By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR.
Special to the PRESS
With the powerlifting season right around the corner, the Port Isabel powerlifting teams are gearing up to compete in the upcoming Brownsville Pace Vikings Invitational. The meet will take place on January 9 at the Brownsville ISD CAB Building with a 10am weigh-in time.
The powerlifting program had a great season in 2025 having sent 10 lifters to the State Powerlifting Meet (5 boys, 5 girls).
In the boy’s division, four out of the five lifters performed well as Aaron Barrera finished in 7th place, Luis Varela (9th), Mario Nava (10th), and Carlos Cabrera (11th). The lone underclassman, Arnold Lopez had “bombed out” meaning he failed to perform one of the three required lifts needed for a total lift. It was an unfortunate situation for Lopez who had entered the State Meet ranked #2 in the region, but he should be back bigger and stronger than ever.
Lopez who competes in the 114lb weight class will be joined by fellow 198lb lifters Joe Perez and Jose Galvan. This past season, Perez improved his total lift by 175lbs while Galvan who improved his total lift by 145lbs.
The boy’s team will take a big hit due to graduation. But head powerlifting coach, Mark Calvillo sees the light at the end of the tunnel stating, “the boys (season) is in a rebuilding year, but we will be strong at the end. I think Eric Gonzalez might be a sleeper.”
Meanwhile, in the State Meet girl’s division, Port Isabel came in with a 3rd place team finish due in part to Port Isabel State Champions Esmeralda Montoya and Saturn Trejo.
Although the team will lose Montoya and Stacey Suarez (6th place) to graduation, coach Calvillo has high hopes for the girls team in 2026. Returning lifter Iyairy Guzman who came in 8th place at the State Meet had a 140lb improvement this past season as a sophomore. Also, returning will be Maria Vasquez who unfortunately “bombed out” at state, but did manage to qualify for the State Meet in just her freshman year. She finished the season with a total lift of 725lbs- an improvement of 155lbs from her first meet of the season.
“The girls look strong. We will be one of the top girls’ programs in the valley and region. Just need to stay healthy”, said coach Calvillo.
Comments