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.