A team of Perryville High School students turned quick thinking and teamwork into success last week, finding the third medallion in the Republic- Monitor’s annual Medallion Hunt.
Clayton Bauwens, Mason Ayers, Logan Krauss and Brock Balsman worked together to track down the hidden medallion shortly after picking up the newspaper and reviewing the latest set of clues.
The group said they received the paper just before 5 p.m. and immediately got to work.
“We jumped in the car and started looking through the clues,” Balsman said. “We found all the clues and thought, ‘Well, it’s obviously there.’”
A key clue referencing a stone laid in 1827 pointed them in the right direction. From there, the team quickly narrowed down the location and began searching.
They ultimately found the medallion hidden under a tree near a bush, behind a large stone building and past a log cabin.
The moment of discovery brought plenty of excitement — though the group tried to keep it under control with others nearby.
“We were very excited,” Balsman said. “There were a bunch of people there, so we were kind of trying to hide it at first.”
After confirming the find, the students gathered together and reported it to contest organizers.
While the $100 prize was a nice bonus, the group said the experience itself was the real reward.
“It’s not really the rewards,” Balsman said, noting the team has participated in the hunt together for several years.
Their persistence paid off this time, turning the search for the medallion into a memorable win.
