The Northwest High School girls have become a true powerhouse on the local watermelon-eating scene, and the Heartland Lutheran boys might also be on their way to a dynasty. Northwest took the girls division of the Hall County Fair watermelon-eating contest Saturday for at least the third year in a row, and the Heartland boys nabbed their second title in a row. Chad Rostvet, right, stuffs a piece of watermelon into his mouth Saturday at Five Points Bank Arena.
His Heartland Lutheran teammates are, from left, Luke Olson, Vance Smith and Darrin Bexten. Both teams had to rise up to beat strong competition. The Grand Island Senior High boys were in good position to win, with a time of one minute and 30 seconds.
But the Heartland Lutheran boys, obviously motivated, posted a time of 1:13 to again enjoy the sweet taste of victory. Competing for Grand Island Senior High on Saturday were, from left, Owen Williams, Erik Guerrero, Mario Borrego and Roger Guerrero. In the girls division, Wood River recorded a time of 1:50.
But Northwest seized the top spot with a showing of 1:06. The Northwest girls agreed that Natalia Schultz was their MVP. In her third year in the contest, Schultz said experience helps.
She's learned "just to eat it fast, and not really think about it." Even though they'd just put away a lot of watermelon, the Northwest girls weren't quite full. A couple of them were in the mood for French fries.
Two of the Heartland Lutheran boys were also on last year's winning team — Chad Rostvet and Vance Smith. Smith's teammates agreed Saturday that he was their most valuable eater. Why did he do so well? "I'm a lineman," he said.
Competing for Grand Island Central Catholic on Saturday were Axel Escalantei and Dayton Ewers. Even after the competition, the Heartland Lutheran boys still weren't tired of watermelon. As they sat at a table being interviewed, all four of them were still working on a slice.
"Those boys eat all the time. I don't know where they put it," said Celeste Schrage, who works at the school. One of the Heartland Lutheran competitors, Darrin Bexten, barely made it to the contest, which started at 3 p.
m. He got out of bed at 2 p.m.
In the girls division, Grand Island Senior High took third at 2:35, and Heartland Lutheran was fourth at 3:06. In the quest to win, some of the students engaged in strong displays of teamwork. In the urge to finish quickly, Mario Borrego grabbed a slice of watermelon that his GISH teammate, Owen Williams, had already started working on.
Melanie Arrants, center, looks as though she's clearly had enough watermelon Saturday. Her teammates with the Hall County Sheriff's Department included Janet Buhrman, left, and Blake Huelsnitz, right. Not shown is Luis Rojas.
The Central Catholic boys were short-handed, with the team consisting of only Axel Escalante and Dayton Ewers. Those two students had to put away the same amount of watermelon as the four-person teams, which means they were chewing for quite a while Saturday. For the second year in a row, the Hall County Sheriff's Department won the Battle of the Badges, but the margin was as small as a watermelon seed.
The Sheriff's Department posted a time of 1:44, just two seconds faster than GIPD. The Sheriff's Department's winnings will go to the Central Nebraska Council of Alcoholism and Addictions. GIPD's charity of choice was Hope Harbor.
One member of the Sheriff's Department team, Janet Buhrman, came well-prepared, with Wet Wipes out in the car. "I don't like being sticky," she said. Representing the Grand Island Police Department Saturday were, from left, GIPD intern Anna Katen, Chief Kevin Denney and Denney's wife, Tessa, and 15-year-old daughter, Bella.
The first-place high school teams took home $250, with $200 going to second place and $150 to third. Five Points Bank sponsored the contest, and Hy-Vee provided the watermelons. The referees were Vince Zavala and Ann and Dan Purdy.
Representing the Grand Island Police Department on Saturday were, from left, GIPD intern Anna Katen, Chief Kevin Denney and Denney's wife, Tessa, and 15-year-old daughter, Bella. The Hall County Sheriff's Department won the Battle of the Badges Saturday in the watermelon-eating contest. From left are Sheriff Rick Conrad, Luis Rojas, Janet Buhrman, Melanie Arrants and Blake Huelsnitz.
Representing Grand Island Senior High on Saturday were, from left, Nayely Olivares, Makenah Mazanec, Anyia Roberts and Aysha Gawrych. Northwest won the girls division Saturday in the Hall County watermelon-eating contest. The team consisted of Callie Collins, Lexi Seyler, Reagan Hovie and Natalia Schultz.
Representing Northwest Saturday were, from left, Reagan Hovie, Natalia Schultz, Callie Collins and Lexi Seyler. Representing Northwest Saturday were, from left, Reagan Hovie, Natalia Schultz, Callie Collins and Lexi Seyler. The Heartland Lutheran girls team consisted of, from left, Autumn Asche, Madison Dack, Harley Fesuluai and Emma Strong.
The Heartland Lutheran girls team consisted of, from left, Autumn Asche, Madison Dack, Harley Fesuluai and Emma Strong. The Heartland Lutheran girls team consisted of, from left, Autumn Asche, Madison Dack, Harley Fesuluai and Emma Strong. Wood River's team Saturday consisted of, from left, Lainey Paulk, Amaya Morgan, Rylee Codner and Emma Rodriguez.
Wood River's team Saturday consisted of, from left, Lainey Paulk, Amaya Morgan, Rylee Codner and Emma Rodriguez. Wood River's team Saturday consisted of, from left, Lainey Paulk, Amaya Morgan, Rylee Codner and Emma Rodriguez. Representing Grand Island Senior High on Saturday were, from left, Nayely Olivares, Makenah Mazanec, Anyia Roberts and Aysha Gawrych.
Peyton Allan talks about her cat, Gus, during the companion animal show for the Hall County Fair at Fonner Park on Friday, July 19. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items..
