Sparks lit the room as students from 13 Midlands high schools traded their pens and paper for torches and steel at the fifth annual welding competition hosted by Midlands Tech.

Approximately 40 competitors were split into three categories based on individual skill and welding difficulty. The top three finishers in each division walked away with various welding-related prizes. 

This year’s prizes were donated by local and national suppliers and are valued to be worth over $10,000.

The three categories were shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), SMAW involving a vertical V-groove open root joint and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW).

In the SMAW category, Swansea’s Cheyenne Rosier took first place, scoring a 95 out of 100 possible points. Wagener-Salley’s Conway Green finished second, and Battery Creek’s Gunner Rouse placed third.

In the SMAW V-groove division, Wagener-Salley’s Jaxson Barnett scored a 96 to take first. 

Cole Denton from the Sumter Career Center earned second, and Even Keller of the J. Harley Bonds Career Center came in third. 

Wagener-Salley also won the GTAW division. Michael Chavious earned the highest score of the competition, obtaining a 99 on his weld. Aiken County Career & Technology Center’s Brentyn Herzner finished second, and Sumter Career Center’s Trenton Brunson was the third-place winner. 

Other schools participating included: Bamberg High School, Daniel Morgan Technology Center, Barnwell County Career Center, Fairfield Career & Technology Center, May River High School, Center for Advanced Technical Studies and Donaldson Career Center.