There he stands. Feet on the platform and bar on his back with only one goal in mind…lift that weight. He squats his body, braces his back and lifts his head, trying to conjure every bit of strength in his body. He stands up with the weight and the three judges give him the green lights; senior Matthew Davis has just squatted over 800 pounds.

     “It’s the best feeling in the entire world,” Davis said. “It’s really just a testament to my hard work and effort.” 

     Davis accomplished a record-breaking squat of 835 pounds at this year’s regional meet. He did this in the super heavyweight division. 

     “My mom and my dad are my biggest influence,” Davis said. “Everything I do is for them. I want to make them proud of the son they raised. Working my butt off and succeeding is the only way to do that.” 

     Davis began his powerlifting career when he was a sophomore, starting a new sport in the off-season of football. He and few of his friends tried it, and that made it all the more enjoyable. 

     “The guys and coaches are the most fun part of powerlifting,” Davis said. “Being on a team with great dudes watching each other’s hard work pay off there’s no better feeling.”

     He really began to hit his stride when he squatted over 700 pounds at a home meet his senior year. This was the first meet of the year and was also when he began to see substantial jumps to his max. 

     “The haters are always there,” Davis said. “The people who doubt me and try to make me doubt myself always push me to succeed and prove them wrong.” 

     Less than a month later, Davis lifted 800 pounds at a Chapel Hill powerlifting meet. This lift propelled him to the goal of being the number one lifter in the state of Texas. 

     “You gotta work your butt off for everything you want,” Davis said. “If you aren’t willing to work then leave.” 

     Then at the regional powerlifting meet he got his personal best, 835 pounds. This was a regional record. 

     ”I was ecstatic to break the regional record,” Davis said. “That record stood for 22 years until that day. And just showing all my hard work did pay off was an amazing feeling.”

     Now Davis has his sights set on winning the state title. This will be the final chapter of a record- breaking season. 

     “I broke the regional record for my coach,” Davis said. “And when this state meet gets rescheduled, I will go win state for him.”

Update:  UIL has cancelled all state events, including powerlifting for 2020.