Española takes 2nd, 3 lifters win titles
RIO RANCHO — Jack Purdy couldn’t hide the hurt.
EJ Martinez was caught up in the emotion in helping transform Española Valley into a powerlifting power.
Rudy Martinez was overwhelmed he could celebrate his team’s success in person instead of from a hospital bed.
Saturday afternoon was full of sweat, hard work and emotion for the Sundevils powerlifting team, which produced a transformative performance in the State Powerlifting Championships in the Rio Rancho Events Center.
Purdy was one of three individual champions for Española while Martinez was runner-up. In all, seven Sundevils finished in the top five in their weight classes and pushed Lovington for the team title for most of the day.
The Wildcats rode the strength of 12 competitors — all of whom finished in on the podium — to pull out a 49-38 win to repeat as Class 4A champions.
Still, Purdy couldn’t help himself when he learned the Sundevils would come up short in winning a state title, sobbing as he apologized to head coach Rudy Martinez and assistant Tylon Wilder for not bringing home a blue trophy.
Coach Martinez, though, was amazed at the program’s transformation from an afterthought, with just six lifters coming out in the first season in 2022, to a burgeoning powerhouse that placed third and second in consecutive years. After missing last year’s event because of a liver infection that hospitalized him, the coach was grateful to be healthy and celebrate with his team.
“I can’t put it into words,” Rudy Martinez said as his eyes misted. “To see where they came from to where they are now, you can’t put into words. It’s just an honor to be a part of it.”
Española produced repeat champions in Purdy (132 pounds, with a total weight of 865 pounds in the deadlift, bench press and squat) and Bryan Almeida at 308 (1,310), while Leandro “Chungus” Salazar joined the ranks of first-time champions at 275 with a total of 1,325 pounds. That included an overall state record bench press of 385., which bettered his mark set last year by 5 pounds.
The Sundevils tied with Rio Rancho Cleveland for the most individual champions, but they could not overcome the quantity of Lovington’s team. While the Wildcats had just one state champion, Lovington had six runners-up and three third-place finishers, which was more than enough in a 7-5-3-2-1 scoring system based on the top-five placers.
EJ Martinez, who took second at 242, said he was not disappointed with the outcome but he, Purdy and Almeida — the seniors — will no longer be a part of the program.
“I am so happy I got this opportunity to be here,” Martinez said. “I’m so thankful for coach Martinez and coach Wilder. They truly raised us from freshman year to now. It’s awesome.”
Salazar, a junior, not only won a state title, but broke his state record in the bench press. He tried to up the mark to 405, but could not lift the weight on his last attempt. Salazar successfully lifted 410 earlier in the season, but just said it was just not his day to break the 400-pound barrier.
“I wanted the 405 bad, but at the end of the day, I came for the hardware, and that’s what I got,” said Salazar, who placed third last year.
Meanwhile, West Las Vegas’ Marcus Tapia and Robertson’s Orlando Romero each won in the Class 1A/3A division. Tapia, who just started powerlifting a year ago, won at 165 with a total of 1,125 pounds that was 45 pounds more than runner-up Frank Angel from Hatch Valley.
Romero claimed the 275 division with a 1,340-pound total that was best in both 1A/3A and 4A.