With 28 lifters starting out the season for the Timber Creek Powerlifting, the team has faced trial and success, as the year’s progress comes towards an end with sole athlete Ty Nicholson advancing to the Texas High School Powerlifting Association State Meet that will be held in Abilene, TX, on March 24. Facing down an entirely new level of competition, senior Nicholson has learned throughout the year to push himself to his limits, making it his goal of not only making it to state, but winning the competition.

“The season has been great, it’s given us an opportunity to get stronger and compete against other schools,” said Nicholson. “Coach Ortiz told me to try powerlifting because he thought I might be good at it, and I loved it. I really try to lift every week consistently to get stronger for competition…now the goal is to win state.”

With six regions in Texas, Nicholson will be competing on March 24, participating as one of eight Keller ISD athletes to advance. Working out before and after school, the team’s mission has been to increase their strength and mentality according to Coach Dusty Ortiz, taking their learned mentality from football and driving it forward.

“The workouts are physically taxing,” Ortiz said. “They are put through a series of either lower or upper body lifts depending on the day. Powerlifting is more of an individual sport.  Our powerlifters’ goals are to get stronger to help improve our football team and become the best we can be. [In regards to Ty Nicholson],  I am super excited for him because he has worked so hard in achieving this. Our mission is to continually increase our strength and peak at the right time.”