For the third time in four years the Madera-Madera South Future Farmers of America team took first place in the state finals for grape vine pruning last week, with each of the group’s four members placing in the top six for individual honors.
The team — senior Jevan Grewal, 5th place individually; senior Scott Bullis, 6th place; sophomore Virat King, 2nd place; and sophomore Jenae Hansen, 3rd place – competed at Fresno State University Feb. 2 against 18 other teams made up of 65 students from high schools across the state.
Of the 18 teams, the Madera-Madera South group proved dominant, placing first in three of four tested subcategories which included individual pruning of three grape varieties and a 40-question written exam.
“They’ve worked so hard all year,” said Kristen McKenna, one of the team’s three FFA advisers. “We had been pruning vines almost every day after school … To see their growth from the start to being able to win at the state level is tremendous.”...