On Saturday, April 9, The Miami Valley School sent two teams to the Middle School Ohio Championship quiz bowl tournament, which was held at St. Charles Prep in Columbus. Although the event was delayed due to a freak snowstorm, the Rams did plenty to heat things up, and by the end of the day MVS had captured its second consecutive middle school quiz bowl state championship.

The first team, playing as Miami Valley A, finished as tournament champions with a record of 8-1. The lone blemish came at the hands of Olentangy Hyatts (Powell, OH), a defeat that was avenged when Miami Valley edged out the Eagles 390-370 in the tournament final. John John Groger ’20, William Groger ’21, Vera Menafee ’20, and Sahir Kabir ’21 played for the winning squad.

The second team, playing as Miami Valley B, provided a mix of experience and youth, as accomplished eighth graders Eleanor Peters, Jordan Bradstreet, and Shraya Sandhir teamed up with rising talents Ronnie Rajotte ’22, Hayden Gibson ’22, and Ryan Evans ’22. The B team finished in fifth place with a 6-2 record, with losses coming to second-place Hyatts and fourth-place Heritage Classical (Stow, OH). The margin of defeat in both games was under 90 points–razor-thin losses in the quiz bowl arena.

“I was so proud of all of our players today,” said coach Tyler Benedict. “We were tested by some of the best teams in Ohio, and we rose to the occasion. The A team did a great job protecting its championship, and I think the B squad proved they can beat anyone in the state after they took Hyatts down to the final question. Hard work has certainly paid off for our team.”

The team will next see action on the weekend of May 6 at the Middle School National Championship Tournament in Atlanta, Georgia. Bradstreet, Kabir, Menafee, Peters, and both Grogers will make the trip and battle a field of 160 teams from across the country.