MATHIS, Texas — For Mathis powerlifter Dante Deleon, the path to a state championship was incredibly painful and difficult.
His father passed away when he was very young and his mom died right before starting his senior year.
Still, he found a way to capture the Division III state title back on March 23 in Abilene, after after benching 635 pounds, squatting 800 pounds and a deadlift of 585 pounds.
"I dedicated my bench press to my dad because he benched over 600 pounds, which I thought dang, I'm capable of that," Deleon said.
His mom died due to COVID-19 in August and Deleon dedicated winning a title for her, after a lengthy time away from powerlifting.
"It really set me back and I stopped lifting, but I finally decided to get myself off the mat and start lifting again," said Deleon. "I started all over again and began to love the sport even more, I started training harder."
His combined total of 2,220 pounds lifted at the state meet is an all time record.
He has overcome a tremendous amount of adversity and wants to motivate other student athletes who have lost their parents.
"You don't want people to feel sorry for you and that's the one thing I always remind myself of," said Deleon. "You have to keep going because stuff happens in life and you have to work hard for what you want."
Deleon has earned a powerlifting scholarship to Midland University in Freemont, Neb.
He wants to major in business and eventually become a professional powerlifter and open his own gym.
