East Chambers FFA Shines Bright at the 2026 Texas Rice Festival

The Texas Rice Festival brought out fierce competition, community pride, and outstanding talent this year, with the East Chambers FFA Chapter delivering an unforgettable performance. From the livestock arenas to the specialized agricultural judging contests, East Chambers students showcased their dedication, hard work, and passion for Texas agriculture—bringing home major titles, multiple champion banners, and top chapter honors.

TRF Steer and Breeding Beef Show Results

East Chambers cattle exhibitors dominated across multiple steer, bull, and heifer classes throughout the show, earning top ribbons and major drive banners:

Steers

Class 1 American Steers: Paisley Gentile 2nd 

Class 2 American Steers: Jessica Bordelon 6th 

Class 3 American Steers: Paisley Gentile 3rd 

Class 4 American Steers: Aiden Baker 4th 

Class 5 American Steers: Aiden Baker 3rd

Class 8 Exotic Steers: Rebekah Gibson 5th

Class 11 Exotic Steers: Kolt Kraehnke 9th

Bulls

Class 1 American Bulls: Masen Bouse 2nd,

Jessica Bordelon 3rd

Class 5 Exotic Bulls: Samantha Espinal 1st & Champion Exotic

Overall Champion Bull:  Samantha Espinal

Heifers & Breed Champions

ABC Heifers: Layton Phend took 1st and 4th in Class 1, securing Champion ABC.

Beefmaster Heifers: Hadley Turner placed 2nd and 5th in Class 9, and captured 1st in Class 10 to earn

Reserve Champion Beefmaster. Rebekah Gibson also represented East Chambers in Class 9.

Grey Brahman: Strong showing across multiple classes, leading to top honors:

Class 14: Teal Kraehnke 1st, 3rd, Jenna Fitzgerald 2nd, Rylee Fitzgerald 4th, Aiden Baker 6th 

Class 15: Kolt Kraehnke 1st

Class 16: Rylee Fitzgerald 1st, Aiden Baker 2nd 

Banners: Champion Grey Brahman – Teal Kraehnke | 

Reserve Champion Grey Brahman – Kolt Kraehnke

Red Brahman: Paisley Gentile took 2nd and Madison Hardy took 3rd in Class 19.

F1 Heifers

Class 25: Madison Holifield 1st

Aiden Baker 2nd

Jenna Fitzgerald 4th

Paisley Gentile 6th 

Kolt Kraehnke 7th

Masen Bouse 9th

Rylee Fitzgerald 10th

Class 26: Teal Kraehnke 1st

Banner: Reserve Champion F1 – Teal Kraehnke

Simbrah: 

Class 33:

Olivia Miner 1st

Jessica Bordelon 4th 

Kendi Broomas 6th 

Class 34:

Layton Phend 1st 

Banners: Champion Simbrah – Layton Phend | 

Reserve Champion Simbrah – Olivia Miner

Simmental: 

Class 61:

Layton Phend 2nd & 4th 

Class 6/:

Samantha Espinal placed 4th and 2nd in Class 63.

Major Show Honors

Texas Rice Festival Reserve Champion Heifer: Teal Kraehnke

Lamb show

Kimber Johnson 4th 

Goat show

Wyatt Bordelon 2nd place junior showmanship, 10th in class

Paisley Gentile 2nd place intermediate showmanship, 3rd in class 

Rabbit show 

Rice Judging & Premier Chapter Honors

The excellence extended far beyond the show ring. Highlighting the chapter’s agricultural knowledge and keen evaluation skills, East Chambers FFA competed at the top level in the Rice Judging Contest:

2nd Place Team: East Chambers FFA Rice Judging Team

Individual Honors: Rylee Fitzgerald 4th High Individual and Rebekah Gibson 8th High Individual

To cap off an incredible festival, East Chambers FFA was honored with the prestigious 2026 Texas Rice Festival Premier Award, recognizing the chapter’s outstanding overall involvement, sportsmanship, and success across festival events.

Congratulations to all the exhibitors, team members, advisors, and supporters who made this Texas Rice Festival a resounding success for East Chambers FFA!