The stage was set at Liberty Park in Memphis, Tennessee, and the venue was the Super Bowl of all barbecue competitions at the Memphis in May World BBQ Championships.
The Tallulah Falls School Pit Vipers competition barbecue team earned the right to join the seven-time World Champion of Yazoo Delta Q Melissa Cookston by winning the World Jr. BBQ Championship this past fall. According to Pit Vipers Head Pitmaster Tom Tilley, the two groups presented seven total entries to the judges.
“I’m so proud of them for their willingness to get out and do what we adults do because it’s grueling, emotionally and physically,” Cookston said. “And, it’s one of those things that adults find difficult, but when you can get a group of teenagers to master this sport, it’s pretty special.”
The combined teams finished:
Sixth, Whole Hog
Eighth, Turkey
23rd, Chicken
59th, Seafood
76th, Lamb
91st, Beef
95th, Hot Wings
“This was the coolest barbecue experience of my life, and it was just amazing,” said sophomore Matthew Wolfe.
The Pit Vipers include eighth-grader Frankie Pribyl of Canon; freshmen Jake Owensby of Cornelia, Teyrk Tilley of Tallulah Falls, Zach Freeman of Clarkesville, Jackson Carlan of Baldwin, and Lily Turpin of Demorest; sophomores Brooke Hayes of Cornelia and Matthew Wolfe of Clarkesville.
“These kids are just fantastic cooks, and they’ve proven they can compete with the best in the world,” Tilley adds.
Up next, the Pit Vipers will travel to LaFayette, Georgia, for the Honeybee BBQ Festival on June 3. This event will be a Kansas City BBQ Society and Georgia BBQ Championship sanctioned event.
