FFA radio team garners top state honors

Win marks school’s fourth championship in 12 years

By Pete Kendall/reporter@trcle.com

Cleburne High’s FFA radio team did exactly what it intended at Saturday’s state competition in Huntsville.

It won as a team, climbing to first after a second-place finish in 2008.

The senior crew of David Price, John Longoria and Callie McNulty didn’t exactly celebrate as a team.

Longoria, in particular, added a personal touch.

“Right after the results were announced,” he said, “I went out to a vending machine to buy an energy drink. A friend said, ‘Why are you doing that? You’re already pumped.’ I said, ‘I’m doing it because I deserve it.’ ”

Few would argue.

After a less than perfect routine in the Friday prelims at Sam Houston State, Price, Longoria and McNulty, supported by alternates Becca Jones and Deanna Moser, were flawless in the finals, giving Cleburne its fourth radio team state championship in the last 12 years.

First to congratulate them was FFA co-sponsor Barney McClure, the senior member of CHS’ vocational ag instruction team.

“Mr. McClure told us he’d never heard us do it better,” McNulty said. “I would say it was the best routine we’d ever done.”

McClure had a hand in calming down the three Yellow Jackets before they took their positions behind the microphone for their final show.

“Right before we went out, we practiced one last time outside, and I had one of the biggest mess-ups I’ve had all year,” Longoria said. “Mr. McClure was like, ‘I’m not even worried about it. I know all of you will go in there and do what you need to do and take care of business.’

“And we did. It was all the small things we’d been working on. You could tell everything came together. If you’d heard that last performance, you never would have guessed there was a problem.”

McNulty was a bundle of nerves before the last performance but managed to keep them from fraying.

“We were all anxious and ready to get through it,” she said. “My stomach was in my throat.”

It evidently didn’t interfere with her delivery.

“Personally,” she said, “I had been struggling with popping my ‘p’s’ and hissing my ‘essses,’ This time, I didn’t do any of that. I practiced and practiced and got where I could do a flawless performance. It was my best performance.”

Price and Longoria performed as usual, she said.

“John and David are both very consistent. They did outstanding jobs.”

The content of the radio team’s script may have helped sway the judges. It pointedly covered the importance of water conservation.

“I think the judges realized our topic was very important to our city,” Price said, “because without water, there’s no life.”

All three team members were as sincere about the topic of the script as about the delivery of the words, Price said.

“We were together as a team. We had unity in purpose and harmony in voices. It was a very important topic. We were all sincere.”

McNulty was making her first appearance at state.

“It was eye-opening,” she said. “I was really looking forward to it because I heard great stories about going to state from David and John.”

Placing first beat finishing second.

“We were totally stunned, in awe,” Longoria said. “Last year, we got reserve, and as seniors this is what’s supposed to happen. You’re supposed to come back and take it. But it still blew our minds.”

They had to listen to the announcer count backward from 10 before hearing No. 1.

“It was a slow walk up those 10 places,” Longoria said.

The bottom line: This team finished what last year’s year started.

“We were just shy of first last year,” Price said. “We had a lot of natural talent in this group, and we all had the dedication and focus we needed to pull through. We stumbled a little the first day. The second day, we were perfect.”

Also for Cleburne, the junior skills team of Morgan Prine, Tucker Nolan, Tanner Calvin, Kaleb Stewart, Kason George and Vicente Godinez placed sixth.

The ag issues team of Mark McDonald, Longoria, Price, Tori Aker, Veronica Johnson and Kristi Babbitt placed in the Top 20.

“In the prelims, the skills team was second behind the eventual state champion,” teacher Mark McClure said. “Our skill was wiring a trailer for running lights. The team did an outstanding job.

“In ag issues, you get to pick and prepare your topic. There’s a lot of subjectivity in judging. They might not like the topic or style of speaking. Our team did a great job.”