At the Regional powerlifting meet, senior Jeremiah Armstrong, and juniors Hunter Angelo and Grant Lacour all qualified for the State competition and will compete on Saturday, March 25 in Abilene.

At Regionals, Lacour placed second in the 275 weight class with a total of 1,375 lbs. He said he trains both inside and outside of school, hoping to increase his squat, bench press and deadlift weights before the State meet. Lacour said he stays motivated by improving his weights and pushing himself more at every meet.

“It’s crazy to know I’m one of the best in the state and that I will be competing with other athletes that feel the same way,” Lacour said. “By training at school and with people outside of school, my lifts have all gone up a lot from last year.”

Lacour said the feeling of pushing himself more and more at each meet has helped him stay motivated this season and one of his goals for the State meet is to life heavier weights than he has in the past.

Angelo achieved 455 lbs on squat, 275 lbs on bench press and a 470 lbs on deadlift with an overall of 1,200 lbs. He trains year round, both inside and outside of school and will push himself to do his best at the State meet.

“I learned that the more you train the stronger you get,” Angelo said. “When I first started I was only 91 pounds and now I am 148 pounds. I have gotten so much stronger each year on deadlift and squat. I increase at least 100 pounds on each lift. I plan to go out there and do the best I can do and hope for the best just like every other meet.”

Armstrong also qualified for State by placing first at Regionals with 700 lbs in squat, 475 lbs in bench press and 560 lbs in deadlift. He works out four days a week and is always pushing himself further to reach his State goals of being able to squat 750 lbs, bench press 510 lbs and to deadlift 600 lbs.

“What keeps me motivated is seeing my improvement week after week, whether it be by reaching a personal record or increasing the weight that I’m lifting,” Armstrong said. “Seeing the results is what pushes me to do more. That’s why advancing to State feels so great. It just proves that all the hard work has paid off and that I am one step closer to achieving another personal goal.”