Wow.

No way I could have expected the reaction to the first-ever Chalk Talk Chow Down. The inaugural News-Herald High School Football Hot Dog Eating Contest was an unbelievable success. The Hooley House was packed, people stacked from table to table and from every inch of the restaurant trying to sneak a peek at the event.

Tom Strobel and Ben Yanosko from Mentor narrowly defeated teams from Riverside and North by eating 19 hot dogs in 7 minutes.

The vibe was great, the crowd was ridiculous, and the energy leads us to wanting to do another contest very, very soon. Tune back in Aug. 15 for the preview NH Chalk Talk show at Hooley House.

Better seating will be available, presumably, but who knows?

Get there early.

A special shout out to Alex Harmon from Riverside, who just had four wisdom teeth removed a week ago, but battled to help the Beavers team earn a runner-up finish. A true gamer.

Great night, great crowd, great that nobody got sick.

Nice, all the way around.

Hot dog.

- BTilton@News-Herald.com