It’s been another successful season to date for the Washington Scholar Bowl teams.
On Jan. 26, Washington A beat Washington B in the final at Webster Groves, taking the top two spots in a field of 12 teams.
On Feb. 2, Washington C, consisting of just Samantha Doepker, a 13-year-old freshman playing on a team all by herself, won at Sullivan's 30-team tournament. Samantha also became the first-ever female solo winner of a MOQBA sponsored tournament.
Washington A and Washington B, which were two-person teams, placed third and sixth, respectively, giving Washington half of the top bracket teams, and half of the top six.
January 26 at Webster Groves
Washington took three teams to compete at Webster Groves. The 12 total teams were seeded into two prelim brackets of six teams, the top three of which would go into playoffs for the afternoon.
Washington A went 5-0 with wins over Sullivan B, Washington C, DeSmet A, Parkway North and Notre Dame (Cape Girardeau), and made the playoffs.
Washington B went 4-1 with wins over Rolla, Sullivan A, DeSmet B and Sullivan C. They lost a close match to Parkway Central, but made the playoffs as second in their bracket.
Washington C went 2-3 with wins over Notre Dame and Sullivan B. They finished fourth in their bracket, and missed the playoffs, ending the day in the consolation bracket. There they went 1-4, ending at 3-7 and in 11th place. Team members were Katlynn Miller, Owen Spreckelmeyer, and Elijah Uffman.
In the playoffs, the six teams started with fresh records. The games they had played against other playoff teams did not carry over, meaning they would play five games, two against previous opponents, and three against the other bracket teams.
Washington A defeated DeSmet A and Parkway North, and then beat Rolla and Parkway Central. Washington B also defeated DeSmet, Parkway North and Rolla, and got revenge on Parkway Central to set up the game against Washington A as the top two seeds. Washington A won that match, and thus held the advantage in the final. A won the first game of the final to take the tournament, with B finishing second.
B Team members were Marcie Lampe (second place scoring medal), Max Grimes and Silas Clements.
A Team members were Kaleb Burr (8th place scoring medal), Audrey Bush (10th place scoring medal), Samantha Doepker (fourth place scoring medal) and James Collier (fifth place scoring medal)
Half of the top 10 scorers were Washington players, including every single player on the Washington A team.
February 2 at Sullivan
Washington A and B both had a junior and a freshman each, but Washington C consisted of a single, solitary freshman, Samantha Doepker, and she made history.
The 30 teams were placed in five brackets of six teams.
Washington A beat Hermann A, Rolla A, St. Clair, and New Haven C, but lost to Richland A, who had lost to Rolla A. Washington A took the top spot as the highest scoring 4-1 team.
Washington B went 5-0 in prelims, beating Osage, Owensville A, Warrenton, Rolla B and Viburnum B, winning their bracket.
Washington C went 5-0 in prelims, beating Pacific, Oakville B, Viburnum A, Richland B, and the homeschool collective, STL Patriots.
The five bracket winners, runners up, and the top two third place teams were put in playoffs, set in three brackets of four. All three Washington teams were in playoffs.
Washington A won their afternoon bracket, beating Brentwood, Osage, and Oakville A to take one of the top 4 spots in super playoffs.
Washington B beat Richland A, but lost to STL Patriots and Eldon, placing third in their bracket, and made the places 5-8 bracket as the top third place finisher.
Washington C beat Hermann A and Fatima, but lost a 15-point game against Eureka, who had previously lost to Hermann A. The 2-1 tie was given to Samantha as she had scored more total points.
In the 5-8 bracket, Washington B beat Eldon and Hermann A, but lost to Eureka to finish sixth at 8-3. Team members were Marcie Lampe (sixth place individual medal) and Kyle Meyer (10th place individual medal).
Washington A and Washington C were in the final bracket of four, along with STL Patriots and Oakville A, the top second place finisher. Again, half of the top four teams were Washington players.
Washington A beat Oakville, but lost to Patriots, and to Washington C, finishing third at 8-3. Team members were Silas Clements and Audrey Bush (third place individual scoring medal)
Washington C beat all three teams to take the top overall spot at 10-1. Samantha won those final three games by a total combined 80 points.
Some thoughts from WHS Coach David DEnnis on what a solo win means:
"Scholar bowl tournaments are grueling things. There's 20 tossup questions, and 20 possible bonuses, each with 3 parts. You can be asked 80 different questions in a game, and days typically last from 9-12 games. Imagine taking a day-long test with possibly 1,000 questions, and if you score between 50 to 60 percent on that test, you're doing very well. The mental stamina of the top teams is really a remarkable thing.
"We track team and players stats as the day goes along. Typically points per bonus can predict the finish. You get the 3-part bonus question, and the other team just sits there while you play it. Points per bonus is a real how much do you know stat. Samantha had the 5th best PPB on the day, and the lowest of the top 4. But, time after time after time, she consistently found ways to pull out a win.
"Winning close games late in the day is hard. To do that as a solo player is much harder. To do that as a 13-year old freshman? I don't have words for that.
"The Missouri Quiz Bowl Alliance has been hosting and running tournaments for slightly over a decade now. There have been a handful of players who have won a tournament playing solo. I don't know of any other player who did that as a freshman
"One of our biggest accomplishments last year was when Audrey, Marcie, and Elise Thierbach won a tournament at Oakville, becoming the first-ever all-female team to win a MOQBA event. Now, Samantha is the first-ever girl to win a tournament playing solo."
Washington A beat Washington B in the final at Webster Groves, taking the top two spots in a field of 12 teams. A
Team members were: Kaleb Burr (8th place scoring medal), Audrey Bush
(10th place scoring medal), Samantha Doepker (4th place scoring medal)
and James Collier (5th place scoring medal).
Samantha Doepker won the scholar bowl tournament at Sullivan. She's pictured with WHS Coach David Dennis.
Washington A beat Oakville, but lost to Patriots, and to Washington C, finishing 3rd at 8-3.Team members were Silas Clements and Audrey Bush (3rd place individual scoring medal).
Washington B beat Eldon and Hermann A, but lost to Eureka to finish 6th at 8-3. Team members were Marcie Lampe (6th place individual medal) and Kyle Meyer (10th place individual medal).