2025 Academic Tournament Schedule

Last week’s snow out pushed the start of the Academic Tournament to the second scheduled week, but it did not dampen the spirits of the competitors and fans one bit. Reviews from players and fans alike agreed that the season started strong on Friday night at Frederick High School. Two teams dominated their matches, and several teams seemed in mid-season form on opening night. The changes to the math round went off without a hitch, and many audience members said they enjoyed seeing the formulas the competitors were trying to solve. The specialty topic of Culinary Arts was challenging to some teams, as early buzzes sometimes led to losing points, but there was fun and excitement throughout all the matches. Overall, it was a great first night to start the season. 

Match 1: Patriots 10, Lancers 1, Hawks 19

The Hawks were one of the best looking teams of the night, winning or tying each round of their competition. In the first round, Urbana took 5 of the 10 points available, with TJ and Linganore earning 2 and 1 respectively. The second round brought another 5 to the Hawks, while the Lancers and Patriots had to split 5 points between them. In the math round, the Hawks continued their winning ways and took 4 more points to build their lead further. TJ managed 2 points, and the Lancers ended the round even. The fourth round was unusual in that no team advanced or retreated and the score stayed locked at 14 for Urbana, 7 for TJ, and 3 for Linganore. The final round was spirited, but the Hawks were too much and finished just shy of 20.  On Monday, Urbana will take on the Railroaders, who also won their first match, with the Knights hoping to play spoiler.

Match 2: Knights 12, Cadets 11, Lions 23

The second match showed some early strengths for all three teams, and then last year's playoffs winner roared. The Cadets took the opening round and kept their lead in the second, but both the Knights and the Lions scored well in round two to pull a bit closer. In the math round, Walkersville bared their claws, earning 6 of the 10 points available. The Knights also scored, while the Cadets fell back, and suddenly it seemed like anyone’s game. This specialty round was the best played (statistically) of the night, with Walkersville taking 3 points to Frederick’s 2, and the Knights 1, and the Lions had built a 6 point lead heading into the final round. Walkersville won the fifth round, with the spirited Knights giving chase to finish in second for the match. The Lions were one of two teams to surpass 20 points for the night.

Match 3: Railroaders 15, Titans 11, Bears 13

The third match of the night was also the most electric as perennial power Brunswick had its hands full trying to stave off two fired up teams. The Railroaders took the first round and stretched its lead in the second, leading 11 to 7 for Tuscarora and 4 for Oakdale. A chaotic math round made things interesting with both the Titans and Railroaders losing points. The Bears held steady and cut into the lead of the others. The specialty round proved a challenge for Brunswick as well; they lost points while both the Titans and Bears crept closer to pull within 1 point heading into the final round 8-7-7. The last round was the best played round the entire night as the teams earned 17 of the 20 points available and when the dust cleared, Brunswick had held their lead. Still, both the Titans and Bears look like up and coming teams that should not be overlooked.

Match 4: Knights 8, Cougars 21, Titans 3

The smallest school in FCPS showed it is not small on the academic stage by winning or tying each of the rounds in this match. In round one, the Cougars and Titans took 2 points and the Knights were close behind with 1. All teams earned points in round two, with Middletown and Catoctin both grabbing 4. In the math round, Catoctin began to take control, gaining 4 points while the others held steady. The Cougars further moved ahead in the specialty round on Culinary Arts, while the Knights held steady and the Titans lost ground. The final grab bag round was all Catoctin - they earned an incredible 10 of the 20 points available, to win going away.  

The FCPS Academic Team Tournament is in its 44th year of competition. The teams play matches in five rounds, the first round is called the Lightning Round with 10 questions on a surprise topic. The second round is a team round, where without buzzers, teams attempt to answer six questions from six completely different areas. The third round is a ten question mix of math questions and regular academic trivia. The fourth round is a ten question specialty round, and the match finishes off with a twenty question grab bag round. Two match sessions next week! Monday at 5:00 will be Board Games, and Friday at 6:00 will be Women in Science.  Matches are held in the auditorium at Frederick High in January and February. Monday’s match has a special start time at 5:00 p.m.

Next week’s game to watch: With Walkersville, Catoctin was able to insist that last year’s success was no fluke, and this year they hope to contend for the championship. They’ll be offering a rematch with Tuscarora with the feisty Bears as the third team. The most intriguing game might be the first match which will have two winners from the first match, Brunswick and Urbana, who will face off with Middletown hoping to play spoiler.  It should be a great early week session! Special topic: Board Games. See you Monday at Frederick High School, January 13 at a special start time of 5:00 p.m.

Week One- FCPS Academic Tournament Summary

The first Monday session of the season was still early - for most teams it is only their second match, and because of the way the schedule is, Walkersville didn’t play at all. Still, patterns are starting to emerge and talk has begun about the strongest teams. Two teams kept their perfect record, though both were challenged in their matches. The specialty topic of Board Games was fun to watch, and clearly there are board games begin played in many county households. Many of the matches were tightly played. 

Match 1: Knights 13, Railroaders 10, Hawks 19

The Hawks were pushed a bit by their opponents but came out on top thanks to their round five team. Brunswick and Urbana were tied after the first round, with 5 points apiece - the only perfect round of the night as their combined score was 10 points earned for 10 questions. All three teams scored 5/6 points for round two. In the math round, Urbana took home 5 points to build a solid lead but a tough specialty round brought all three teams close. The Knights won round four with the Railroaders right behind. At the end of four rounds, Brunswick and Urbana were tied with 12 points and Middletown was right behind with 10. The Hawk’s round five team put up a strong finish to the match, earning 7, while a game Knights team gave chase to finish in second. Urbana now has two first place finishes; it doesn’t get much better than that. The Knights have three second place finishes and it seems like just a matter of time until they finish on top.

Match 2: Patriots 14, Lancers 10, Cadets 6

The second match had Thomas Johnson start out slow, but they won or tied every round after the first for a comfortable victory. The Lancers won a back and forth first round 1-0-0. The Patriots followed with a perfect round two, one of only two perfect 6/6 scores for the night. In round three, the Cadets kept pace with TJ, both gaining 2 points to the Lancers 1 and in the specialty round, Linganore tied Thomas Johnson’s earnings with 3 apiece. At the end of four rounds, the Patriots had 11, the Lancers had 9, and the Cadets had 6. The final round was busy on the buzzers for all three teams, but TJ kept their cool to win their first match of the night.

Match 3: Cougars 20, Tuscarora 6, Bears 17

The final match was the tightest, but the powerful Catoctin round five team was too much for the others to handle. Oakdale led by 1 after the first round, and by 3 after two. The Bears were the only other team (see above for Patriots) with a perfect score in round two. After Oakdale tied with Catoctin in the math round, the specialty round went the Cougars way and at the end of four Catoctin and Oakdale had 11, with Tuscarora close behind at 8.  The final round was all Cougars, as they earned a whopping 9 points to pull away.  Note that Oakdale was game the whole match, and their two second place finishes for the season were both strong.

The FCPS Academic Team Tournament is in its 44th year of competition. The teams play matches in five rounds, the first round is called the Lightning Round with 10 questions on a surprise topic. The second round is a team round, where without buzzers, teams attempt to answer six questions from six completely different areas. The third round is a ten question mix of math questions and regular academic trivia. The fourth round is a ten question specialty round, and the match finishes off with a twenty question grab bag round. Next session this Friday at 6:00 and the special topic for round four will be Women in Science.  Matches are held in the auditorium at Frederick High in January and February. 

The game to watch: All three matches this Friday should be interesting. In the opener, Oakdale and Middletown will square off and it will be interesting to see these two up and coming teams face each other. The Cadets hope to play spoiler in that one. In the second match, Walkersville will try to follow up its opening night win with big points and stay undefeated. The last match (there are only three matches this Friday) should be  a great nightcap as undefeated Catoctin will take on undefeated Urbana. The Patriots will try and play spoiler in that match. It should be another great session! Special topic: Women in Science. See you Friday at Frederick High School, January 17 with the first match starting at 6:00 p.m.

The second match session this week (and third so far this year) was held at Frederick High School’s auditorium in front of a good early season crowd. Because of scheduling, only three matches were played and the Lancers, as the odd man out, did a great job hosting each match. Two previously undefeated teams fell, though one by only a single question. Clearly, teams enjoyed the Women in Science category as the emcee was often stopped after only a few clues and the scientist named. Teams were aggressive and at times, they buzzed a bit early and guessed incorrectly. It certainly led to some exciting matches!  As we head into midseason, there is only one undefeated team, and there are many squads that have shown the knowledge and chutzpah of a strong team.  It should continue to be an interesting competition. 

