Memorial powerlifters set for state

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Memorial powerlifters set for state

The Port Arthur News

HOUSTON -- It's becoming a bit of a Lady Titans powerlifting tradition at Memorial High School.

  Five members of coach Jule Joffrion's powerlifting squad have qualified for the state championship powerlifting meet Mar. 16-17 at Killeen.

  Memorial state qualifiers have included Kristien Artola (in the 220-pound weight class), Cecelia Hamilton (in the 220-and-over class), April Jones (in the 148-pound class), Jaleesa McClain (132s) and Aprile Portley (114s).

  One of those five finished as a qualifier last weekend at the Region IV powerlifting championships at Houston Westside high school. That was Artola, who placed third with a composite of 830 pounds.

  Texas High School Womens Powerlifting Association rules permit girls to qualify for state in any of three ways. An athlete can finish in the top three at regionals. She can lift a predetermined qualifying total or she can be rated the top 5A lifter in her weight classification.

  Artola and Portley were the lone point-producers for Memorial at regionals with third- and fifth-place respective finishes. Portley reached a composite of 580 in the 114-pound weight class.

  Vidor was the Division I girls team champion (Classes 5A-4A) followed by Brazosport and Beaumont West Brook. Palacios won Division 2 (Class 3A) followed by Shepherd and Needville. Ganado won Division 3 (Classes 2A-1A) followed by Edna and Louise.

  Only the top two regional finishers get to advance in the boys competition, which is held Mar. 24 in Aldine's Campbell Center. Only the Division I regionals boys competition has been completed. The Division 2 (3A schools) and Division 3 (2A-1A schools) regional competition will be held this weekend in Kirbyville.

  Little Cypress-Mauriceville was the Division I boys team champion followed by Beaumont West Brook and Katy Mayde Creek. Port Neches-Groves placed 11th in the competition with eight points, while Nederland placed 24th with three. Memorial did not record any points.

  Chris Fenton led the PN-G point parade with a third-place regional finish in the 165-pound weight class. Fenton and 165-pound teammate Mikey Poirier were third and fourth respectively with composites of 1,215 and 1,210 pounds. Nederland's third-place finisher was Brandon Gary in the 148-pound class (1,150 pounds). Coach David Crommett's NHS team also sported a third-place finisher in the bench press total for boys between 114 and 165 pounds. Devon Brack had a composite of 208.1.

  Three other members of coach Richard Bethea's PN-G group placed fifth in their categories last Saturday. Tyler Gizzi had a composite of 705 in the 114s, Jon Morein had a 945 in the 132s and Josh Cortez a 1,425 in the 220s.

  Three Memorial boys were top 10 finishers in their classifications but were not regional point-producers. They were Jonathon Vernon (7th in the 275s), Marcus Abbott (8th in the superheavyweights) and Ronald DeJohn (10th in the superheavyweights).