Students from Ernest Righetti and Pioneer Valley high schools earned top honors at the 16th annual Allan Hancock College high school welding contest on April 27.
They competed in beginning and advanced levels against almost 100 students from 10 high schools from Paso Robles to Santa Ynez.
Eric Alvarez from Righetti took first place in beginning MIG welding. Pioneer Valley’s Jose Rodriguez took second in advanced MIG. Righetti’s Will Jevne placed third in beginning OXY fuel welding, and Victor Benitez nabbed second at the advanced level.
In the STICK welding competition, Ricardo Contreras of Righetti championed the beginning bracket, while his schoolmates Tanner Tuttle and Daniel Aquilar-Sanchez placed first and second, consecutively, in the advanced contest.
Allan Hancock College also held a timed cutting contest, where participants used oxy fuel to cut a one-inch-thick-by-two-inches piece of steel. Righetti’s Contreras nailed the fastest time with 15.06 seconds.
This article appears in May 9-16, 2013.
