Rams powerlifting claims Westside clash, boys and girls take down Cibola

ALBUQUERQUE — March is here, and while spring is blossoming, the Rio Rancho powerlifting program appears to be in full bloom.

Rio’s crew of lifters took two victories at the Westside OG Showdown dual, hosted by Cibola High School, in a one-on-one with the Cougars.

The boys overpowered Cibola 60-41, while the girls pulled away with a 66-52 victory, completing the Saturday sweep.

“So very proud of each and every one of you,” Rio Rancho powerlifting posted after the meet. “Special thanks again to all the athletes who assisted in the meet and were a tremendous help, the ingredients to a championship team.”

Across both fields combined, the Rams had 13 athletes finish in the top 10, a key difference-maker in both double-digit victories.

Traevon Sewell finished first for the boys, lifting a total of 1,260 pounds on the day, the only athlete to cross the 1,200 mark. Sewell would also be the only Ram or Cougar to lift over 400 in the squat competition and 500 in the deadlift.

Elijah Lopez and Daniel Schutten joined Sewell across the 1,000 total mark. Lopez was right behind his teammate in deadlift, lifting 495, while Schutten finished in the top five in each of the three categories.

Alayah Gonzales would be the headliner for the Rio girls, finishing as the only athlete in the field to lift over 800 pounds total to take first place by more than 100 pounds.

Gonzales would lead all three categories, including the lone lifter to squat over 300 pounds on the day.

Seven of the top eight spots were occupied by the Lady Rams, dominating their neighbor down the street to claim westside superiority.

Jada Smith and Sarah Martinez, joining Gonzales, were the only three girls to deadlift over 300 pounds.

While this competition was a duel and not a standard meet, the Rams have still shown improvement. Both the girls and the boys posted scores almost 20 points higher than their finishes at the Bernalillo Invite in January.

This steady progression will need to continue, as each competition gets bigger and bigger. Their next dual will take place at Cleveland High School on March 14 against the Storm.

Cleveland powerlifting is coming off a big victory against Volcano Vista and Valley High School in a mid-February tri-meet clash.

The rivalry liftoff will start at 8 a.m. at Cleveland High School.