ROME TOWNSHIP — With the Showman of Showmen competition taking place at the county fair Friday morning, those 4-Hers taking first place showmanship honors last week for their individual animals competed against each other for first overall honors.

The senior division (ages 14-18) started the competition where Brenna Morris, Kara Saunders, Dylan Back, Kimberly Schmidt, Katie Webb, Ann-Michal Dyer and Levi Cade displayed their skills, showing all of the animals as well as what they knew about each one.

Hogs started the show off followed by goats, lambs, steers, rabbits and chickens.

Coming in third place was Kara Saunders, who won her individual animal showman award showing hogs. Ann-Michal Dyer took second place after winning the first place showman award for steers, with Dylan Back claiming first place. Back made it to the Showman of Showmen competition for showing his goat. He was also the market goat reserve champion this year.

“It just feels really good to win,” Back said. “It shows that all the hard work pays off.”

Back, 15, is from Kitts Hill and said this was his third total showman trophy.

Judging the senior competition was Courtney Tarvin of Mount Olivet, Kentucky. Tarvin recently graduated from Ohio State University and was part of the OSU Livestock Judging Team.

The junior division (ages 8-13) showman competition was a little different in that each exhibitor went around to different stations with each animal and told the various fair officials who were judging each station about the animals. Morgan Klaiber, Maddy Needs, Maggie Ashworth, Garrett and Gracie Daniels, Noah Hessler and Chastity Adams competed for the top prize.

Coming in third place was Gracie Daniels, who won individual showman for her market goat. Maggie Ashworth, who won the showman award for rabbits, took second and Morgan Klaiber of Willow Wood claimed the top junior division Showman of Showmen honor. Klaiber won her individual showman award showing her lamb.

“Knowing I got junior showman makes me really happy,” Klaiber, who just turned 14, but was still able to compete in the junior division, said. “I studied all night last night and got a lot of books from other people.”

Klaiber said she has been involved with 4-H for six years, but this was her first time being in the junior Showman of Showmen.