Match 1: Knights 13, Cadets 11, Bears 21

One of these teams was going to win their first match of the season, and the Bears not only won, but carried the highest point total of any team in the match session. The Cadets strong lightning round team took the opener and the Bears responded in round two to pull within a point. Round three went to the Bears and suddenly they had the lead. Round four was the best played of the specialty rounds, as the teams tried to balance when to buzz with the information given in the clues. 6 out of the 10 points were won here, the best ratio of the night. The Knights charged in round five, but there was too much ground to cover. Still, in the fifth round the three teams earned an impressive 16 out of 20 points, again the best ratio of the night. It was a fun match with three teams playing well to gain the victory. Tonight, it was the Bears.

Match 2: Railroaders 11, Lions 10, Titans 10

The second match of the night was the tightest, with the Lions trying to extend their unbeaten streak. The Railroaders came out of the gate quickly with 4 points, with the Titans right behind with 3 and the Lions with 1. Brunswick won round two as well with 5 of six points earned.  The Lions formidable math team took 5 of the 10 points in round three, making the match much tighter, while the Titans kept their consistent progress going. At the end of three rounds, Brunswick led with 10, Tuscarora had 8 and Walkersville had 7. The specialty round of Women in Science was full of early buzzes - the homework had clearly been done, but only one point was ultimately earned and it went to the Railroaders. This single point proved critical, as the Lions earned 3 points in the final round while the Titans earned 2. Still, it was the Railroaders who answered the final question to win by a single point.  

Match 3: Patriots 5, Cougars 16, Hawks 9

The last match of the night was highly anticipated as two of the teams were 2-0, and the game did not disappoint. The Cougars threw down the gauntlet in the opening lightning round, dominating by winning 7 of the 10 points. All three teams combined to score a perfect round - 10 out of 10 points and the only golden round of the night. After all three teams in round two scored four points, the Hawks won both the math round and the specialty round to close the gap. The Cougars led with 14,  Urbana had 11 with 5 for the Patriots after four rounds. The final round was again full of teams trying to grab points through early buzzes, which lead to mixed results. In this case, Catoctin came away with 2 more points, but in a round with 20 points, the teams combined to earn 0 net points.  The Cougars stayed unbeaten and are now in sole possession of first place.

The FCPS Academic Team Tournament is in its 44th year of competition. The teams play matches in five rounds, the first round is called the Lightning Round with 10 questions on a surprise topic. The second round is a team round, where without buzzers, teams attempt to answer six questions from six completely different areas. The third round is a ten question mix of math questions and regular academic trivia. The fourth round is a ten question specialty round, and the match finishes off with a twenty question grab bag round. Next week’s matches will be held on Friday at 6:00 and the special topic for round four will be Musical Instruments.  Matches are held in the auditorium at Frederick High in January and February. 

Next week’s game to watch: No question that next week’s third match is a battle of heavyweights. The Railroaders, fresh off their win over the Lions, will battle the Cougars, who have a clean sheet through three matches. The third team in that match will be the Hawks, who will be looking to turn the tables on Catoctin after their loss last week. In the standings, this match will be #1 v. #2 v. #4. It’s like an early peek at Finals Night!? It is sure to be a fun match session as we hit the middle of the season! Special topic: Musical instruments. See you Friday at Frederick High School, January 24 at 6:00 p.m.

Session Five of the Academic Tournament season was an exciting evening as the last undefeated team fell in a well played match. Linganore got their first win of the season and with seven teams winning at least one match, the results show one of the most open competitions in recent memory. The quality of play has definitely improved with two golden rounds (rounds where the teams combine to win all points available) and many quick buzzes on the special category of musical instruments. It was a fun night as we hit the middle of the regular season and teams began to try and establish themselves in the standings.

Match 1: Titans 7, Lions 18, Patriots 7

The first match of the evening started off quietly, with uncertain buzzing and no team establishing control. The second round was a bit stronger, with the Lions and Patriots both grabbing 5 of the 6 points available to them. Walkersville’s math team continued their dominance, gaining 4 points in the round, while Thomas Johnson and Tuscarora held at 3. The Lions won the fourth round as well, grabbing 4 more points during the musical instruments round. It was a well played round with the Patriots and Titans both grabbing 1 point, but by the end of four, Walkersville had a lead of 10 points.  A spirited final round had the Lions hold off the other two which got last year’s tournament champ back on the winning track.

