Five area scholar bowl teams are two wins away from a trip to Columbia for the state semifinals.

All six classes in the MSHSAA state scholar bowl series begin Tuesday, April 22 with the best-of-three quarterfinal contests at 24 different locations. Two of those hosts are in Benton County, where in Class Two, the Lincoln Cardinals prepare to host New Franklin. Lincoln picked up their first district title in 24 years with a 270-130 win over Smithton, while New Franklin also cruised to a 250-130 win over Harrisburg to win their first district title since 2016. Around the corner in Cole Camp, the Bluebirds will host Lathrop in a Class Three quarterfinal. Cole Camp needed overtime to defeat Lafayette County 271-270 for their district title. It’s their sixth district title since 2011, but since the introduction of the head-to-head duals before the state tournament, Cole Camp has only advanced to state once, winning fourth in 2021.

In Class One, the Hale Cardinals prepare to host King City. Hale won their first-ever district title earlier this month with a 260-160 victory over Novinger. In Class Four, Oak Grove will host Kansas City Lutheran in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal that saw the Knights sweep the Panthers on Wornall Road. Elsewhere, Oak Grove’s MRVC West rivals Center will host Platte County for a spot in the Class Five semifinals. Two NCMC schools are still in the running for a state title, as Fulton will travel to Calvary Lutheran for a Class Four clash, while Mexico visit Washington in another Class Five quarterfinal.

Quarterfinal matches begin at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. If a third game is necessary, that contest will begin at 7 p.m. The MSHSAA State Scholar Bowl Finals will take place May 9 for Classes One through Three, and May 10 for Classes Four through Six, in Memorial Union on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia.