Golden Tors will be well represented at regional power lifting meet

HEADING TO REGIONALS Lamesa High School’s qualifiers for Friday’s regional power lifting championships in Sundown are (front, from left) Pablo Hinojosa, Kristan Guajardo, Wesley Payton, (back row) Dusty Ortiz, Marcos Renteria, Joe Tony Duran, Ignacio Jimenez and Santos Rodriguez. Not pictured is Gunner Burklow. Only the top 10 lifters in each weight class earn the right to lift at regionals, where only the top two finishers in each weight group will advance to state.

Nearly two handfuls of local athletes will be heading to Sundown this Friday for a trip that would have to be considered the closest thing to the playoffs in their sport.

The regional power lifting championships will crank up around 9 a.m. on Friday at Sundown.

Six local athletes already know that they will be flexing their muscles on that level. Now, only a couple of days away from their big meet, three others could still end up with that opportunity.

Lamesa’s six regional power lifting qualifiers are sophomore Wesley Payton in the 114-pound class, freshman Pablo Hinojosa in the 123-pound class, junior Marcos Renteria in the 132-pound class, juniors Dusty Ortiz and Ignacio Jimenez in the 181-pound class and senior Santos Rodriguez in the 275-pound class.

“I guess you could look at this meet as our sport’s playoff, but really you could look at an qualifying meet as a playoff for us,” Golden Tor Coach Brian Coker said.

“Everybody’s always trying to get their best each weekend, since you never know what meet will be that one which puts you in (regionals). One of our kids going this weekend had his best total back on the second meet of our year.”


(See complete story in printed edition of Lamesa Press-Reporter on newsstands now.)

Author: Dwight Heins