COOS BAY — It’s been a long time coming.

From the first time Alyssa Birrer stepped onto the Bay Area Teen Idol stage in 2006, it was clear to many observers that someday her powerhouse voice would win her the contest title.

That day came Saturday, when three years of competing paid off with prizes including $500 and a scholarship to Southwestern Oregon Community College.

“It had its ups and downs,” Birrer said of her road to the title. “It’s good to have the plaque in my hands.”

Birrer, a North Bend High School sophomore, was named the winner after she and three other finalists each performed three songs on the main stage of the Bay Area Fun Festival, in front of a crowd of more than 400. Star Moralez finished second, Mariah Rogers was third and Destyni Fuller was fourth.

In a very close race, it came down to the third round, when Birrer’s performance of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” put her over the top.

“She stood out a little more than everyone else,” said Mike Campbell of Charleston, one of four judges at the final. “Star Moralez has a beautiful voice, but Alyssa is just a great performer.”

Also judging were Kim Handsaker, Barbara Bates and guest judge David Walker, a KVAL anchor and Marshfield graduate who is new to Teen Idol.

Before the prizes were handed out, Coos Bay Mayor Jeff McKeown presented medals to all 17 contestants, each of whom performed several times in the final.

There were a lot of strong performances, including many from eliminated contestants who returned to repeat their best songs — Caitlin Mansfield with “Everywhere,” Alisha Molloy with “I Won’t Say I’m In Love,” and Krista Kilmer with “What a Feeling,” among them — as well as 2007 winner Clint Guevara.

Fuller was disappointed not to be at her best, but she showed she could step out of her comfort zone on Shania Twain’s “Man, I Feel Like a Woman.”

Rogers got her best finish ever after strong performances in the last two rounds with Colbie Caillat’s “Bubbly” and “Love Potion No. 9,” for which she dressed as a boy.

Moralez wowed the crowd in the first round with possibly her best-ever performance on “I Will Always Love You,” but in the third round she was upstaged by her backup dancers — a trio of young ballerinas who joined her for “Tiny Dancer.”

“Star, when she’s in her element, she’s unbeatable,” Birrer said. “She’s got a unique style.”

Birrer’s other performances included Martina McBride’s “Whatever You Say” and “When You Got It, Flaunt It,” from “The Producers,” for which she tried on a Swedish accent.

“She knew she needed an extra point or two somewhere, when you’ve got someone who can sing as well as Star,” said Lisa Boyle, Birrer’s mother.

Handsaker said the final tally was close and could have gone either way.

But Birrer was able to put the finishing touch on a Teen Idol career that has seen more weekly top scores than any other. It took a lot of work.

“Every minute that I wasn’t in school or soccer practice, I was rehearsing,” she said. “It’s time-consuming, but it pays off.”

Birrer said her experience with the program began as an audience member in its first year, 2003, when performances by Koral Aakre and Dan Gibbs sparked a love of performing. Around the same time, she first sang on stage in a SWOYA talent show and performed in a sixth-grade musical, where she found her calling.

“As soon as I stepped into musical theater, that was it,” she said.

Her first “real” show, Little Theatre on the Bay’s “Anything Goes” in 2007 sealed it. Birrer said she’s gotten a lot of help from people who were in the cast, especially Byrell Justice, but she gave the most credit to her mother.

Though she went into last year’s Teen Idol with the expectation of winning, Birrer said she was glad to have another year in the contest.

“Probably the high point of my entire Teen Idol experience was ‘Faithfully,’” Birrer said of her Aug. 7 performance. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I’d won the previous year. Performances like that do not come around all the time.”

Now that it’s over, Birrer said she’s looking forward to the break so she can “be a teenager” for a while, before she returns to the LTOB stage for several upcoming shows.

As she pursues her Broadway dream, Birrer said she’ll have good memories of Teen Idol.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” she said. “There’s always drama when you get a bunch of teenagers together, but overall it’s and excellent experience for anyone who wants to be on stage.”