(WACO) –  Texas State Technical College’s Diesel Equipment Technology program hosted on Wednesday a Texas FFA Association Tractor Technician Career Development Event involving seven high school teams from North and Central Texas.

In the Texas FFA Association’s Area 5, Weatherford High School placed first, Denton High School came in second and Aledo High School placed third. Weatherford and Aledo high schools are in Parker County.

Academy High School in Bell County won first place for the association’s Area 8. Frost High School in Navarro County placed second, Teague High School in Freestone County came in third and Ferris High School in Ellis County placed fourth.

The top three teams from each area will compete in a state FFA tractor competition in March at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Teams of three students took a written test, did a parts identification test and troubleshot John Deere and Kubota tractors donated for the competition by Brazos Valley Equipment and Tipton International, both in Waco. Students drove the tractors once the teams found and fixed the problems.

TSTC’s Diesel Equipment Technology program instructors and students created the problems the high school students found in the tractors and served as contest judges.

John Bufford, 21, a TSTC Diesel Equipment Technology – Off-Highway Specialization major from Cleburne scheduled to graduate in May, said he enjoyed working with the high school students.

“It’s a pretty fun event,” Bufford said. “I was surprised the students came in and started the tractors up.”

John Goebel, a TSTC Diesel Equipment Technology instructor and event organizer, said he wanted the high school students to learn about tractor models and consider the technical college in their academic future. He said several current DET students were in FFA in high school.

TSTC offers Diesel Equipment Technology at the Waco, Fort Bend County, Marshall, North Texas and Sweetwater campuses.