Bryant Junior High School to attend state Quiz Bowl championship
Harmony Grove’s Quiz Bowl team has won the 3A State Championship for the third year in a row.
The team of seven players, who rotated substitutions in between rounds, participated in the tournament on Feb. 17 at Centerpoint High School. Sixteen teams from around the state were eligible to play in the state tournament.
Harmony Grove had previously won the regionals tournament at Harding University in a 6-0 victory.
“Our score average from regionals was 362.5 points per game,” said coach Brandon Bagwell. “At 3A State finals, we went 5-0 this time, averaging 420 points per game and scoring a season high.”
Team members
Conner Boyd and Tucker White also received recognition,
earning the Alltournament honors for each averaging over eight questions per game. Bagwell said the key to the team’s success is their practice strategy.
“We practice in the same format as real game play,” he said. “We go through toss-up rounds, bonus rounds, and lightening rounds.”
Bagel also has the team compete against each other in practices, and gave his students a
study packet to review and brush up on questions that they weren’t as quick to answer at tournaments. Further, he utilized the students’ extra study time.
“I pulled students on the quiz bowl team during RTI ‘CARDS’ time so that we could review concepts that appeared frequently, such as amendments to the constitution, Roman numerals, Greek/ Roman gods, famous literature, elements of
the periodic table, etc.,” Bagwell said.
The Arkansas Governors Quiz Bowl Association does not proceed to a national competition, so the team’s season is complete. However, Bagwell is still busy, getting the school’s Junior Beta Club ready for nationals in June.
“It gives me great pride to see the kids working hard and to have their hard work rewarded,” he said.