Two young women hoping to take home the crown in the 2021 Miss Arizona competition

PHOENIX, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The final round of the Miss Arizona competition took place Saturday night in Phoenix, Arizona. Our very own Miss Yuma County and Miss Yuma County’s Outstanding Teen have been in rehearsals throughout the past week. Gabriella Heinz and Ellie Evans have held their current titles for more than 18 months and it's the moment of truth for them.

There are 24 Miss Arizona's Outstanding Teen participants and 19 Miss Arizona participants.

Whoever makes it into the top 10 will compete in the talent, on-stage question, and evening gown portions. From there the top five were determined. Once they are locked into the top five the scores get tossed aside and it's in the judges' hands.

During the talent competition, Heinz performed “Bridge Over Troubled Water." Following that, during the question and answer portion, Miss Yuma County received a question asking if a vaccination card should be required to enter businesses. It's a hot topic right now.

“I don't. I actually have a friend who is currently in a clinical trial for a very serious illness that a lot of information is not known about. We're not sure how a vaccine could interact with their clinical trial and there are so many Americans that are also experiencing that same issue. I don't think it's fair that we would compromise their safety. For a vaccine that we do not have enough evidence about right now,” Heinz answered live on stage.

Before the competition, Heinz and Evans explained how they feel once the spotlight is on them.

“One thing that really helped me going into competition was actually just visualizing what I'm doing before I get up there and really getting into a headspace that's clear that's concentrated focused and preparing yourself preparedness is so important on the stage and it really does show who's ready to take on the job of Miss Arizona when you took the time out of your day to make sure that you're ready for whatever they throw at you,” Miss Yuma County said.

“I just think that once I'm on stage I have to rely on my prep work over these past 18 months having my title just relying and knowing that all the work that I've done is truly impacted my goals and I know that I'll push through no matter what and if it's my day it's my day,” Miss Yuma County Teen added.

Friday night the young women placed in the top three for the quality of life award for their hard work volunteering in the community.

On the final night, over on the teen side, Evans did not make it to the next round but she did an amazing job during the opening number. However, Ellie did take home the awards for best social media and best non-finalist interview.

Miss Yuma County made it to the top five which hasn't happened since Theodora Baker in 2018.

Heinz would eventually take home the second runner-up spot. She received an $800 scholarship and a full ride to Western New Mexico University.

The winner of Miss Arizona 2021 will compete in the 100th edition of Miss America in December and the winner of Miss Arizona’s Outstanding Teen will move on to the next step which takes place in July.

**All video from Saturday night's competition is brought to you by pageantvision.com.