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Southside qualified for the state quiz bowl tournament for the 24th consecutive year and earned a No. 2 ranking in Class 7A after the conference regionals.
The state tournament begins on April 12.
The Fort Smith school finished second in the 7A-West Quiz Bowl Regional, with its only loss coming on the final question to the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts. Quiz Bowl coach Josh Adams said the rest of the matches were blowouts, with wins of more than 200 points.
“We have a very good core of juniors that have a wide spread of knowledge,” said Adams. “This group is dedicated to winning state. Not being first in the region doesn’t change that goal — it just means a slightly harder path for us.”
Justin Han answered an average of 13 questions a game to earn MVP honors.
“Justin is viewed as one of the state's best literature and fine arts players this year by many of his peers at various schools,” Adams said. “By the state tournament his freshman year, he had earned a starting spot on my varsity roster, and he was the first freshman to do that since I’ve been coaching the team.”
Han is the only returning starter from last year’s team. The rest of this year’s varsity squad were substitutes last season. Of the 12 on the final roster for this season, eight were on the team last year.
“This is a very junior-heavy team. We only have two seniors, so many will be back next year,” said Adams. “The 7A-state winning freshmen will be hungry to earn varsity spots.”
Walter Woodie coaches the freshman team.
Little Rock Central is ranked first in Class 7A, followed by Southside (with four first-place votes), ASMSA, Fayetteville, and Bryant. Greenwood is ranked second in Class 6A, and County Line is picked fourth in Class 1A (with one first-place vote). Adams feels that the poll is accurate.
“They’re good teams,” he said. “If the questions match any of these teams’ strengths, we can go deep in the tournament, but I do like our chances.”
Adams said the team is well-versed in literature, fine arts, history and other subjects. He noted that their speed is an asset for their style of play and that the team communicates well during the team components of the game.
“This team knows each other well and has been playing with and against each other since the seventh grade,” Adams said. “Our practices are very competitive. They strive to be successful in all their activities and academics.”
The team rests during Spring Break but will practice multiple times a week in preparation for the state tournament, where they will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the other teams.
“Our strategy is to answer more questions than the other team and minimize the amount of unforced errors. If we do that, we can reach the state semifinals,” Adams said. “After that, you’re playing teams as good as we are, and then you need a little luck to go with the skill to continue winning.”
The competition, created by then-Gov. Bill Clinton, enters its 40th year. Like state athletic championships, quiz bowl finals for each classification will be televised on Arkansas PBS.
“It’s a rare opportunity for academic achievement to be showcased on TV,” Adams said. “It’s a great opportunity for Arkansas students to be showcased throughout the state. Quiz Bowl allows Arkansas students to represent their school in a capacity different from athletics or performance competitions.”
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Southside’s quiz bowl team prepares for state, led by MVP Justin Han
Continue reading...
The state tournament begins on April 12.
The Fort Smith school finished second in the 7A-West Quiz Bowl Regional, with its only loss coming on the final question to the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts. Quiz Bowl coach Josh Adams said the rest of the matches were blowouts, with wins of more than 200 points.
“We have a very good core of juniors that have a wide spread of knowledge,” said Adams. “This group is dedicated to winning state. Not being first in the region doesn’t change that goal — it just means a slightly harder path for us.”
Justin Han answered an average of 13 questions a game to earn MVP honors.
“Justin is viewed as one of the state's best literature and fine arts players this year by many of his peers at various schools,” Adams said. “By the state tournament his freshman year, he had earned a starting spot on my varsity roster, and he was the first freshman to do that since I’ve been coaching the team.”
Han is the only returning starter from last year’s team. The rest of this year’s varsity squad were substitutes last season. Of the 12 on the final roster for this season, eight were on the team last year.
“This is a very junior-heavy team. We only have two seniors, so many will be back next year,” said Adams. “The 7A-state winning freshmen will be hungry to earn varsity spots.”
Walter Woodie coaches the freshman team.
Little Rock Central is ranked first in Class 7A, followed by Southside (with four first-place votes), ASMSA, Fayetteville, and Bryant. Greenwood is ranked second in Class 6A, and County Line is picked fourth in Class 1A (with one first-place vote). Adams feels that the poll is accurate.
“They’re good teams,” he said. “If the questions match any of these teams’ strengths, we can go deep in the tournament, but I do like our chances.”
Adams said the team is well-versed in literature, fine arts, history and other subjects. He noted that their speed is an asset for their style of play and that the team communicates well during the team components of the game.
“This team knows each other well and has been playing with and against each other since the seventh grade,” Adams said. “Our practices are very competitive. They strive to be successful in all their activities and academics.”
The team rests during Spring Break but will practice multiple times a week in preparation for the state tournament, where they will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the other teams.
“Our strategy is to answer more questions than the other team and minimize the amount of unforced errors. If we do that, we can reach the state semifinals,” Adams said. “After that, you’re playing teams as good as we are, and then you need a little luck to go with the skill to continue winning.”
The competition, created by then-Gov. Bill Clinton, enters its 40th year. Like state athletic championships, quiz bowl finals for each classification will be televised on Arkansas PBS.
“It’s a rare opportunity for academic achievement to be showcased on TV,” Adams said. “It’s a great opportunity for Arkansas students to be showcased throughout the state. Quiz Bowl allows Arkansas students to represent their school in a capacity different from athletics or performance competitions.”
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Southside’s quiz bowl team prepares for state, led by MVP Justin Han
Continue reading...
