Mr. Ryan Neenan, Michael McCloskey, Tyler Myers, Gabe Racine, Jude Mautz, and Henry Reichman
By: Tyler Myers
Over the course of Tuesday, the Wallenpaupack Scholastics team competed at the The Wallenpaupack team was composed of five players- Michael McCloskey, Henry Reichman, Jude -, Gabe -, and substitute Tyler Meyers- and their coach, Mr. Neenan. The team consisted of only one returning player- Captain McCloskey- yet the fresh faces were not intimidated by the teams loaded with experienced faces. Over the course of Tuesday, three teams per round were pushed to the very extremes of the saying “mind over matter” by questions ranging from old European history to Eminem’s alter ego Slim Shady. As the team exited their van, they were met with equal parts apprehension and excitement, running through their study sheets one last time for the day ahead.
As the day progressed, Wallenpaupack claimed two decisive wins that allowed them to progress to the finals. The first game ended with a final score of 40-80-45, belonging to Forrest City, Wallenpaupack, and West Scranton respectively. The second game ended much the same, finishing 50-35-80 for Abington Heights, Susquehanna, and Wallenpaupack respectively.
The finals round arrived, and Wallenpaupack was matched against North Pocono and Mid Valley, some of the best in the region and having lost to North Pocono before. The round started close, when one team answered a question correctly the rest soon followed. The match continued much the same, with the transition to whiteboard answered questions not having an effect on the scoring race. As the last set of whiteboard questions was being presented, all three teams knew they had to get a lead and hold it while hanging on to the hope that the other teams could not answer. On the second to last question, McCloskey gained his team a perilous lead. The whole match hung on the next question. The final category was announced, Pop Culture. As the question was slowly read, with each word the Wallenpaupack team cemented their belief that they would win. The question ended, “What social media site is depicted by a globe constructed of puzzle pieces,” and they were sure of their victory. All three teams answered correctly, being Wikipedia, but that was not enough to overtake the Wallenpaupack team, and so the score ended in a 75-75-80 score.
Despite being full of new competitors to the high-level scene, the Wallenpaupack team will advance to the State level competition. This year they hope to go farther than previous years, but they are more than content with their current victory.
