pound weight class was so strong, all 12 competitors qualified for the state meet by hitting the qualifying weight total of 1,200 pounds. Edcouch-Elsa’s Ever Crispin, who leads the state in the weight class, posted a 1,425 total with a 550 squat, 340 bench and 535 deadlift.
Harlingen South’s Caleb Davis finished first in the super heavyweight class with a 1,850 total. which included an 800-pound squat. The regional record is 875 pounds set by Laredo United South’s Rudy Flores in 2015.