Heartland Quiz Bowl Team Members top row L to R: Austin Schmidt, Brian Bearinger; 2nd row: Adi Duerksen, Tara Buzek, Nick Opfer; Bottom row: Lydia Jahnke, Emma Ott, Riley Quiring
The Heartland Quiz Bowl team of Austin Schmidt (12), Adi Duerksen (11), Tara Buzek (10), and Brian Bearinger (9) won the small school division at the ESU 6 competition in Seward on Tuesday, earning a trip to the Nebraska State Quiz Bowl tournament, which will be held on April 30th in Hastings.
The teams were divided into three divisions based on school size. The winners of the three divisions were then eligible for one of two spots available for the state competition. The top-scoring team automatically qualified, and the remaining two teams faced off in a deciding match. With a score of 130 points, Heartland just nudged ahead of medium school winner Malcolm (120) and large school winner Waverly (120) to earn the automatic berth. Last year, the Huskies lost the playoff match in sudden death to just miss the state tournament.
The competition started with both Heartland teams playing in three round-robin matches. The A team of Austin, Adi, Tara, and Brian finished with a 3-0 record and the number 1 seed going into the afternoon single elimination tournament. The B team of Lydia Jahnke (12), Riley Quiring (11), Nic Opfer (10), and Emma Ott (10) finished the morning with a 0-3 record and the number 11 seed.
The B team faced the B team from Nebraska Lutheran, and the score was tied at the end of regulation. After three questions in sudden death, the Huskies were done for the day.
The A team had a first-round bye before facing the A team from Dorchester, which they won 135-15. They then faced the A team from Exeter-Milligan in what would end up being their closest match of the day. The team held on for a 65-60 victory to advance to the championship round. The opponent for the final round was McCool Junction, and they won convincingly 130-80.
Heartland Team A members holding First Place trophy from L to R: Brian Bearinger, Austin Schmidt, Tara Buzek, Adi Duerksen, and Heartland Quiz Bowl sponsor Heidi Ruhl.