Match 2: Bears 15, Knights 10, Lancers 19

The Lancers reached their high in points for a match for the season and came away with their first win against two other teams trying to join the county elite. The opening lightning round had Linganore and Oakdale tied at 2 with Middletown only two points back. A well played second round, the teams earned 16 out of 18 points available, gave the Bears the lead of 8, with 7 for the Lancers and the Knights chasing at 5. Middletown slipped a point in the math round and Oakdale earned a point, but Linganore jumped to the lead with 4 points. They would not relinquish the lead, winning a golden round special topic (10/10) with 5 points, while the Bears grabbed 4 and the Knights 1. Linganore headed into the final round up by 3.  The Knights began a strong charge at the end and actually won the final round, but it was too much to make up, and the Lancers thwarted the Bears’ chances of grabbing their second win of the season. A very entertaining and well played game with the highest combo score of the night.

Match 3: Cougars 13, Hawks 15, Railroaders 12

The most anticipated match of the night featured Catoctin, the only remaining undefeated team facing off against a team looking for payback from last week and a strong Brunswick team looking to steal. It did not disappoint. The teams started the match with a golden round - a perfect 10 points earned on 10 questions. Both the Cougars and the Railroaders earned 4 points in the opener. The Hawks flew back in the match by winning the second round, earning a perfect 6 points. After two rounds, Brunswick had a scant 1 point lead over the other two. The match stayed close in round three, with the Hawks taking three points in the math round to move to 11. The Cougars kept pace earning 2 points to land at 10, and the Railroaders held steady at 9. Each team knew the specialty round could be critical and so early buzzes and guessing led to few points being awarded on musical instruments. Brunswick won the round earning 1 point, while the Hawks slipped 1 point and Catoctin 2. The Cougars won the last round with 5 points, and the Railroaders almost kept pace earning 2, but the Hawks stayed cool under pressure, earned 3 points and the hard fought win. 

Match 4: Cadets 4, Railroaders 21, Lancers 9

The final match featured a warmed up Brunswick team. We know this because they dominated the Lightning round, earning 6 points, while the Lancers lost a point and Frederick stayed steady. The Lancers gave a good effort in round two, earning 5 of 6 points available, but the Railroaders were ready to go and won the next three rounds to become the only team this week to break the 20 point mark. Another strong win for Brunswick seems to bode well for the second half of the season.

The FCPS Academic Team Tournament is in its 44th year of competition. The teams play matches in five rounds, the first round is called the Lightning Round with 10 questions on a surprise topic. The second round is a team round, where without buzzers, teams attempt to answer six questions from six completely different areas. The third round is a ten question mix of math questions and regular academic trivia. The fourth round is a ten question specialty round, and the match finishes off with a twenty question grab bag round. Next week’s matches will be held on Friday at 6:00 and the special topic for round four will be the Cold War.  Matches are held in the auditorium at Frederick High. 

Next week’s game to watch: Several matches may prove interesting this coming week. Match #2 is intriguing to see the strong Oakdale team take on Brunswick - two teams that have come up just short in multiple matches. Thomas Johnson will look to play spoiler in that one. We’ll give the nod to match #3 though, Walkersville v. Catoctin v. Frederick. The Lions need another win to pass Catoctin in the standings, and the Cougars have held the number one spot since opening night. It is sure to be a fun match session as we come just past the middle of the season! Special topic: Cold War. See you Friday at Frederick High School, January 31 at 6:00 p.m.

Session Six of the Academic Tournament season was another action packed evening, with the co-leaders Urbana and Catoctin reigning supreme. Both teams were pushed to their limits by up and coming teams in the county, so while they were able to maintain their lead in the standings, the young upstarts at Linganore, Oakdale, and now Thomas Johnson, seem poised to challenge the traditional powers of the county. 

Match 1: Lancers 17, Hawks 18, Titans 8

The night started off with a bang as Linganore gave second place Urbana all they could handle for five rounds, with Tuscarora chiming in at critical moments to keep it close. The Lancers took the first round 5 - 4 over the Hawks. All three teams scored a solid 5 of 6 for the second round. The Urbana math team grabbed the win in the math round, to go up over Linganore 13-12 after three.  With the battle raging over the buzzer between Linganore and Urbana, Tuscarora could barely get an answer in, and wound up stable at 5 until the last round. In the fourth round, Urbana stretched its lead to 3 points and headed into the grab bag round looking to pull away. It did not happen. Linganore beat them to the buzzer several times, and won the round. In fact, the Titans scored more points than the Hawks in the final round. Several questions were challenged, but after the last question, Urbana held on and kept its lofty spot in the standings. The match probably said more about the talent at Linganore than any weakness of Urbana’s; some young teams in the county are ready to challenge the traditional powers.

