The IV League were overall winners in the Hope Watermelon Festival Olympics Thursday night.

There was plenty of participation in both the Junior Watermelon Olympics and the Watermelon Olympics proper Thursday evening, as competitors tried their skills in the various rounds. Individual winners were named in the Junior Olympics. Teams were crowned in the adult Olympic.

In the Olympics for grownups, the slate of events for the four competing teams were golf, three-on-three basketball, volleyball, tug-of-war and, finally, a relay race involving first carrying and then rolling large watermelons. Among the officials were Ronnie Kidd and Summer Powell.

The results were:

First place I.V. Leaguers (comprised of Captain Larry Billings, Arianna Leaper, Taryn Kidd, Jessica Hardin, Tyler Moten, Wylie Litchford, Garrett Gresham, Reed Barham )

Second place The Crew (Captain Jodi Coffee, Trevor Coffee, Jennifer Smith, Colby Powell, Anna Powell, Paul Wilson, Adam Pinner, Laurie Pinner and Clay Flowers)

Third place Clayton's Homies. (Captain Chandler Collier, Josh Ross, Taylor Wood, Matt Lovely, Jose Arroyo, Gavan McCauley, Anna Collier, Rachel Wood)

In the Junior Olympics children vied with one another in ring toss, bag racing, egg walk and watermelon walk (which is done by placing a watermelon inflatable between one's knees before hopping toward the finish line).

The overall winner of this event was Heath Bane. Second place was Zoey Smith. Third was Devin Griffith.

Additional reporting by April Lovette. Pictures by Tyler Cox.

Winners of the Junior Olympics from left Zoey Smith, Devin Griffith and Heath Bane.

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