ALICE, Texas — Alice senior Miguel Saenz is one of six Coyotes lifting to the limit less than a week from the Texas High School Powerlifting 4A state meet.
"An adrenaline rush that is unspeakable," Miguel Saenz, Alice senior super heavyweights, said. "Like when you're under that bar and you have that weight on your back there's no other feeling like that. It's going to be the opener for this upcoming meet. Last meet I only got up 700, but that's not the ending."
Saenz enters the state meet with the strongest squat in the Super Heavyweight division, and at practice on Monday he improved his squat to 715 pounds.
"This is only his fourth meet ever in powerlifting and he's going to the state championship," Raul Villarreal III, Alice powerlifting coach, said. "We don't know where his top ceiling is yet."
Saenz found his passion for powerlifting just one month ago.
"Well I've always been a raw lifter," Saenz said. "I had never done powerlifting, so this is the first year of powerlifting and it's very different."
"At first he told me no. He said, 'naw coach I'm going to do something else after football,' and I said okay. A few weeks into the season he said c'oach I think it's time. I think I'd like to try."
Saenz and five other Coyotes will compete at state on Friday in Abilene. His teammate, P.J. Brown is going in ranked No. 2 in the 148 weight class.
"You know I'm blessed to be able to come in and lift on such short notice. Just put up heavy weight every single week. Week in and week out. We come in and we work hard, that's really what it's all about."
ALICE BOYS STATE QUALIFIERS
PJ Brown, senior - 148 weight class (No. 2 best total in the state for 4A weight class)
Roel Gonzalez, freshman - 148 weight class
Nick Garza, senior - 165 weight class
Armando Deleon, junior - 181 weight class
Ram Cantu, junior - 220 weight class
Miguel 'Miggy' Saenz, senior - Super Heavyweight Division (No. 4 best total in the state for 4A weight class and No. 1 squat at 700 pounds)
