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Austintown Library crown guitar heroes
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor.Four Austintown competitors came together July 8 a rock and roll afternoon. They are, from left, Val Stipetich, Josh Breetz, Jonah Breetz and Shelby Childers.
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Josh Breetz put his all into his Guitar Hero round July 8 during the Austintown library's Teen Extreme Gaming Tournament.
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Josh and Jonah Breetz battle brother to brother in an early round.
By SARAH FOOR
The Austintown Public Library’s activity room walls were pounding with guitar riffs July 8, as their branch’s Teen Extreme Gaming Tournament qualifying round began.
The summer-long gaming tournament has already had qualifying rounds at the Boardman, Canfield, and Struthers library branches before Austintown teens gathered in their local library to do their thing.
The game was Guitar Hero 5, and in double elimination rounds, the player with the most points at the end of the round was deemed the winner. The branch champions are headed to Boardman Aug. 19, where they will battle for the top spot and a prize of $100.
The competitors in Austintown were Shelby Childers, 12, and Val Stipetich, 13, and brothers Josh Breetz, 18, and Jonah Breetz, 15.
Playing rock songs from acts like Aerosmith and Tom Petty, Shelby and Jonah rose to the top of their bracket, until Jonah pulled ahead by a close margin to become the Austintown champion.
“At least I have a month to practice,” he said when critiquing his performance.
Is your teen a Guitar Hero master? There are still two branch qualifiers left. Thursday at 2:30 p.m., the Newport branch is will host an event. On Aug. 22, Poland’s branch will welcome local guitar heroes.