Match 2: Railroaders 18, Patriots 7, Bears 3 

The Railroaders started strong and kept at it against two game opponents in the second match. Brunswick dominated the buzzer in round one, taking 5 or half the points available. The Patriots showed some knowledge chops in round two, winning the round with 5 of the 6 points available. They would go quiet for the rest of this match, but their energy would reappear in match four. Oakdale also held steady after round two, only losing one point and not until the final round. The rest of the match was all Brunswick, winning round three by 2, round four by 1, and round five by 6.  It was a pretty dominating performance for the Railroaders, and we should make no grand conclusion about the competition, but realize how the Brunswick team continues their tradition of being a top team in the competition.

Match 3: Lions 9, Cadets 4, Cougars 20

The anticipated battle between the Lions and Cougars did not materialize here as Catoctin showed why they are the first place team.  The Cougars took the first lightning round, earning 6 points from the first 10 questions, easily the most dominating opening round of the night. The Cadets showed they weren’t intimidated by the other team’s reputations and won round two, 5 points to 4. The feisty Cadets won two rounds for the match; they took round four as well, to show their young team might be building something special. If Walkersville was hoping their math team would push Catoctin, they would be disappointed, as the Cougars earned 4 points in round three to the Lions 1. It was the first time this year that Walkersville’s math team lost the math round. With a 6 point lead going into round four, Catoctin was not made nervous when the Cadets won the fourth round with 2 points to 1 point each for the Cougars and Lions. The final round was all Catoctin, as they earned another 5 points to close out the night. They were the only team to break the 20 point barrier for the night and solidified their hold on first place. 

Match 4: Cougars 13, Patriots 11, Knights 7

What a difference a match can make!  Catoctin went from looking unbeatable in the third match to looking vulnerable in the last match of the night. The young Patriots took the opening round with 3 points, while the Knights grabbed 2, and the Cougars managed 1. The Cougars settled down in the second round, earning 5 points and all three teams were tied at the end of two.  The math team for Catoctin continued its great night, earning 5 points to open up a 3 point lead which they would need to hold the others off. A back and forth specialty round led to both the Cougars and the Patriots earning a single point while the Knights stumbled down 2. Thomas Johnson tried a charge at the final round, but it was the Knights’ strong round five team that won the round with 4 points, and TJ had to settle for 2. Catoctin’s 1 point in the final round, though affected by disputed questions, enabled them to escape with first place intact. A fun ending to a night full of brio from the young teams in the county.

The FCPS Academic Team Tournament is in its 44th year of competition. The teams play matches in five rounds, the first round is called the Lightning Round with 10 questions on a surprise topic. The second round is a team round, where without buzzers, teams attempt to answer six questions from six completely different areas. The third round is a ten question mix of math questions and regular academic trivia. The fourth round is a ten question specialty round, and the match finishes off with a twenty question grab bag round. Next week’s matches will be held on Monday at 5:00 (snow makeup for opening night) and Friday at 6:00. Monday’s special topic is Fun with Flags, and Friday’s topic will be Pixar movies.  All matches are held in the auditorium at Frederick High. 

Next week’s game to watch:  All of the matches for Monday night look interesting. In the first match, Brunswick will look to win its fifth match of the season, and make the statement they belong in the top three. In the Railroaders’ way are two young teams looking to continue their ascent in the standings; TJ has already won once, and Middletown has come close enough to make us think it is just a matter of time before they break through. Walkersville will play twice, once in the second match against first place Catoctin and then in the nightcap against Urbana. Both of those matches feature young teams to watch, the Lancers in match two and the Bears in match four. These teams would be happy to play spoiler. The third match will have Urbana’s extra match, as they’ll suit up against the Cadets and Titans. Special topic: Flags. See you Monday at Frederick High School, February 3 at 6:00 p.m.

