Six schools. Three sink, three swim. At some point, it comes time to take off the training wheels and ride on to victory. And

Smithson Valley Theatre did just that. Dazzling the crowd with pulsing lights and vocal feats, raw emotion and unchecked terror, the cast strutted off the stage with a well-deserved confidence, applause becoming their soundtrack.

The one-act came home from district with a plaque and a mission after taking first place at UIL One Act Play district competition. After a unanimous first-place showing at the zone competition, the the cast and crew marched on to a 1-2-5 finish, good for first in the field of six. They advance in pole position for the second time in as many tries and hope to disprove the outlier as they travel to Schertz to take the stage at Samuel Clemens High School for bi-district on Wednesday.

Yet again, “GINT” raked in medals and plaques. Outstanding Technician went to junior Gracen Farmer. Honorable Mention Acting went = to junior Hannah Marfin, while All Star Cast was awarded again to freshman Izanelly Adan. And lead Caleb Mosley stole the spotlight once more, earning a second Best Actor award.

Aside from “GINT,”

Canyon, who was in Smithson Valley’s Zone competition, continued to place second fiddle with a silver-medal showing. New Braunfels won a tiebreaker with Cibolo Steele – who made state last year’s state competition – to pick up third.

The cast and crew now has two days to polish and work for the next competition on March 27.