Last week, the Manhattan High School Varsity Scholars Bowl team had a 6A North regional meet on Thursday at Topeka High, followed by their second and final taping of QUEST, a televised game show, on Saturday. Eleven schools attended the tournament that was set-up as a round robin, where every team competed with all the other teams there.

“The hard part about Regionals is that, of the 11 schools there, we had seen four of them during the season,” Scholars Bowl coach Ted Dawdy said. “That was at the Lawrence Free State tournament where we played short handed and got thumped. [They are also] the top four teams advancing to the state tournament next Saturday.”

Out of the 10 matches played, MHS went 8-2, ultimately losing to Lawrence Free State and two-time defending 6A champions, Blue Valley. MHS was able to snatch second place with Blue Valley snagging the top spot.

“We did really well,” sophomore team member Stephanie Fu said. “There was another faulty math question except this time Mr. Dawdy objected and we got the point.”

Faulty questions have been a somewhat regular occurrence with the most recent faulty question occurring at a Junior Varsity meet at Jeff West on Jan. 14.

As for QUEST, MHS traveled to Topeka the past two Saturdays — Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 — and  completed their tapings. Due to confidentiality requests from KTWU, MHS Scholars Bowl could not release results and details, except to say that it was a 16-team single-elimination tournament and MHS will appear on four episodes throughout the series.  

MHS Varsity Scholars Bowl still has a league meet at Hayden that was previously scheduled and canceled on Jan. 21 due to heavy snow. The meet was rescheduled for this Wednesday and based on previous league meets, MHS Varsity should do well.

“We have had very good success against league schools, so I am expecting good things Wednesday,” Dawdy said. “The league tournament is only in its fourth year, and MHS has yet to engrave our name on the traveling plaque. We have a good chance to change that Wednesday.”

To end their season, MHS Scholars Bowl will be attending their State tournament taking place at MHS.

“Teams arrive at 11:00 a.m., competition will begin about noon, and it should wrap up about 2:30 p.m.,” Dawdy said. “[The] teams competing are Overland Park, Blue Valley, Washburn Rural, Lawrence Free State, Wichita West, Wichita East, Wichita Northwest, Derby and Manhattan. Manhattan’s last state title came in 1993. We have a team that can make a run at the title. We are very strong and I am looking for a good result.”

Team member Josh Schwartz, senior, seemed to think differently.

“I feel like we’re likely going to lose against Blue Valley as usual,” Schwartz said. “But it would be nice to beat them.”