photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Maci Perrins receives congratulations from her father, Erik Perrins, after winning the 2025 Douglas County Spelling Bee on Feb. 8, 2025.

Beat you, Patrick Mahomes.

While football fans across the region will be tuning in Sunday to see if the Kansas City Chiefs can win the big one three times in a row, Lawrence sixth grader Maci Perrins beat them to the “threepeat.”

Perrins, a Southwest Middle School student, won the 2025 Douglas County Spelling Bee on Saturday at Billy Mills Middle School in Lawrence. The victory in the event — which is sanctioned by the Scripps National Spelling Bee and hosted locally by the Journal-World — qualifies Perrins to compete at the statewide spelling bee in March.

Perrins, daughter of Kristi and Erik Perrins, finished second in that event last year, falling one place short of qualifying for the national spelling bee in Washington, D.C..

“I have my eyes on D.C. and nationals,” Perrins said.

There was a moment early in the contest when the victory was in some doubt. The word was “elusive,” and Perrins paused longer than normal to complete the spelling. But poetic justice would have to wait for another day. A third straight championship wouldn’t be elusive.

Perrins ultimately would spell the word “astringent” to win the championship.

While NFL records are a bit easier to find than Douglas County Spelling Bee records, it can be said that Perrins’ threepeat is the first in recent memory. It also is the first in her family, which is saying something. Her sister Bryn won in 2016 and her brother Ethan won it in 2014.

“It never gets old,” mother Kristi Perrins, said. “Neither the nerves nor the happiness.”

Focus now turns to preparing for the state bee in Salina. That will involve lots of flashcards, Maci said. Her mother, however, said there’s also a method that may surprise some — television.

“She leaves the closed captioning on the television so she can learn new words,” Kristi said.

Isn’t that why all of us leave it on? (I SAID, ISN’T THAT . . .)

Perrins bested 23 other spellers on Saturday who previously had won bees at their local schools to advance to the countywide competition. Baldwin City fifth-grader Makenna Ising finished in the runner-up spot in Saturday’s bee.

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Makenna Ising, a student at Baldwin Intermediate Center, was the runner up in the Douglas County Spelling Bee on Feb. 8, 2025.

Ising, daughter of Sheena Parsons and Drew Ising, said she is an avid reader, which helps greatly with her spelling. This was the second year that Ising qualified for the county bee. Students can qualify through their eighth grade year, which means she will have another chance to end Perrins’ streak.

“I came close this year,” she said.

Of course, the rules also mean that Perrins could have an opportunity to win two more bees before her career is done. A five-peat?

No pressure, Patrick.

Here’s a complete list of Douglas County students who qualified for this year’s spelling bee: Bryce Glover, Baldwin Junior High; Makenna Ising, Baldwin Intermediate Center; Akeila Young, Billy Mills Middle School; Kingston McCall, Bishop Seabury Academy; Clara Klein, Cordley Elementary; Ellie Strickland, Corpus Christi Catholic School; Mirabelle Morgan, Deerfield Elementary; Simon Perez, Eudora Elementary; Ethan De La Rosa, Eudora Middle School; Owen Williams, Hillcrest Elementary; Kellan Elmore, Langston Hughes Elementary; Kendall Clark, Lawrence Virtual School; Alex Hamilton, Liberty Memorial Central Middle School; Oscar Kellerman, New York Elementary; John Vosos, Quail Run Elementary; Theodore Wegmann, Raintree Montessori School; Piper Heptig, Schwegler Elementary School; Maci Perrins, Southwest Middle School; Markis Krestas, St. John Catholic School; Ethan Gipson, Sunflower Elementary; Henry Apprill, Sunset Hill Elementary; Rose Alley, Veritas Christian School; Olivia Morgan, West Middle School; Erick Swenson, Woodlawn Elementary.

Judges this year were teachers Neal Ballard, Sam Rabiola, and Lori-Kay Rabiola. The event’s pronouncer was Lisa McLendon, a professor of journalism at the University of Kansas.

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Maci Perrins, 2025 Douglas County Spelling Bee winner, is pictured on Feb. 8, 2025.