Staff writer
Four of the five high schools in Marion County sent a team to state scholars’ bowl Saturday.
Marion and Hillsboro competed in the 3A meet at Belle Plaine, and Goessel and Centre competed in 1A at Quinter.
Marion High School
In the preliminary round, the Warriors won against Horton, 50-25, and Sabetha, 60-40. They then lost matches against Wichita Collegiate, 60-30; Cimarron, 30-10; and Council Grove, 50-40.
The match against Council Grove was to determine which team advanced to the final round, Coach Doug Vogel said. Regulation ended with a 40-40 tie. It took two tiebreaker questions before Council Grove was victorious.
Team members for MHS were senior Matt Thierolf, junior Sam Ehrlich, and sophomores Derek Stuchlik, Patrick Hodson, and E.J. Obermeyer.
“The team represented MHS well, and we are very proud of their accomplishments this year,” Vogel said. “With four of the five team members returning and a strong group of freshmen and eighth graders moving up next year, Marion should have a good chance to return to state in the near future.”
Hillsboro High School
The Trojans finished pool play with a 1-4 record. Their win came against tournament runner-up Lakin, 40-35.
Losses were against Douglas, 60-30; Kansas City Christian, 70-20; Norton, 70-30; and a 40-30 tiebreaker against Rock Creek.
Team members were Cody Blackketter, Ben Gottsch, Brianna Loewen, and David Winter.
“The team was competitive but didn’t get enough wins to advance out of our pool into the championship pool,” Coach Stuart Holmes said.
“The team still had an outstanding season, winning meets at Moundridge and Goessel, as well as winning first at the MCAA league meet, and of course qualifying for state.
“Congratulations especially to the seniors, as they have been a big part of the team’s success. We will miss Cody, Ben, and David next year, as they have done a great job!”
Goessel High School
GHS posted a 3-4 record in pool play, racking up wins against Wakefield, 30-20; Bucklin, 60-50; and Hartford, 40-10.
The team lost against Jetmore, 70-60; Frankfort, 50-20; Downs-Lakeside, 40-20; and Greeley County-Tribune, 40-20.
Team members included senior Anthony Esau, junior Lindsey Wedel, sophomores Adam Meysing, Laird Goertzen, and Michelle Unruh, and freshman Alex Schmidt.
“Anthony will be greatly missed next year,” Coach Wes Schmidt-Tieszen said. “His last meet was outstanding, as he averaged getting two questions correct per round. However, I do look forward to next year with an outstanding group of returning scholars.”
Centre High School
The CHS team went 1-6 in pool play. The win was against Linn, 50-0. Losses were against St. Xavier, 70-30; Cheylin, 60-50; Ashland, 90-10; Stafford, 70-10; Natoma, 50-20; and Rolla, 60-20.
Representing CHS were Jacob Jirak, Josh Leach, Kseniya Vyonohradova, Theo Kassebaum, and Ben Seeman.