The Taylor Ducks hosted a powerlifting meet at Taylor High School where the Ducks and Thrall Tigers and Tigerettes showed off their strength.
The Ducks and Tigers each had 12 competitors in their respective weight classes, while the Tigerettes had nine competitors.
The Ducks had a competitor in the mix for the 148-weight class as Ky Sanford placed 11th place after lifting 745 pounds.
The 165-pound weight class saw the Ducks get back in the top three when Andrias Fisher finished in third place after lifting 1,045 pounds. The Thrall Tigers would have another strong showing with Aiden Nickle lifting 905 pounds earning the fifth place spot, Payton Pipkin lifting 835 pounds earning fourth place and then Nick Morphis lifted 690 pounds earning ninth place for his team.
The 181-weight class saw the Ducks return to dominance with Colby Solis and Brandt Whitlow finishing in first and third place for the Ducks after lifting 1,125 pounds and 1,075 pounds respectively. Nathan Bashe and Trey Valerga were two more Ducks to make their presences felt in the 181-weight class finishing in seventh and ninth place after lifting 960 pounds and 900 pounds respectively.
The Tigers were not silent in the 181-weight class though as Luke Pearson lifted 1,075 pounds to earn a fourth-place finish.
The 198-pound, 220pound and 242-pound weight class saw David Rodriguez, Miguel Ruiz and Xavier Murillo all placed in those respective weight classes. Rodriguez lifted 630 pounds, Ruiz lifted 820 pounds and Murillo lifted 1,110 pounds to earn ninth, sixth and fourth place in their weight classes.
The Thrall Tigerettes Talia Yanez took first place in the 105-weight class after lifting a total of 440 pounds. Yanez squatted 175 pounds, bench pressed 80 pounds and dead lifted 185 pounds to earn the first-place finish.
Gracie Fitzgerald and Angela Varela took home second place in the 198-weight class and 259-weight class respectively. Fitzgerald lifted 650 pounds, while Varela lifted 600 pounds.
Mariah Maldonado took home third for the Tigerettes in the 132-weight class after lifting 510 pounds. Alyssa Johnson joined Maldonado in the 132-weigth class finishing in sixth place after lifting 460 pounds.
The Tigerettes had four competitors place in the 114-weigth class and the 148-weight class to close out the meet. Jaycee Chandler, Mikayla Velasquez and Heidi Cox took home eighth, ninth and 12th place in the 114-weigth class after lifting 465 pounds, 460 pounds and 380 respectively.
Kiaya Valdez finished in 11th in the 148-weigth class after lifting 430 pounds.
The Ducks they had a strong start to the meet with Antonio Estrada taking first place in the 114-weight class. Estrada squatted 185 pounds, bench pressed 125 pounds and deadlifted 205 pounds for a total of 515 pounds.
Estrada’s efforts put him 40 pounds ahead of second place for a comfortable first place finish. Estrada was the first of two first-place finishers for the Ducks with the second being Ernest Alderete.
Alderete took the 275-weight class lifting over 1,200 pounds to claim first place at the meet. He squatted 550 pounds, bench pressed 350 pounds and deadlifted 465 pounds for a total of 1,365 pounds.
The Tigers also had a competitor in the 275pound weight class who finished in fifth place after lifting 990 pounds.
The Tigers made their first impact in the meet in the 123-weight class when Chris Gonzalez finished in fourth place after lifting 600 pounds. Meanwhile, in the 132-weight class, the Ducks had Miguel Nino finish in second place after also lifting a total of 600 pounds.
The 148-weight class was where the Tigers had their strongest showing with six competitors placing in that weight class. Michael Michala, Landon Gregory, Travis Matthews, Trace Karch, Owen Tubbs and Matthew Martin all placed in third, ninth, 10th, 11th, 13th,14th and 16th place in the 148-weight class.
Michala led the group lifting 900 pounds, while teammates Gregory, Matthews, Karch, Tubbs and Martin all remained within striking distances of each other. Gregory lifted 770 pounds while Matthews was only 10 pounds behind lifting 760 pounds earing them ninth and 10th place respectively.
Karch and Tubbs mimicked Gregory and Matthews with Karch lifting 695 pounds while Tubbs lifted 670 pounds to claim 13th and 14th place. Martin took 16th place after lifting 645 pounds at the invitational.
