Published: March 29, 2007 08:58 am      

Blooming Grove tops ag mechanics

Blooming Grove’s domination through the first two and half days of the Youth Expo came through individual successes. Its win in agricultural mechanics was a team effort.

Blooming Grove FFA took overall grand champion honors with its suave red flatbed trailer. The gooseneck featured a finished-wood bed.

“It was probably the most well-rounded effort we’ve had in a long time because all of the kids participated,” Blooming Grove High agricultural services instructor Harry Dotson said.

Reserve grand champion honors went to Gabby Maldunado and Rachel Chitty of Corsicana FFA for their very elaborate barbecue pit on wheels. It won Division II grand champion honors as well.

The Blooming Grove trailer took top Division I honors, topping a similar entry in John Deere green from Kerens FFA that was named reserve grand champion. Reserve honors in Division II went to Alan Vitters for his barbecue pit.

“All of our kids did real well,” said Corsicana High ag services teacher Mark Vitters. “There was a lot of teamwork involved.”

There were 21 entries in five different classes. Rice swept livestock and ag equipment, Blooming Grove swept gooseneck trailer 14-foot and over, and Corsicana swept barbecue pits. Kerens took first in bumper pull trailers, and Corsicana went 1-2-3 in miscellaneous sporting.

All of the entries took a lot of time to complete, participants and instructors said.

“A select two did most of the welding, and the rest of us did a lot of the cutting and grinding,” said Andrew McGraw of Blooming Grove, referencing the welding work of Riggin Barham and Michael Ferrell.

“We worked a lot,” Ferrell said. “We worked at night and during (the class) period.”

The trailer was sponsored by Oil City Iron Works. The pit Maldunado and Chitty constructed was sponsored by 1974 CHS graduate Billy Williams, who will use it to cater when he retires.

The pit on a trailer included an awning, a spare tire rack, two stock pots on the front and utensils hanging on the rails that held the awning up.

“I wanted to do something different,” said Williams, who gave his plans to Mark Vitters. “They did an excellent job.”

Maldunado and Chitty spent about seven months on the pit.

“I don’t ever expect to better than anybody, but this was different,” Maldunado said. “It had the roof and it was really big.”

The two seniors worked to the last minute on the project, Vitters said.

“Both girls work full-time, and it was a job getting it done,” he said.

Other results included:

Overall — Blooming Grove FFA, grand champion; Gabby Maldunado and Rachel Chitty, Corsicana FFA, reserve grand champion.

Livestock and agriculture equipment — Colton Parker, Rice FFA, first place; Zoette Ziegenhagen, Rice FFA, second place; Brian Marshall, Rice FFA, third place.

Gooseneck trailers 14-feet and over — Blooming Grove FFA, first place; Blooming Grove FFA, second place.

Bumper pull trailers — Kerens FFA, first place; Jeff Scoggins, Corsicana FFA, second place; Ryan Tyner, Mildred FFA, third place; J.D. Jock, Mildred FFA, fourth place.

Sporting — Whitten Tacker, Corsicana FFA, first place; Derek Owens, Corsicana FFA, second place; Rick Reamy, Corsicana FFA, third place; John Chapman, Mildred FFA, fourth place; Arik Faltys, Mildred FFA, fifth place.

Barbecue pits — Gabby Maldunado and Rachel Chitty, Corsicana FFA, first place; Alan Vitters, Corsicana FFA, second place; Derek Owens, Corsicana FFA, third place; Jay Williams, Corsicana FFA, fourth place; Whitten Tacker, Corsicana FFA, fifth place; Jason Watson, Corsicana FFA, sixth place; Bobby Scott, Corsicana FFA, seventh place.

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Raymond Linex II may be contacted via e-mail at rlinex@corsicanadailysun.com