Arlington ISD CTC hosts first regional BBQ contest
Early morning alarms, rain, and a long day of competition last Saturday culminated in history. Seguin High School’s barbecue team, the Bar-B-Cougs, executed a culinary masterpiece that earned the school it’s best-ever finishes and a trip to the state finals.
The team opened the High School BBQ season at the regional competition hosted at Arlington ISD’s Career and Technical Center, where teams from across Texas gathered for a wet and challenging cook-off. Despite arriving before dawn and spending much of the competition working in rainy conditions, the Bar-B-Cougs delivered an impressive performance, placing fifth overall and earning the program’s first team ribbon.
The team’s biggest accomplishment came in the brisket category, where they placed second, along with a fourth-place finish in beans.
“This is a huge win for our team and in arguably the most difficult category,” said Sean Fanning, the Bar-B-Cougs coach and a Seguin family and consumer sciences teacher. “With that, we are officially bound for state at the end of April.”
The event also highlighted the collaboration between Arlington ISD’s culinary and barbecue programs. Several Seguin students who are enrolled in Advanced Culinary at the Career and Technical Center helped prepare meals for visiting teams, serving dinner Friday night and then breakfast and lunch throughout the competition.
Plus, the CTC’s barbecue team, the Smokin’ Ferrets, also features Seguin culinary students Elija Young and Mya Terrel.
Seguin’s Bar-B-Cougs includes Dana Marshall, Nate Jeffery, Vanessa Morales, Liam Fletcher, and Haylee Brown. With a trip to state already secured, the Bar-B-Cougs have plenty of momentum heading into their next competition at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo Cook-off on Nov. 7.