Southwest H.S. tractor team in national finals

Before pictures of the 1953 Allis Chalmers Model G restored by Corey Verstraeten, 13, and Brett Verstraeten, 17, a tractor originally owned by their great grandfather, in San Antonio on Wednesday, September 18, 2013. less Before pictures of the 1953 Allis Chalmers Model G restored by Corey Verstraeten, 13, and Brett Verstraeten, 17, a tractor originally owned by their great grandfather, in San Antonio on Wednesday, September 18, ... more Photo: Courtesy Photo Photo: Courtesy Photo Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Southwest H.S. tractor team in national finals 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

After pouring their hearts into a restoration job that turned a 60-year-old tractor into a fiery orange showpiece, two Southwest Independent School District students now have a shot at a national title.

One of 12 teams — eight of them from Texas — selected as finalists for the 2013 Delo Tractor Restoration Competition, the students will travel to Louisville, Ky. to present the machine, a 1953 Allis Chalmers Model G, to judges at the Future Farmers of America Convention, which starts Oct. 30.

Brett and Corey Verstraeten, brothers from a farming family in the area, will head to Louisville to represent the Southwest FFA. Brett, a senior at Southwest High School, and Corey, an eighth-grader at McNair Middle School, have been working on the tractor's dazzling restoration for two years, a school spokeswoman said.

Jeff Snyder, industrial brand specialist for Chevron Products Co., which sponsors the competition, said students participating in the event have produced inspiring results.

“What they have done goes well beyond simply fixing a tractor,” Snyder said in a news release. “Through patience, tenacity, determination and teamwork they have restored a piece of history, created lifelong memories and learned skills they can use throughout their life.”

The FFA teams will be graded on the restoration process, safety precautions, results, documentation and oral presentations.

Teams have a chance at prizes ranging from $10,000 for the grand champion to $3,000 for third place.

The competition, begun in 1995, rewards “the creativity, technical aptitude and business knowledge of high school-aged students from around the country,” according to the group's website.

Southwest ISD, located on the southwest tip of Bexar County, has experienced rapid student enrollment growth as more families are drawn closer to the Eagle Ford Shale drilling boom taking place south of San Antonio.

The brothers' restoration efforts were led by agriculture science teachers Mackenzie Haag and Doug Townsend, who also are FFA sponsors.

When asked if it was difficult to attract participation for the club as demographics for the school shift, Haag said in an email that “it is a challenge” but added that both boys come from a rural background and their dad is a farmer, “making it easier for the boys to have the necessary background to compete in this event.”

mcesar@express-news.net