Session One of the Academic Tournament season was supposed to happen on January 3, 2025, but Mother Nature had other ideas and the matches were played Monday, February 3, as a makeup session. The overall quality of play continues to improve, with players showing tremendous knowledge in the specialty Flag round especially. It was another action packed evening, with the second place Urbana being upset by the Titans, and then roaring back in their second match.. First place Catoctin kept their perch, but the Lancers gave them all they could handle. Catoctin and Urbana both had the high scores for the night, and maintained their lead not only in the standings, but in the number of questions answered. 

Match 1: Patriots 16, Knight 11, Railroaders 19

Brunswick took the lead after one round 3 points to 2 for Thomas Johnson and 1 for Middletown. Both the Patriots and Brunswick scored perfect 6 out of 6 points for round two, maintaining their distance. The Patriots took the lead by taking the math round 4 points to 2 for the Railroaders, while the Knights held steady. Middletown and Brunswick both scored 4 points in the specialty round which allowed the latter to take the lead over Thomas Johnson by 1 heading into the final round. Incidentally, that fourth round was a perfect 10 for 10 by the three teams combined. That’s some stellar play! The final round was tense, with the Railroaders emerging with four points to take the tight match. Statistically, it was the best played match of the night, full of adroit buzzing, comprehensive knowledge, and lead changes throughout. Brunswick slid into third place in the county with their fifth win of the season.

Match 2: Lancers 12, Lions 7, Cougars 14

Many in the county are starting to wonder if the Cougars can be one of those rare teams that win both the regular season and final’s night crowns. In this match, Catoctin outlasted a charging Lancer team in the final round to maintain first place. The Cougars took the first two rounds and had a big lead of 4 points over Walkersville and 9 points over the Lancers. The Lancers took the math round from the Lions and the Railroaders to close the gap, but Brunswick grabbed 5 of the 10 points available in the specialty round to regain their comfortable lead. The lead dwindled in the final round with the Lancers earning 6 points and the round, but the Cougars lead held up.

Match 3: Hawks 14, Titans 17, Cadets 11

The Titans played their best match of the season and upset the second place Hawks with the Cadets hanging tight in a well-played contest. Tuscarora took the first round with 4 points, and both the Hawks and Titans grabbed 5 points in the second round to set up a lead over the Cadets. Frederick came back in the math round, scoring 3 points and followed it up with 3 points in the specialty round. At the end of four rounds, the Cadets and Titans were tied at 11 with the Hawks one point behind at 10. A tense final round and a gain of 6 points gave the Titans the upset win and their first win of the season.

Match 4: Bears 5, Hawks 19, Lions 10

The Hawks would not be denied in the final match of the evening, winning the first, third, and fourth rounds to maintain their hold on second place in the standings. Urbana opened with 4 of 10 points in the Lightning Round.  The Bears climbed into it by going a perfect 6 for 6 in round two, to trail the Hawks by 2. Urbana then scored 9 points of the next 20 available in the next two rounds. Whew!  They were not going to be upset twice in one night. In the final round, the Lions edged closer, but the Hawks had the lead and aggressively kept the others off the buzzers.

The FCPS Academic Team Tournament is in its 44th year of competition. The teams play matches in five rounds, the first round is called the Lightning Round with 10 questions on a surprise topic. The second round is a team round, where without buzzers, teams attempt to answer six questions from six completely different areas. The third round is a ten question mix of math questions and regular academic trivia. The fourth round is a ten question specialty round on a topic previously announced, and the match finishes off with a twenty question grab bag round. Next session will be held on Friday at 6:00, and the special topic in round four will be Pixar Movies.  All matches are held in the auditorium at Frederick High. 

Next week’s game to watch:  Both the first and last matches look special this coming Friday. The first match will have the single win Titans vs. the single win Patriots with the hungry Cadets as their third. Is one of these teams poised to make a run at the end of the season? The final match will feature a chance to shake up the standings with Brunswick vs. Walkersville vs. Linganore. That’s 3 vs. 4 vs. 5 in the standings! It should be a great night. Special topic: Pixar Movies. See you Monday at Frederick High School, February 3 at 6:00 p.m.

Session seven is in the books, and another great night of competition it was this past Friday night. With just one more regular season night, Catoctin and Urbana have a strong hold on first and second place in the county, but many teams are jockeying below them, including a hard charging Brunswick team. Aggressive play led to four rounds with negative points, which is unusual, but shows the desire these teams bring to every match. We had our first tie match of the season and the specialty topic of Pixar movies was a fun category.  Overall, another great night!

