Belen boys finish second at state powerlifting meet, local lifters win titles

Valencia County’s powerlifting surge was on full display in Rio Rancho, where Belen finished second in the boys 4A team standings and local lifters from Belen and Valencia brought home individual titles across the two-day state meet. The championships were held April 10-11 at the Rio Rancho Events Center, with boys lifting Friday and girls taking the platform Saturday.

Belen’s run was built on depth as much as star power. The Eagles qualified 16 lifters, eight boys and eight girls, and entered the meet with four No. 1 seeds in their weight classes: Manny Valdez at 132 pounds, Nehemiah Sanchez at 181, Kendra Sims at 198 and Alondra Jacquez at 220. Valdez and Sanchez turned that top billing into titles, and Sanchez set a state record with a combined 1,220 pounds in the squat, bench and deadlift to win his class by a wide margin.

The rest of the Belen lineup mattered, too. David Sedillo, Arbin Apodaca and Azlan Jimenez all scored points, giving the Eagles the balance they needed to finish as the boys runner-up behind Lovington. In a sport where team totals are built class by class, that kind of across-the-board scoring is what separates a contender from a one- or two-man show.

The New Mexico Activities Association’s format makes that depth even more important. Schools may enter up to 12 competitors across the 12 weight classes, but no more than two lifters from the same team can compete in one bodyweight category. In a meet where only the top eight totals from certified regular-season meets qualify in each class, Belen’s ability to put 16 athletes on the state stage showed how broad the county’s lifting base has become.

Valencia also supplied multiple scorers. Catalino Diaz finished second at 123 pounds, only five pounds behind the champion, while Edel Amaya, Mikey Rivera and Nathaniel Ortega all placed and added team points. Los Lunas also stayed in the mix at the 5A level, finishing eighth with Maleek Minor and Kage Bell each taking second in their weight classes.

The results fit a larger pattern in Valencia County. High school powerlifting here began as an activity in 2020 before becoming a sanctioned sport, and the local programs have kept growing. Belen hosted its first NMAA-sanctioned meet, the Belen Iron Invitational, on April 1-2, giving the Eagles a home venue before state. In early 2026, Valencia coach Jose Lopez said the Jaguars had about 40 student-athletes in the program, a sign that the county’s strength culture is still expanding and producing state-level results on both sides of the river.