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Chemistry lab may not be everyone's favorite, but for Connor Criscoe and Cooper Faile it definitely ranks pretty high on the list.

The two Asheboro High School seniors proved they knew their stuff last month when they won the chemistry lab competition in the regional division of the North Carolina Science Olympiad at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

"It's definitely a very interesting domain of science," Connor Criscoe said. "I like how it combines very quantitative things for explaining what you see in everyday life you can actually work with gas laws and things that explain that."

The competition is definitely challenging, even for those at the top of their game.

"For instance, we had a 30 question test with only 15 minutes to do it between the two of us," Cooper Faile said. "So for that test, we actually found ourselves breaking apart the test and sharing the sheets so we could get through it in time. We managed to do all but one question on that test."

For many of the Science Olympiad competitions, the students can prepare ahead of time, making models or even doing practice labs. But when it comes to chemistry, that's not necessarily the case.

"You are allowed to bring in a notebook. So we had a 5-page notebook, each page front and back with notes that we were allowed to use," Faile explained. "So that was very helpful at least in gas laws because gas laws are just a bunch of equations."

Aside from the test there are hands-on labs much like the students will find in college and beyond.

Advisors say the experience is invaluable.

Criscoe and Faile will head to the Science Olympiad State Competition next month at North Carolina State University.