Loud Mouths munch their way to second Crunch-Off title

Girl Scout Leaders exult to win the 14th Annual Missouri Heartland Cookie Crunch-off Friday night at Franklin P. Norman City/County Community Center. Narrowly besting the R-5 Bus Drivers team, the leaders took the championship to start the Girl Scouts' cookie drive for the second straight year. The 3M squad was third, YMCA was fourth and Boy Scouts were fifth. Photos by James R. Campbell/Daily Mail.

By about half a cookie, the Girl Scout Loud Mouth Leaders edged Nevada Bus Drivers to win the 14th Annual Girl Scout Cookie Crunch-off for the second year running.

With a large crowd cheering them on at Franklin P. Norman City/County Community Center, the five-woman squad attacked their five plates of eight cookies each and slurped water to wash them down as the R-5 School District drivers crunched their way into the lead Jan. 6.

Girl Scout leader Joelle Mason's team was about a cookie behind when her turn came as the closer, but her long experience in the highly competitive event carried the day and buoyed the leaders across the figurative finish line with another exhilarating win.

The R-5 Nevada Bus Drivers, center with the bearded Nick Wright about to take his turn, won second place in last Friday night's 14th Annual Girl Scout Cookie Crunch-off at Franklin P. Norman City/County Community Center. Taking part for the first time were Boy Scouts including John Hunter, at the table, and the next-in-line Nathan Vincent. Behind them is Scoutmaster Walt Coffer.

The other champion chompers were Sara Kettner, Nani Wilde, Tammy Rundell and Tricia Matthews.

Mason said afterward that the plaque presentation was particularly gratifying because this is the 100th anniversary year of the Girls Scouts of America and a 50-member group of local scouts and leaders will go to Savannah, Ga., in honor of that from July 15 through 21.

Savannah is the hometown of Juliette Gordon "Daisy" Low (1860-1927), who founded the Girl Scouts in 1912.

"We will have more fundraisers because we're still a little short of our goal of $25,000," said Mason, explaining that last weekend began the Scouts' annual cookie sale drive. "We have been raising money for two years for this trip."

For the first time in local crunch-off history, a troop of Boy Scouts took part, finishing last among five teams but gaining some of the experience that is necessary to compete at a higher level. Led by Walt Coffer of Deeerfield, the Troop 42 scoutmaster from the First United Methodist Church in Nevada, those contestants were John Hunter, Nathan Vincent, Jonathan Palmer and Myles Coffer. Walt Coffer said Scouts Brenton Palmer and Devon Harkrader were there to observe.

In third place, a 3M Corp. team started its comeback after a period of ineligibility because it had three-peated, and the YMCA was fourth.

After a round of games for an estimated 100 children, the event began with a trophy presentation to 2011 champion salesgirl Kaitlynn Vincent, who sold over 1,000 boxes.

Mason said 13 Vernon County Girl Scouts of America troops will take individual cookie orders through Jan. 26 and continue their effort at booths around the county through March 10.

She said the project will teach about 80 Scouts money management, goal-setting, decision-making, business ethics and people skills.

Available flavors include Thanks-a-Lot cookies dipped in fudge, Lemonade, Shortbread, Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties, Carmel DeLites and Peanut Butter Sandwiches.