Mustangs set for State lift meet

Five Natalia Mustangs are State Bound, after competing extremely well in the Region 5 Meet two weeks ago in Bishop. Senior and Regional Champion Manny Padilla will lead the boys in blue this coming Saturday at the Taylor County Expo Center.
“We are extremely proud of our Mustang Powerlifters for their 2nd place finish at Regional and are excited about the meet this coming Saturday,” Coach Kasey Crowther said.
Padilla was able to win the Regional Title in the 132 lb. weight class as he ranks 3rd in the state entering the meet behind Palacios Shark Moises Amaro and Boling Bulldog Kevin Manning.
Freshman Adrian Vasquez who finished in 5th place in the 148 lb. weight class will enter the meet ranked 14th out of a very competitive group of lifters.
Junior Michael Martinez was able to finish in 2nd place in the 220 lb. weight class and he will enter this weekend’s meet sitting in 6th place as junior Uriel Arellano who finished in 2nd in the 242 lb. weight class will enter the meet sitting in 8th place.
Junior Paul Billalobos finished in 3rd place in the 275 lb. weight class and he will also attend as an alternate for the meet.
“These boys showed what they were made of at the regional meet as we had some adversity to start the meet,” Crowther said. “They could have shut down, but they rose to the occasion. We are excited about this weekend as this is another great representation of the championship culture we are building in Natalia and we are excited to see how we match-up against the best in the state.”
The State Meet begins on Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. We want to wish these five Mustangs the best of luck!
By Eric Smith