Throughout its history, Connally High School has been represented at state-level team competitions a few times. In 1975, the baseball team lost in the semi-finals of the state tournament to a tough team from Sinton. In 1993, the boys track team won a team championship thanks to their record-breaking time in the mile relay (a record that remains unbroken, by the way). In 2009, the girls track program took home the top award, only to have to clear additional room in the trophy case for a repeat in 2012. The girls cross country program also represented Cadet Nation with pride at 2009’s state meet.
It’s not just athletics, either. Connally’s actors and technicians are no strangers to the stress that comes from “the big stage” - the theatre department boasts an impressive SEVEN appearances at the UIL State One Act Play competition (2006, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018), including a second place finish in 2010.
When you couple those records with the countless state appearances, medals, and championships that individual student competitors have amassed over the 73 years that Connally High School has been open, it’s easy to see that success is part of the #CadetStandard. Connally Cadets work hard to reach impressive results.
One student organization is continuing that trend in an arena that might seem unusual to the layman. If you’re expecting to watch this group duke it out for a championship trophy on a field, in a gym, or on stage, you’d be at a loss. They tend to do their work in parking lots.
The Connally High School Cadet-Q Barbecue Team got off to a strong start at their first competition of the season when they won 3rd place overall sweepstakes at the Granbury Invitational. The meet was held on Saturday, November 4.
“Doing so well at our first competition means that we’ve already qualified for the state contest,” senior Cameron Deroon said. “It’s a really good start for us. It shows us what we still need to work on and helps us stay motivated for the future.”
The team spent seven hours preparing and serving a wide variety of dishes to their adjudicators. At the end of the day, they had received numerous distinctions, including 9th place award for their pork chops, 4th place award for their tacos, 5th place award for their chicken AND ribs, and 8th place award for their chili.
“It can be challenging to juggle cooking so many different things at once,” junior Laura Sitton said. “It’s really rewarding to find success on multiple dishes, though.”
Cadet-Q was first formed in 2018. The program found immediate success, accumulating numerous awards and accolades until the COVID-19 pandemic derailed their trajectory. Since that point, the team has been working to rebuild the momentum they previously had.
“I am so proud of this team and all that they have accomplished,” BBQ team coach Steven Carter said. “We’ve had great success over the years - including a third place national finish. Our goal is to eventually have both high school and junior high students competing on the team.”
Carter, who is no stranger to the Connally community, having served on the CISD Board of Trustees for a number of years, believes that the skills gained from competing in the culinary arts are invaluable.
“Participating in this activity is beneficial for ways far beyond just cooking great food,” Carter said. “It teaches our students time management, teamwork, safe food handling skills, and new culinary techniques that they can use for a lifetime. I am very appreciative of the thrill that comes from coaching Connally ISD students in the hobby that I love and enjoy so much.”
With competition days that often start at 5:30 in the morning, participating on the Cadet-Q team is certainly not for the faint of heart. In spite of those challenges, the team members feel that the positives outweigh the negatives.
“I feel like competing on this team gives me some really valuable life skills,” freshman Matthew Sitton said. “It’s a lot of effort, but it’s a great environment to be in. You can make a lot of friends, and honestly, the food makes it worth it. The entire barbecue experience is fun.”
This year, the team has benefitted from the guidance of an additional coach. Russ Reed, who serves CISD as a career and technology education teacher at the high school, has enjoyed having the opportunity to work with his students in a different avenue.
“This team provides such a great opportunity to help our kids develop talents in an important trade,” Reed said. “It’s absolutely jaw dropping to go to one of these competitions and see all of the amazing things that they can do as cooks. It gives our kids a place to call their own while gaining valuable skills that can help them in the future.”
As the team gears up for future competitions, they hope to continue honing their skills to bring home some major awards. Simply put, they want to smoke the competition.
“Our goal is to make it back to the national competition,” sophomore Kaleb Meche said. “I’m hoping to learn more about food and how to cook. If I can do that, I’ll help our team get where they want to go."