PORTLAND, Oregon – The competition was thorny at the 15th annual Rose City Challenge, but the Bainbridge Island Boys Gymnastics team rose to the occasion.

Members of the Bainbridge team finished out the meet — which drew more than  600 boys from five Northwest states on March 4-6 — with medals in multiple events.

Level 4 gymnasts took it to the mat against a hard-hitting throng of 30 teams. Leo Koch and Roland Koch came away with Silver All-Around Achievement medals and Charlie Phillips nabbed a Bronze All-Around Achievement Medal.

Veteran gymnast Owen Scheer blazed through his Level 5 events, hauling in a second place in both pommel horse and vault, a bronze in floor and rings and a third-place tie for the all around.

Jayden Wood Johnson was right on his heels, nailing fourth overall with a silver on high bar and a bronze on pommel.

Jacob Hall brought fierceness and power to the pommel, pocketing fourth and grabbing sixth place overall.

Aidan Cretarolo kicked up the competition a notch with the Level 6 gymnasts, and won bronze on floor with an impressive routine. With a solid fourth on rings and fifth on vault, he landed squarely in fifth in the all around.

Kiernan Liberman took on Level 8 athletes and proved unbeatable on parallel bars as he swung in for a laser-focus gold medal routine. Rock-solid silver medal performances secured Liberman a second place overall.

The admirable athletes from Bainbridge return to the action at the state meet, scheduled for March 19-20 at the Bainbridge Island High School Gymnasium.