ROME TOWNSHIP — Attention turned from animals to humans on Tuesday during the lamb showmanship portion of the 2014 Lawrence County Fair.

Ethan Cade, 13, of Starlite 4-H Club, and Austin Harper, 18, of Kitts Hill Willing Workers 4-H Club, move on to Friday’s Showman of Showmen competition after winning the junior and senior showman trophies, respectively.

Judge Matt Martin, of Attica, left no stone unturned in determining the winners doing such things as switching lambs among exhibitors and giving a crash-course of handling the smaller baby doll lambs.

“I’ve been exhibiting lambs for three years,” Harper said. “This is my first senior showmanship win.”

Harper has a previous win as a junior showmanship exhibitor and not only bragged on his lamb, “Pork Chop,” but said Friday’s Showman of Showmen is something that requires extensive preparation.

“It’s been a long week already and it just got a little bit longer,” he said. “But I am happy to have the opportunity.”

Cade also won first place in the Market Lamb heavyweight class.