Marietta High School’s Ag Mechanics class has won its third state championship title in four years, being named the best of the best at the Oklahoma State Fair, held September 16-21. It’s a not-too-shabby feat, especially considering that because of the contest’s closure last year due to the pandemic, there have only been three contests in the past four years.
“I’m just super proud of the hard work our kids did to win,” said FFA Advisor Josh Bazor. “This recognition is tough to earn. It takes a year-long commitment to projects and I’m so proud of their dedication to that.”
Bazor and his students were in Oklahoma City on September 27 to pick up their trophy, along with their projects, which were then being transported to the Tulsa State Fair where they’ll be entered for the events beginning September 30 and continuing through October 10.
A side note: in 2019, Bazor’s bunch won state titles at both Oklahoma City and Tulsa, so another big win wouldn’t be surprising.
Ag Mechanics student projects are an eclectic mix of practical and decorative, large and small, functional and whimsical. They’re everything from trailers and livestock equipment to lamps and wall art, with the common theme being that all are the creations and work of high school students. Projects can a be entered in the fair from freshman year until the year after a student’s graduation because they were constructed while the student was in high school.
Entries are judged on workmanship, structure and design, practicability and materials used.
State winners were Kyler Williams, bumper; Cade Scarbrough, wood rack; and Noah McMillin, weight bench. State runners-up included Devon Smith, material roller; Tate Kelley, fan stand; and Mandy Sykora, blue-line American Flag.
Additionally, in truck bumpers and accessories, Kyler Williams placed first, Mandy Sykora second, and Allison Hicks third. In patio cookers, Don Withers placed sixth, Tate Kelly seventh, and Cody Hicks eighth.
In the outdoor recreation category, Gracelynn Rodriguez placed fourth, Jessica Bates fifth, Wyatt Gwin sixth, and Mario Pena ninth. In livestock equipment, Hunter Roe placed seventh. In outdoor furniture, Jared Kaminski placed sixth and Eden Castor was seventh.
In the division for small functional projects, Brianna Robles was third, Jack Oneal fifth, Brayden Henson sixth, and Kimberlynn Shepard seventh. In the large decorative category, Kadence Bazor placed third, Mandy Sykora fourth, and Gracelynn Rodriguez was tenth.
“This is big deal for our program,” said FFA Chapter Vice President and junior Cade Scarbrough. “A lot of chapters have won state, but very few have done it back-to-back.”
Scarbrough’s state-winning project was a wood rack that he designed and built from scrap left over from another project, begging the observation that students are learning more than just how to build things, they’re learning to make their materials count.
“Every year you have to try and be better than the year before,” Scarbrough continued. “You’ve got to build something more intricate and detailed, something bigger and better. The challenge is to top yourself every year.”
Obviously, students in Bazor’s Ag Mechanics classes have responded to the challenge. And then some.