The Potosi FFA soil judging team punched their ticket to the national soil judging contest in Oklahoma by placing 1st overall in the Wisconsin state contest on October 9th. The team finished with a score of 967 points out of 1200.
Leading the pack was senior Isaiah Groom who was 1st overall in the competition with a score of 340 and a perfect card, which has never been done before in Potosi’s program history. Next was junior Carter Bierman who placed 3rd overall with a score of 312. After that was senior Ryan Stoney who placed 4th overall with a score of 309. Finally, junior Connor Robbins placed 7th overall with a score of 293, but his score did not count because the judges only counted each team's top 3 scores.
This Potosi soil judging team did not just become the best in the state overnight, though senior Ryan Stoney said that he and the other members, “Studied vigorously every day of the week other than Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday with absolutely zero messing around.” He said they even studied at practice pits on the weekends to get the feel of the soil. That shows just how much these kids care.
Mrs. Brunton explained the past of the Potosi soil judging team and she said “We have always been good at soils even before I came here.” Before Mrs. Brunton, they were coached by their current Principal Mr. Uppena, who took them to multiple national contests. That being said Potosi is an elite soil judging school.
Leading up to the contest there were some nerves going through the team. “You could tell that this competition was different, the boys acted more serious on the way up than usual,” said Mrs. Brunton. Ryan stated, “I was very nervous because there was a lot on the line, This is my last year and my only shot at nationals.” That shows how dedicated these kids are, and that they are willing to work for greatness.
There were definitely some mixed feelings about how the contestants of Potosi’s team felt after judging the 4 pits. Stoney said, “I felt like I had no clue what I was doing while judging.” Connor Robbins felt the same way saying he “Felt terrible.” That was not the case for Isaiah and Carter. Carter said he felt confident and had no doubts in his ability to judge any pit in the state.
After the pit cards were judged and the teams knew their scores, the Potosi team was shocked to place first. The most shocked of all was the coach, Mrs. Brunton. She said, “I was confident in this team, but I did not think that they would place first.” The participants were also surprised. “I knew that we would win, but I had no confidence in my score,” said Ryan.
In the past, Potosi has been very successful in soil judging, but this team has reached new heights. “This year's team is remarkable and without a doubt my favorite team I have ever coached,” said Brunton. This team may be the best in the state, but they have not reached their peak just yet. They will be competing at the national soil judging competition in El Reno, Oklahoma on May 2nd, 2025.