Match 1: Cadets 14, Titans 6, Patriots 14

The “city match”, (Technically, Tuscarora is just south of the city limits) was an entertaining start to the night’s action. The Patriots took the opening round with 4 points to the Cadets 3. The Titans got their night going in the second round, where they earned 5 of 6, but the Patriots matched their effort as well to take the overall lead after two rounds. The third round was the first negative round for the night, and the Cadets won the round by not gaining or losing a point, which both the Titans and Patriots went back 1. In the special round, Frederick pulled 2 points and Tuscarora and Thomas Johnson gained 1 each to create a tie after four rounds. After four the Cadets and Patriots both had 9, with the Titans at 5. The final round was incredibly close and both Frederick and Thomas Johnson gained 5 to end tied. It was the Cadets’ first win of the season and the Patriots’ second.

Match 2: Lions 13, Hawks 18, Knights 4

The Hawks just keep rolling. Urbana took the first round with 4 of the 10 points up for grabs. The Knights had a strong second round, earning 5 of their 6 possible points, with the Hawks getting 4 and the Lions 2. Urbana built a lead in the math round, gaining 4 points while the other teams held steady. The Lions came back in the special category round, collecting 5 of the 10 points available, and they were only 4 points back of Urbana heading into the final round. The Lions made a go in the last round, earning 4 points, but the Hawks were quick on the buzzer and gained 5 points and their sixth win of the season.

Match 3: Lancers 8, Bears 5, Cougars 12

This interesting match started with a bang - a perfect round for the teams where they earned all 10 points the category offered. The Cougars continue to show their quality by gaining an incredible 7, and the Lancers tried to stave off the onslaught by grabbing 3 points of their own. Linganore and Oakdale won the second round collecting 4 points each, while Catoctin picked up 2. The Bears showed their quality winning the math round with a single point, while the Lancers held steady and the Cougars dropped 2. This led to a tie after three rounds between the Lancers and Cougars who each had 7 points, and the Bears right behind with 5. The specialty round was busy as the teams earned 9 of the 10 points up for grabs. Again, Catoctin grabbed the largest share with 5 to take a solid lead. The final round had lots of buzzing, but a negative round from the teams made Catoctin’s lead hold up.

Match 4: Lancers 3, Railroaders 13, Lions 6

The last match of the evening was a wild affair, but Brunswick kept their cool and took firm hold of third place in the county with another win. The first round on the surprise category of famous quotes became another negative round, the fourth of the night. Brunswick won the round with 0 points as both Linganore and Walkersville began with a -1. Round two went better as the Lancers gained 2 points, the Railroaders gained 5, and the Lions won the round with a perfect 6 for 6. Brunswick dominated the math round, earning 4 of the 10 points, while both Walkersville and Linganore had -1. The Lions strong Pixar team won round four, but with only a single point. Linganore stayed even and Brunswick went down a point. Still the Railroaders had a 3 point lead heading into the final round which they won with 5 points to seal up the match. Brunswick has the same number of wins as Urbana, and next week will go against county leader Catoctin in the match to watch.

The FCPS Academic Team Tournament is in its 44th year of competition. The teams play matches in five rounds, the first round is called the Lightning Round with 10 questions on a surprise topic. The second round is a team round, where without buzzers, teams attempt to answer six questions from six completely different areas. The third round is a ten question mix of math questions and regular academic trivia. The fourth round is a ten question specialty round on a topic previously announced, and the match finishes off with a twenty question grab bag round. Next session will be held on Friday at 6:00, and the special topic in round four will be Meteorology.  All matches are held in the auditorium at Frederick High. 

Next week’s game to watch:  With one more session to end the season, Catoctin has not quite locked up the number one seed. In the second match next week, they’ll try to be regular season champ when they take on the third place Brunswick team with Frederick hoping to play spoiler between the powerhouses.  If Catoctin wins, they will be the regular season champ and hold the first seed in the tournament. It should be a great night. Special topic: Meteorology. See you Friday at Frederick High School, February 14 at 6:00 p.m.

Session Eight finished up this past Friday night and another regular season champ was crowned. Last year, Thomas Johnson finished atop the leaderboard, but this year 1st place goes to Catoctin High School.  They never looked back after their first victory on opening night, and with eight wins and only one loss to Urbana, they are well deserving of the title. The final regular season’s matches were a great showcase for the sport. The special topic of meteorology was popular, and students really knew their stuff. It was a fine finish to the regular season and we look forward to the finals tournament next Friday.

