By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
The Copperas Cove High School Bulldawg BBQ team brought the heat at the recent National High School Association’s Regional BBQ Competition in Elgin.
Bulldawg BBQ placed 3rd overall and has officially qualified for the State Competition. The Texas State High School BBQ Championship will take place on May 2, 2026.
In the category competitions, Bulldawg BBQ took 2nd place in Grilled Cheese, 2nd place in Upside Down Cake, 2nd place in Chicken Lollipop, and 3rd place in Ribs.
A panel of six judges used the M.E.A.T.™ Judging HSBBQ System, in a double-blind process, and evaluated each entry for Mis En Place (10 percent), EAT (Taste) (55 percent), Appearance (15 percent) and Texture and Tenderness (20 percent).
Robert Turner, former associate principal of CCHS and the current Director of CTE, talked about seeing his vision for CTE – particularly Bulldawg BBQ – become a reality for students.
“BBQ has always been a personal passion of mine, and it’s something Dr. (Jimmy) Shuck and I had talked about starting for several years. I started the BBQ Club last year along with Ms. Finney, one of our Culinary Arts teachers, in partnership with AYPYN, who helped us purchase our first smoker and essential equipment,” said Turner.
“During our first year, we focused on teaching students the fundamentals such as how to trim briskets, season meats, and manage smoke times. We began selling plates to staff to get feedback, and after a positive response, we decided to enter our first BBQ competition last year just to gain experience. We learned a lot from that event and officially joined the National High School BBQ Association circuit this school year.”
The BBQ Club is open to all high school students there are currently about 30 active members with two competition teams. Beyond competitions, the students also cater events, cook for staff and community functions, and partner with other student organizations to serve food at athletic events, banquets, and campus gatherings.
Turner said that the program has grown rapidly, and with that growth, two additional sponsors have been added, Andrew Coonrod, CTE Culinary Arts Teacher and Cally Reding, CTE Agriculture Food Science Teacher.
“For our students, qualifying for state means a lot. It validates all the hours of practice, the early mornings, and the teamwork that goes into perfecting each recipe. They’ve taken ownership of their craft, and seeing their excitement as they qualified for state was incredible,” Turner added. “Watching our students develop a passion for BBQ and teamwork has been amazing. This program started as a simple idea to bring students and staff together through Texas Style BBQ, and now they’re representing Copperas Cove at the state and hopefully national level.”
Coonrod talked about what it means to see his students qualify for the state competition.
“Qualifying for the State competition allows our teams to compete against the best of the best. Qualifying this early in the season means we can practice our techniques and processes. Our kids want to do more than just qualify for State. They want to win their categories and go on to the National Championship in Dallas. Our kids truly are among the best at what they do and I’m proud of the growth they continue to show.”
Students who competed at the Elgin Regional Competition include:
Kayden Edwards, Senior – Upside Down Cake
Ylitza Finney, Junior – Chicken Lollipop
Damian Jerdon, Sophomore – Grilled Cheese
Avniel Maldonado, Junior – Ribs
Amaya Martinez, Senior – Upside Down Cake
Marcus Rivera, Senior – Ribs
Ed Traverso, Senior – Steak
Shylah Vasquez, Senior – Grilled Cheese and Chicken Lollipop
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