Senior Alex Eiband placed third in the Automotive Service Technology at the SkillsUSA state competition in Corpus Christi, April 2.

“It was satisfying,” Eiband said. “But annoyed because if you ain’t first you’re last.”

He is the first student to place in a state competition from Rouse.

“He took two written exams and showed his automotive skills at 11 different stations,” AutoTech teacher Jeff Milam said. “He competed against the best 22 students across the state.”

For taking third in state he received a $3,000 scholarship and a free elective for his secondary education. Eiband will attend UTI in Phoenix for Automotive and plans on signing on with General Motors and going through their training after finishing at UTI.

Wesley Back and Ryan Hage also competed at the state level after placing at SkillsUSA district in February.