Miyamura powerlifting earns first team trophy with third-place finish

Miyamura High School brought home its first team trophy in program history Friday, finishing third at the New Mexico Class 4A Powerlifting State Championships at the Rio Rancho Events Center with 21 points.

The Patriots trailed state champion Lovington, which scored 39 points, and runner-up Belen, which finished with 23. For a program that had waited years for this kind of finish, the result gave Miyamura a concrete benchmark and a visible sign that its powerlifting culture has grown beyond a few standout lifters.

Coach Roy Dallas said the Patriots brought six boys to the meet and called the finish “a huge accomplishment” for the team, school and community. He also described it as “a long time coming” for the program. In Gallup, where Miyamura is one of McKinley County’s two major high schools, that kind of milestone carries weight well beyond the lifting platform.

Senior Angelo Zepeda led the charge in the 148-pound class, winning state with a 1,015-pound total. He put together a 360-pound squat, a 195-pound bench and a 460-pound deadlift, then edged Deming’s Andres Cereceres, who totaled 1,010 pounds. Zepeda had placed third at state last season, and he said the title meant even more after tearing his ACL his sophomore year.

Josh Hughbanks added another state championship in the 275-pound class, and his win over teammate Steven Hester came down to the numbers. Both lifters finished with 1,250-pound totals, but Hughbanks won on the NMAA tiebreaker because he weighed less. Hughbanks said he did not begin the season expecting to qualify for state, making his title part of the broader surprise that turned into a team breakthrough.

The New Mexico Activities Association listed the 2026 state championships for April 10-11 at the Rio Rancho Events Center, and Miyamura’s finish placed the Patriots among the strongest small programs in the field. For McKinley County, where school pride often follows results closely, the trophy gives Miyamura a first piece of hardware and a standard to chase next season.