Wayne City High School hosted its annual Freshman/Sophomore Scholar Bowl tournament Thursday, Jan. 15, where they welcomed seven surrounding schools to compete for first-, second-, and third-place plaques. 

The Wayne City team spent the afternoon preparing multiple competition rooms and reviewing practice questions before the visiting teams arrived at 4 p.m. Once all the teams were marked present and assigned to their starting rooms, the competition began.

Wayne City started the night off facing Woodlawn and earned their first victory of the night, winning 250-70. Freshman Rhett Staley credited the team’s success to his strong performance on toss-ups and bonus questions.

“We only won because I carried the team with toss-ups and bonuses, because I got the most right,” Staley said.

In the next round, Wayne City faced Webber but fell 250-70. Sophomore Harper Beehn said the team remained focused despite the loss.

“That match was rough. The questions and bonuses were really hard, but we tried our best,” Beehn said.

Wayne City then advanced to their final match of the night against Grayville for a chance of winning third place. After more than an hour of close competition, Wayne City lost 195-140, which left them finishing fourth overall in the tournament. 

Despite the result, coach Grace Schuster said she was proud of the team’s effort.

“I am so happy with my team,” Schuster said. “I’m proud of each and every one of them. They answered everything to the best of their abilities and I have faith that we will do better next time.”