Scholastic Bowl Qualifies for Tournament for 6th Consecutive Year

Last weekend, the Upper School Scholastic Bowl team participated in the NAQT Small School National Championship Tournament.

Competing in a field of 66 top small schools in the country, the A team (junior Jack Bartlett and seniors Daniel Chang, Spencer Koh, Nash Oliphant and Chase Wayland) navigated a difficult preliminary pool on Saturday, clinching a playoff spot with two victories in must-win games to end the day over Greens Farms (Connecticut) (330-110) and Lausanne Collegiate B (Tennessee) (375-110). Their 6-4 record earned them the 23 seed in the double elimination playoff bracket. They advanced to the third round of the playoffs before falling to Merrol Hyde (Tennessee) (445-280), finishing the tournament tied for 17th place. They stayed tough in both playoff losses, holding slim second-half leads on both occasions against top-10 seeds.

Meanwhile, the B team (senior Darius Cleaver, junior Sam Goldblatt, freshmen Theo Hirsch and senior Dhruv Moorthy) competed admirably against a prelim group laden with A teams. Highlights of their 2-8 record in pool play were wins over Park Tudor B (Indiana) (215-145) and Ursuline (Louisiana) (200-175), a strong pair of 150-point efforts against playoff teams and all four players registering a tossup against eventual tournament runner-up St. Mark’s A (Texas). In consolation play on Sunday, they picked up two wins in four rounds. Their final placement was 55th out of 66.

This is the sixth consecutive year that Parker has qualified multiple teams for this tournament. The A team has made the playoffs every year and has won a playoff game each of the last five years. The team will finish its season in May with a trip to the NAQT High School National Championship Tournament in Atlanta.

Full standings and stats are available here.