The Pilot Point Bearcats kicked off their powerlifting season, with their boys and girls teams competing at an invitational meet in Celina on Jan. 24.
Pilot Point, Van Alstyne and Celina participated in a multistage event to help returning and first-time lifters get acclimated to live competition.
“We have a lot of kids who’ve never done this before, [and] the whole point of this was for them to get this experience under their belt,” Pilot Point head powerlifting coach Robby Perez said. “We want them to get comfortable because it’s a hectic sport. … Our focus was for them to watch and learn from other competitors as well as their coaches, [and] they did a great job of adapting, especially after the first round.”
On the boys’ side, the Bearcats’ current roster features 10 lifters, seven of whom competed in Celina while the remaining three, who are new to the sport, observed and provided support.
Junior Cole Krouskup earned first place in the 123-pound weight class with a total of 730 pounds.
Sophomore Daniel Medrano finished second in the 198-pound weight division with a total of 1,010 pounds.
Sophomore Memo Esparza earned the third-place spot in the 220-pound group with a total of 995 pounds.
The first-place spot in the 242-pound weight class was secured by sophomore Lucas Herrera with a total of 1,060 pounds.
Senior and team leader Juan Mendoza secured first place in the 275-pound group with a total of 1,375 pounds.
Junior Garrick Headley rounded things out for the Bearcats, earning first place in the super heavyweight class with a total of 1,090 pounds.
Mendoza, who is also the team’s lone senior, spoke highly of the team’s performance.
“It was a good first meet,” he said. “We put some numbers on the board, and hopefully this gets us closer to qualifying. We’ll just keep working from here.”
Myles Marsh also competed but did not place.
The Lady Cats’ current roster features five lifters, three of whom competed in Celina.
Sophomore Vanessa Escalante earned first place in the 132-pound weight class with a total of 510 pounds.
Sophomore Lillie Kirby secured first place in the 242-pound weight division with a total of 525 pounds, and sophomore Camila Medrano finished second in the 123-pound weight class with a total of 340 pounds.
Camila, who joined the team this year, shared her excitement after competing in her first live event.
“It felt great,” she said. “I did the first lift, and I felt like I could do more and more. I just wanted to keep going, but there were only three sets, so next time I know I can do even better.”
Perez said the Bearcats’ goal was to come away from the meet with positivity.
“I want them to feel confident about themselves,” he said. “’I did this, and I know what to expect the next time.’ Now we’re going to grow, and by the time we get to the third meet that we have scheduled, we can shoot for the moon. I want to get as many kids qualified for regionals as possible because that’s what it’s all about.”
The Lady Cat’s next competition will be at 5 p.m. Feb. 6 at Texoma Christian School in Sherman, followed by both teams returning to Celina for a second invitational at 9 a.m. on Feb. 7.
