SAFFORD — For the first time since 2019, Thatcher gets the spelling bragging rights.
Thatcher sixth-grader Gavin Lauritzen correctly spelled “eligibility,” then correctly spelled “lactose,” in the 11th round to win the 2026 Graham County Spelling Bee Wednesday at the Graham County General Services Building.
In his second year competing for the county title, Lauritzen said he “actually studied” this year to have a chance at winning. But even with that, he wasn’t totally certain.
“I was just like, in my head . . . ‘Did I get it right? Did I get it right?’” Lauritzen said.
The second-place finisher, who will serve as the alternate if Lauritzen cannot take part in the Arizona Spelling Bee, is Elayna Lutz, of Safford Middle School.
The Bee started with a small bit of controversy, when Solomon Elementary’s Moragn Lacy was knocked out on the second word of the night, despite correctly spelling the word “ode.” It was swiftly discovered the word was “owed” and a definition was not provided before Lacy took her turn, so she was allowed back in the contest and stayed until Round 6.
Following Lacy’s re-entry, two others were knocked out in Round 1, four in Round 2, two in Rounds 3 and 4, one in Round 5, two in Round 6, and one in Round 8, setting up the showdown between Lauriyzen and Lutz.
Those two spelled cleanly for two rounds, before Lutz missed on “eligibility,’ giving Lauritzen the chance to win the first-place trophy.
– David Bell Photo/Gila Valley Central
“The spellers either practiced more or the words weren’t as difficult, I’m not sure. But last year my notes half the group left (in the first few rounds), so I’m glad because it gave them a chance to participate longer than one word,” said Donna McGaughey, Graham County superintendent of Education and organizer of the spelling bee.
Lauritzen now advances to the Arizona Spelling Bee, March 21, at the Madison Center for the Arts in Phoenix. The winner there will advance to the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee, May 26-28, at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