Match 1: Titans 11, Knights 9, Lancers 7

In the first match of the night, the Knights started off strong in the first round, garnering 3 points, with the other teams each grabbing 1. Both the Titans and Lancers scored 4 of 6 possible points in the second round for 5 points total. The Knights gained 1 in the second round to fall 1 point behind. All three teams held steady in a quiet round three with no points awarded, quickly followed by a terrific round four. The specialty round was clearly one they knew quite a bit about. 8 of the 10 points were earned, with 3 each for Tuscarora and Linganore, and 2 for Middletown. That meant after four rounds Tuscarora and Linganore both had 8, with Middletown right behind with 6. In the final round, the Knights tied with the Titans to earn 3, and Tuscarora was able to take their second win of the year.  The Titans will take on Frederick in the first match next week, head to head.

Match 2: Railroaders 9, Cougars 13, Cadets 8

The Cougars won the regular season and the first seed in next Friday’s tournament, but the Cadets and Railroaders made it interesting. Brunswick won the first round with 3 points, while Catoctin gained 2 and Frederick 1. In the second round, both the Railroaders and the Cougars gained 5 of 6 points, with the Cadets close behind, gaining 4. Round three was where Catoctin was able to give themselves some breathing space. They won the round with 4 points, while Frederick gained 1 and Brunswick held steady. An aggressive round on meteorology kept each team from earning any points, but they held steady which firmed up Catoctin’s 3 point lead heading into the final round. Late in the game the Cadets tried to make a run, earning 2 points, and the Railroaders gained 1 of their own, but Catoctin’s 2 points sealed their eighth victory of the year and the regular season crown. 

Match 3: Lions 22, Bears 13, Patriots 13

This match had the highest scoring collective score for the season. Both the Lions and Bears roared at the start, grabbing 3 points apiece. In round two, the Patriots got on the board with a perfect 6 for 6, the only perfect round two of the night. Walkersville picked up 5 of 6 points in the round to keep the lead by 1 over Oakdale who grabbed 4 of the 6. Walkersville’s math team leaped ahead earning 5 of the 10 points offered, and the Bears gained 3. The Patriots slid back 2 points and at the end of three rounds the Lions led the Bears by 3 and the Patriots by 8. Walkersville also won the specialty round with 3 points, though the Patriots gained 2 and the Bears 1.  The Patriots and Lions both earned 6 points in the final round, and the Bears got 2 for a total of 49 points earned for the match. That’s the record for the season. It beats the TJ, Middletown, Brunswick match on February 3rd where they earned 46 points. The Lions also had the high score for the night, and kindled hopes for a similar outcome to last year’s, when they entered finals night in fourth but took home the trophy. 

Match 4: Hawks 7, Bears 9, Cadets 9

The last match of the evening was another match featuring aggressive play. Urbana started the Lightning round with a -3 points, while the Bears held steady and the Cadets grabbed 3. All three teams earned 4 of 6 points in round two, and the Bears took the win in round three, gaining 3 points to 2 for the Hawks and 1 for the Cadets. The comeback trail for the favored Urbana team grew longer in round four as the Hawks and the Cadets scored 1 point and watched the Bears grab 3 to win the round. The final round was aggressively played, and Urbana won the round, but they could only muster 3 points. The Bears moved back 1 point and the Cadets up 1 point to earn the second win for both teams. 

The FCPS Academic Team Tournament is in its 44th year of competition. The teams play matches in five rounds, the first round is called the Lightning Round with 10 questions on a surprise topic. The second round is a team round, where without buzzers, teams attempt to answer six questions from six completely different areas. The third round is a ten question mix of math questions and regular academic trivia. The fourth round is a ten question specialty round on a topic previously announced, and the match finishes off with a twenty question grab bag round. The Finals Night Tournament session will be held this Friday at a special start time of 5:00, and the topic for round four will be Banned Books.  All matches are held in the auditorium at Frederick High. 

Next week’s games to watch:  Well, all of them! Congratulations to Catoctin for wrapping up the Regular Season Championship. They will be the #1 seed heading into next week’s finals tournament. Both Urbana and Brunswick sported excellent records for the regular season, so they will all be favored in their matches. Still, upsets are so common that we might even expect one!  Who will make it to the final table? It should be a great night. Special topic: Banned Books. See you for the last night this Friday at Frederick High School, February 21 starting at 5:00 p.m.