Memorial High School Mustangs
Mustangs strive to create opportunities for all student-athletes to lift
Head Coach Vincent Quinones hopes to grow the Memorial High Powerlifting program in the next few seasons.
“We want to see more kids come out, compete and use a skill that could help them stay healthy and active beyond just high school,” said Quinones.
Powerlifter and football player Warren Dooley is new to the sport but competed in his first meet this season. Dooley won best lifter at the El Paso competition and set a state record for a combined lift of 1208 lbs.
Quinones believes that this experience was monumental for Dooley and the program as a whole, and hopes that it will encourage more students to try out powerlifting.
You can follow them at @MHShouston on Twitter.
Northbrook High School Raiders
Raiders hope to gain experience and knowledge this season
From beginning the season with two returning powerlifters, the Raiders have now grown the team to include 40+ powerlifters.
“We are a young team, which is incredibly exciting,” said Head Coach Matt Corwin. “This team will form the foundation of what I hope will become one of the larger powerlifting teams in the Houston area.”
The core of the team is made up of seniors Challinyer Aguirre and Maria Ruiz and juniors Albert Gonzales and Zoe Rojas. Underclassmen and new powerlifters look to these four athletes as mentors and role models, as they have some experience and a strong knowledge of lifting.
“With the support of the district, our team has been able to go to bigger meets with better competition to get young athletes exposure to the Texas high school powerlifting scene,” said Corwin. “I am excited to get back to the regional meet, but the ultimate goal is to have another student-athlete make it to the Texas High School Powerlifting Championships!”
For the remainder of their season, the Raiders are looking forward to their meets at Alvin High and Dickinson High.
Corwin is excited to grow the program at Northbrook and hopes to be part of expanding powerlifting in all SBISD schools.
You can find their full schedule at rankone.com and follow them at @northbrookhigh on Twitter.
Spring Woods High School Tigers
Tigers ready to tackle inaugural season with competitiveness and determination
Spring Woods High has a powerlifting team for the first time, and Head Coach Charles Hoffman is excited to introduce many student-athletes to the sport.
“My initial goal for this team was to be able to get athletes into the sport and exposed to what it was like as a competition,” said Hoffman. “I had initially hoped to keep about 15 boys and about a half dozen girls, but we have far surpassed that.”
The Tigers now have more than 25 student-athletes competing routinely at meets, many of whom have placed within the top five of their weight divisions.
Senior Gabriella Montoya, juniors Pistol Chapa and Joseph Perez, sophomore Kam Rodriguez and freshman Siaosi Patton are current standouts for the Tigers. Hoffman notes that they continually place at competition and hold high rankings in their weight divisions.
Looking forward, the team is excited to continue going to meets and seeing what they can do on the platform. Hoffman is thrilled to take the team to regional meets, where they have the potential to place highly.
“Support has been phenomenal this first season,” said Hoffman. “From parents driving over 45 minutes to sit in another school's gym or weight room to watch us compete, to Coach Cripps driving us to meets, to Principal Collier making announcements on our successes, the support has been fantastic.”
You can find their full schedule at rankone.com and follow them at @SpringWoodsHigh on Twitter.
Stratford High School Spartans
Spartans look to create an environment where Every Child can enhance their athletic ability
The Spartans are excited to get their first season underway and are ready to show what they can do at powerlifting meets.
“Our team has a few senior leaders,” said Head Coach Shawn Jazek. “A lot of our consistent powerlifters are underclassmen, meaning our best days are ahead of us.”
Jazek notes that seniors Jared Botary and Allison Zilafro are strong powerlifters and leaders, as well as underclassmen Joseph Barry and Daya Steptoe, who have a bright future in their respective weight divisions.
At the Brazos High School meet early in the season, the team competed well against some of the more established programs in the region. Looking forward, Jezek and the team hope to qualify some powerlifters for the regional meet in March.
At Stratford High, Jezek wants students to know that the weight room is open to everyone.
“This sport was started to help supplement the great programs that we have here at Stratford America and to provide an opportunity for athletes who may not be involved in a sport,” said Jezek. “This is an avenue to compete and develop physically.”
You can find their full schedule at rankone.com and follow them at @StratfordSBISD on Twitter.