Cowboys earn team title at Natalia PL meet

By Manuel Azocar III - Sports Writer/Managing Editor | January 21, 2026

COTULLA POWERLIFTING

Cotulla’s Powerlifting Cowboys earned team gold in their first meet of the season, tallying 68 points to top five other teams at the Natalia Invitational Powerlifting Meet on Wednesday, January 14.
Jose Gonzalez, Marco Benavidez, Ricardo Ruiz, Deric Aldaco, Jorge Martinez and Anival Ramon, all took first place medals in their respective weight classes at the event to pace their team.
Gonzalez won the 123-lb. division with a total weight of 1,005 lbs. He posted lifts of 375 lbs. in the squat, 225 lbs. in the bench press and 510 lbs. in the deadlift.
Benavidez was tops at 165 lbs. with a total lift of 1,405 lbs. His lifts included 550 lbs. in the squat, 345 lbs. in the bench press and 510 lbs. in the deadlift.
Ruiz earned gold at 181 lbs. with a total lift of 1,395 lbs. His lifts included 535 in the squat, 350 in the bench press and 510 in the deadlift.
Aldaco posted a total weight of 1,415 lbs. to win the 242-lb. weight class. He tallied lifts of 600 in the squat, 350 in the bench press and 465 in the deadlift.
Martinez won the 308-lb. division with a total lift of 1,420 lbs. He had lifts of 545 in the squat, 445 in the bench press and 430 in the deadlift.
Anival won the super heavyweight division with a total lift of 1,025 lbs. He had lifts of 345 in the squat, 255 in the bench press and 425 in the deadlift.
Five Cotulla lifters were runners-up in their divisions as Emiliano Serna, Reynaldo Sanchez Jr., Alex Leija, Ephraim Lopez and Aiden Gonzalez, all took second in their weight classes.
Serna tallied a total lift of 800 lbs. at 132 lbs., Sanchez Jr. posted a total lift of 805 lbs. at 148 lbs., Leija was second at 165 lbs. with a total weight of 1,355 lbs., Lopez was second at 198 lbs. with a lift of 1,275 lbs. and Gonzalez was second at 242 lbs. with a lift of 1,320 lbs.
Emmanuel Lopez, Eduardo Ortega and Rey Gonzalez all finished third in their divisions for Cotulla while Rayce Garcia, Royce Garcia and Omar Chapa were all fourth, respectively.
Easton Porter finished seventh and Ryan Garcia was ninth for the Cowboys.
Cotulla played host to its annual Cowboys Invitational meet on Wednesday, January 21 at the high school gym.