Natalia Mustang Junior Manny Padilla wrapped up his second state powerlifting meet, last Saturday in Abilene. Coming off a state championship a season ago, Padilla had his eyes set on two in a row.
Padilla battled his heart out, but unfortunately finished in 3rd place in the 132 lb. weight class edged out by just 40 lbs. out of a state title.
“Obviously we are disappointed with the outcome, but excited with the standards and expectations of our program,” Coach Ilyan Martinez said. “It wasn’t very long ago we were just happy to attend the state meet. When our kids think about Natalia Powerlifting now there’s an expectation of competing for State Championships and when that doesn’t happen they are disappointed. That’s exciting and humbling to me to see how far we’ve come and to see them hold themselves and the pride of our program in such high regards.”
Padilla was able to finish with a 1,180 lb. total, thanks to a 475 lb. squat, a 250 lb. bench press and a 455 lb. deadlift.
Padilla was edged out by Hawley’s Johnny Donnelly who finished with a 460 lb. squat, a 285 lb. bench press And a 475 lb. deadlift to account for a 1,220 lb. total.
Coming in 2nd place, was Jarrell Cougar Hunter Mullins who finished with a 475 lb. squat, a 255 lb. bench press and a 470 lb. deadlift to account for a 1,190 lb. total.
“Manny competed his butt off for us at the meet and there is no one in our program who holds the standards, traditions and expectations of our program any higher than he does,” Martinez said. “He shows up and works everyday like he’s competing for a title every day. We just fell short of the goal but I’m really proud of him and what he was able to accomplish. Only being a junior and moving up a weight class he went toe to toe with the strongest in the state and didn’t flinch once about the level of competition. Manny is a true champion in how he goes about his business every day. He represents what our program is about with his work ethic and commitment to being the very best in all that he does. Look forward to another year with him leading our program.”
Junior Manny Padilla had the following to say about competing in his second straight state meet:
“It was an honor to represent the Natalia community at the State meet for the second year in a row. Although the results weren’t what I hoped for, I did the best I could. I can’t thank everyone enough who stood beside me and supported me through out the process,” said Manny.
The San Diego Vaqueros were able to win the Division III State Title with 12 team points, followed by Falfurrias with 12 and Little River Academy with 10. There were over 70 schools in attendance in this division.
By Eric Smith
