LINN — State Tech students turned fire, teamwork, and creativity into a full-scale showcase of skill and community during the school’s fifth annual hog roast at the Vehicle & Power Center, an event that continues to grow in size and meaning across campus.

“It was a pleasure to walk through here and talk to students today,” said Big Bear’s Butcher Shop owner Ben Berhorst, who has led the event since its inception. “We had unbelievable presentations from all of you. We like to see you guys learn how to cook stuff. But what’s more important is that you make some memories and have some fun.”

In a squeaker, State Tech’s Nursing team, BBQ Bedside, won by a single point (119-118) after earning third last year in its first-ever competition.

“This was a team effort,” said team captain Kadence Berhorst.

Their win came not only from cooking, but from presentation, including a memorable skit in which their hog, “Bahama Mama,” gave birth to a piglet on a hospital bed, drawing attention across the event.

“The team did CPR last year,” said K. Berhorst. “We thought we need something to spice it up a little more, so we thought birth would be a fun thing to do.”

Behind the scenes, the work was anything but easy with the 97-pound hog.

“The toughest part was getting the pig off of the smoker once it was fully cooked, because it was bigger than the smoker, and if you tried moving it, it was just falling apart,” K. Berhorst said. “So we got a slide board that you use in nursing and we slid the pig right out.”

The nurses’ presentation stood out even among seasoned observers.

“To see the young ladies in the nursing program go through a skit of delivering the baby—that’s probably the day they had, by far the most exciting presentation,” said instructor Travis Koenigsfeld, whose Agriculture Operations team, “Barnyard Grillers,” finished second (118 points) after winning the event for two straight years. “It was enjoyable just watching the excitement they had.”

Koenigsfeld’s team worked with the heaviest hog at 140 pounds, producing a large yield of pork.

Koenigsfeld agreed that winning a third straight title would be difficult, but said the final result was secondary to the experience.

“We enjoy cooking, and these guys are really great team. They got a good team spirit, and we talk through all the steps that we have to do,” he said. “We make sure the temperature is right, and we’ve got some secret sauces. I feel like we had the moistest pork.”

Preparation for that team involved dozens of students and an overnight commitment.

“I would say 45 of them were involved, and six of them that were kind of the main part of it,” Koenigsfeld said. “Three or four of them stayed up all night long and watched the smoker every 20 minutes. Eli Barnett stayed with me; he was the man.”

Beyond the competition, instructors emphasized the real-world communication skills being developed.

“This is such an awesome event because it brings all the students together,” Koenigsfeld said. “We try to talk about communication and how we can get our younger students to communicate in the real world. This is an example: working with each other, talking to people like you, collaborating, and getting the ideas working to follow through with it.”

That mix of competition and collaboration was evident throughout the event, where programs across campus formed teams and worked through the cooking process together.

“We helped them source them, but the college bought the hogs, and we took it from there,” B. Berhorst said. “We scald the hogs and remove the hair, and then they are injected. The primary reason of the injection is food safety reasons. You have to have something in place.”

This year’s hogs ranged in size from 65 to 140 pounds, offering a wide range of approaches to preparation and cooking.

What started years ago as a small, hands-on effort has expanded into a campus-wide tradition.

“You know, 15 years ago, it was a much smaller deal, and it was just me personally doing it,” B. Berhorst said. “Now it’s gone campus-wide. We’ve always provided the processing, injecting for the students coming up.”

Despite the growth, the core goal has remained unchanged: putting students in unfamiliar situations and letting them figure it out together.

“When I started this thing, the whole point was most of these kids doing this have never done anything like this, and would have never dreamed of doing something like a hog roast,” B. Berhorst said. “But here, they get an opportunity where a hog is given to them. They get a team environment, and they assign a leader so somebody’s in charge, and they figure it out.”

That experience often carries beyond the event itself.

“I will get phone calls after this event from these kids from all over the state saying they want to take this back home and show mom and dad what they did,” B. Berhorst said. “In its own way, that’s kind of a life-changing thing.”

B. Berhorst pointed to the school’s footprint across trades.

“You’d be amazed at the percentage—if there’s somebody doing contracting, electrical, HVAC, heavy equipment, utilities, whatever, there’s a pretty good chance they’ve got a connection to State Tech.”

The Welding Technology team of first-year students, “Smoking Pig & Burning TIG,” finished third with 115 points, just three points behind second place.

Diesel Technology’s “Caterpillar Hog” placed fourth, while fifth place was shared by Powersports Technology (“High-Octane Hoggin’ & Boggin’”) and second-year Welding Technology (“Layin’ Dimes and Smokin’ Swines”).

Precision Machining Technology’s “Grills Gone Wild” placed seventh, while Electrical Technology’s second-year team, “Sparky’s,” finished eighth.

Facilities Operations and Maintenance fielded two teams, with second-year students earning 10th for “Pork Compliance Officers,” and first-year students placing 17th with “Hog Fathers,” featuring “Al Capork.”

Civil Construction Technology (second-year) tied for 11th with “Hog Crankers,” while second-year Civil Engineering Technology also tied for 11th with “Crankin’ Hogs.”

Utility Construction teams tied for 13th with “Porkies Hog” and “We Dig Your Pig.”

Drafting and Design Engineering Technology’s “Hoggers” finished 16th, Automotive Technology (High Performance) tied for 17th with “The Hog Crankers,” first-year Civil Construction Technology placed 19th with “Slinging Hogs,” Physical Therapy Assistant’s “PTA’s Hog” finished 20th, EET/DIG/NST/ELE placed 21st with “Hawaiian Punch,” and Electrical Distribution Systems finished 22nd.

HVAC’s “Three Little Pigs” entry was not judged after a smoker fire destroyed the original hog. The team instead served pork butts with homemade sauces.

As the event wrapped, attention quickly turned to what comes next.

“Next year, the next challenge is to come up with another theme to beat this one,” Koenigsfeld said.