Sports

SMASHING DINGERS

FivepowerfulLadyBulldogs qualified for and competed last Saturday in Dublin during the Region 2 Powerlifting Championships. Earning a point apiece for Hamilton in the team standings, both Emily Najera and Jessi Harris placed fifth individually in their respective weight classes.

First-year Head Coach Garrett Moore and the high flying Hamilton Bulldogs were set to enter the big dance on Tuesday of this week in Godley.

Five Lady Bulldog powerlifters, including Amalia Knutson, Jessi Harris, Emily Najera, Kara Baker and Alianne Downs, qualified for and will compete in the Region 2 Powerlifting Championships to be held this Saturday in Dublin. Bars will be loaded at 8:30 a.m. Knutson and Harris enter the event ranked fourth in the region in their respective weight classes. Najera is ranked eighth in her division, Baker 11th in her class, and Downs punched a ticket to regionals as the twelfth-ranked competitor in her class. The top two finishers in each division in Dublin will qualify for the state competition to be held in Edinburg on Mar. 12. Last Thursday in DeLeon, Knutson and Harris each earned individual gold medals. Knutson hoisted a total of 790 pounds in three events to finish atop her division, and Harris lifted a combined 810 pounds to claim a blue ribbon. Najera also earned points for the Lady Bulldogs in DeLeon, placing third in her weight class by lifting a total of 730 pounds. Other Lady Dogs competing in DeLeon included Downs with a sixthplace finish, Kara Baker seventh, Ellaina Smith seventh, Luna Vasquez ninth, Jocelyn Elliott 12th and Gemma Bates, who bombed out giving maximum effort in a bid to earn a regional invite. Regional bound Lady Bulldogs pictured (l-r) include Amalia Knutson, Jessi Harris, Emily Najera, Kara Baker and Alianne Downs. Photos by Tracy Cox

MOUND COMMANDER: Carson Roberts

MCBank deposited a check with Hamilton I

and the top 12 competitors in each division set to qualify for the regional meet to be held in West on Mar. 8., Gutierrez currently resides in eighth position out of all the lifters in the region competing in the 123-pound weight class. In DeLeon, Gutierrez squatted 275, bench pressed 175 and deadlifted 290 for a total of 740 pounds to earn a silver medal. Lee placed second in the 181-pound weight class with a squat of 425, a bench of 270 and a deadlift of 400 for a total of 1095 pounds lifted. Lee will be vying for the 12th and final regional qualifying seeding with a handful of other competitors around the region when he competes this Thursday in Zephyr. Riley Ford and Jonathan Najera also lifted in DeLeon, placing eighth and tenth respectively in the 165-pound weight class, and Ondrusek bombed out while competing in the 242-pound weight division by narrowly missing the mark in the deadlift competition. Though Kade McKandless, Izaac Wood and Mills Mehaffey did not participate in DeLeon, they each are currently ranked in the top 12 in their respective classes and will likely qualify to compete at the regional meet in West.

JV BULLDOGS: Though

FIRST PITCH RIP: The

Postseason awards continue to pile up for the 2024 14-1 state semifinalist Hamilton Bulldogs. Below are a few of the latest.