Thumb Area Quiz Bowl wraps up Season

The Thumb Area Quiz Bowl League recently wrapped up its 15th season with two back-to-back tournaments at the Sanilac Career Center on March 24, 2015. Ten area high school quiz bowl teams were represented with over 100 students in grades 9-12 taking part.
The TAQBL held nine local tournaments during the months of January, February, and March at which the teams competed for top honors. As a result of winning a local tournament, teams from Ubly, Sandusky, CPS, Brown City, North Branch, Bad Axe and Marlette will end their year by taking part in the State of Michigan State High School Quiz Bowl Tournaments at MSU on April 17-18.
Last Tuesday’s event saw students compete in six academic subject areas and at their grade levels for gold, silver and bronze trophies by being the top students to buzz in with correct answers to a wide variety of questions for grade levels and specific questions in subject areas.
Taking home first place gold trophies were Collin Blatt (Marlette) in computer technology, Grant Sheridan (Sandusky) for science and the class of 2017), Aaron Smith III (CPS) in current events, David Doerr (Bad Axe) for language arts and social studies, Jake Aymen (Bad Axe) in math, Raymond Shavers (Brown City ) for the class of 2018, Tate Larson (Sandusky) for the class of 2016 and Bad Axe senior, Sequoyah Swiercz for the class of 2015.
Silver trophy recipients included Brittany Haskins (Marlette) in computer technology, Tate Larson (Sandusky) in math, Devon Robbins (Brown City) in science, Jake Aymen (Bad Axe) in current events, social studies and for the class of 2016, Casey Shepherd (Bad Axe) in language arts, Logan Childers (Brown City) for the class of 2018, Marcus Sheperd (Bad Axe) for the class of 2017 and David Doerr (Bad Axe) for the class of 2015.
Marlette’s Henry Bartholomew (senior) took home bronze trophies in current events, math, science and social studies.
A total of 35 individual trophies and six champion of champions medallions were awarded to students taking part in the event. Each participant received a gold lamp of learning lapel pin.
The last event of the day was the Winter 2015 League Championship Tournament. The one-game, seeded tournament included the top 8 schools from the winter season facing off for the “winner takes all” title of Champion of the Winter 2015 League. The questions used were the hardest available, as reflected in the lower scores. Each round used a set of fifteen tossup and bonus questions in which teams earned 15 points for a correct tossup questions with a five point deduction for any wrong answers. If correct, that team had a chance to come up with the correct response to a 10 point bonus question.
The first round saw Bad Axe eliminate North Branch (25-0), Brown City over Ubly (30-15), Sandusky squaeked by CPS (10 to negative 10) and Marlette defeated Peck (35-15) after Peck held a lead over Marlette for most of the first game.
Round two saw Bad Axe eliminate Brown City (90-5) and Marlette defeat Sandusky (95-5).
The championship match pitted the top two teams from the winter league, Marlette and Bad Axe, who seemed to “take turns” winning all season long. With a back-and-forth score throughout the match, it was Bad Axe winning it all over Marlette by just one question (70-55) to claim the Winter 2015 Championship.
. Marlette had previously won the Fall 2014 League Championship and also claimed victory recently at CMU’s Quiz Central television show, winning the Blue Division and earning runner-up honors in the forty-eight school show’s eleventh season which concluded taping on March 18th.
To view Marlette’s upcoming televised shows on Channel 28 (CMU Public Television), Wed. April 25th at 7:30pm, Sat. May 2nd at 5:30pm, Wed. May 13th at 7:30pm, Sat. May 17th at 5:30pm, Wed. May 27th at 7:30pm or Sat. May 30th at 5:30pm.
Seven players on the Marlette High Quiz Bowl team were awarded $4,000 scholarships to attend CMU. They include Adam Goodrich (senior), Page Crosby (junior), Abby Hedger (sophomore), Carlen Rye (sophomore), Lela Milligan (freshman), Katherine Howard (freshman) and Grace Decker (freshman).
The CPS High team also took part on Quiz Central this season with their final appearance being aired on Wed. April 8th at 7:30pm and again on Sat., April 11th at 5:30pm.
For more information on the Thumb Area Quiz Bowl League, including pictures from events, check out the League’s Facebook page on the internet.