Local first responders participated in the fifth annual Molto Grande Meatball Eating Contest on Saturday.
There were three teams and each had to devour a massive pile of meatballs in two minutes. Marinara sauce went flying as deputies from the Bexar County Sheriff's Office faced off against San Antonio firefighters and police officers.
The Bexar County Sheriff's Office has won the meatball showdown the last four years but that didn't stop other first responders from training hard.
"It's a full frontal assault on these meatballs, they won't tell us what their training regime is, they try to keep that a secret but they are ready to go," said Richard Miller, president of the 100 Club of San Antonio.
Training paid off once again for the sheriff's office with a team of four deputies eating 37 meatballs. They ultimately forfeited their win after local nonprofit, Forward in Fitness, announced they would donate $100,000 to the 100 Club of San Antonio if the Bexar County Sheriff's Office turned over their win to the fire department. Without hesitation, the deputies did.
The meat-eating tradition has been a part of the 100 Club's annual Spaghetti Dinner which benefits families and children of fallen officers killed in the line of duty.
Photo: Spectrum News