The powerlifting team is preparing for their last regional qualifier meet in Lufkin on Thursday. Their regional meets will be next week.

“When I found out that there was a girls’ powerlifting team, I immediately wanted to sign up because I’d always been told that lifting weights was something my family is amazing at,” junior La’Launa Moffitt said. “I have uncles who are professional athletes who all deal with the weight room for their career.”

The meet will give them the chance to compete in state-wide competitions against the best in the state.

“It’s always exciting to compete against other schools,” junior Jaret Allen said. “I really enjoy it and the other competitors do too. It’s always really cool to see if you can beat your past weights and records.”

To qualify for the regional competition, the lifter must place in the top 12 in the region in their respective weight classes. If they compete in the regional competition and place high enough, they will get the chance to compete at state.

“I enjoy everything about powerlifting, the meets, people, environment and the sport itself,” senior Matt Davis said. “The meets are super exciting and super rewarding [since it] shows off all the hard work you and your team have put into it. Practices aren’t very fun but they are the reason I’m so great at this sport.”

The powerlifting team has had many past successes with sending their lifters to state. Nine of them qualified for state last year.

“I’ve always been somewhat of a strong kid, and I wanted to push myself and see what my best was,” Davis said. “I have to give a shout-out to Coach Sartain, Coach Lawson and Coach Reynolds for making my last two years of powerlifting the best of my life and pushing me behind my limits.”