MFalls powerlifters post top 10 finishes at state powerlifting meet

Following a send-off from the Marble Falls High School campus featuring the cheerleaders, drum line and students, three Mustangs finished in the top 10 of their weight divisions at the Texas High School Powerlifting Association state meet March 26.

Both Enrique Reyes and Joe Maldonado were fourth in their weight classes, and Maldonado’s twin, Jacob, was 10th in the 220-pound weight class.

“Each week we have a plan we come up with,” head coach Robert Draper said. “They followed the plan; they knew they had to lift a lot of weight to ensure we’re going to get a medal. We stuck to the plan, and the kids did really well. We tried to lift a lot and forced others to do a lot. And they didn’t get theirs.”

In the 132-pound weight class that had 17 lifters, Reyes lifted 490 pounds in the squat, a 240-pound bench press, and a 470-pound deadlift for a total weight of 1,200 pounds. He was ranked sixth going into the state meet.

Joe Maldonado competed in the 198-pound weight class that drew 34 lifters. He posted a 700-pound squat, a 365-pound bench press, and a 560-pound deadlift for a total of 1,625 pounds. Going to the meet, he was ranked in the top six in the state.

Jacob Maldonado had a new personal best 585-pound squat, a 365-pound bench press, and a 585-pound deadlift in a class that had about 25 lifters. Draper said Jacob Maldonado was “a little depressed” in his finish.

“I said, ‘You’re the 10th best lifter (in your weight class) in Texas,'” the coach said. “There were over 200 who started the year (in that weight class). He sent me a text thanking me. It was a fun day for them.”

The Mustangs could see the gains. Reyes’ total lifted weight of 1,200 pounds shattered his previous total of 855 months earlier.

“That’s how much more he could lift in a year,” Draper said.

The gains and results also illustrate another important factor of success — that athletes trust their coaches enough to execute the plan.

“It’s a two-way street,” the coach said. “The kids believe in us. It’s a pretty special thing.”

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