Brandon Sato and Dustin Texeira, 2007 graduates of Maui High School, placed 10th at yesterday's 2007 Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills national finals at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Mich.

The team representing Hawai'i raced against the clock and 49 other two-person teams in the hands-on portion of the competition, which involved diagnosing problems in a deliberately "bugged" 2007 Ford Fusion and making repairs. The contest also included a written exam worth 40 percent of the total score.

The Hawai'i team was coached by Maui High teacher Neill Nakamura.

This is the 14th time that a Maui High team represented the state at the national finals. Teams from the Kahului campus won the national title in 1995 and 2000 and placed second in 2003 and 2005.