A pair of second-place trophies are making their way to trophy cases in our area after the MSHSAA Scholar Bowl State Championships in Classes One, Two and Three on Friday, May 8.

In Class One, the Northwestern Eagles led for most of their championship bout against the Weaubleau Tigers, who had won last year’s state title in Class Two but whose enrollment shuffled them down a class. The Eagles took the lead at tossup four and were up by 30 at the half, taking advantage of a low bonus conversion rate by Weaubleau. Mendon led by as much as 90, with sophomore Bryce Hayes claiming all nine of the Eagles’ tossups. However, Weaubleau would claim five of the last six tossups and secure two of the last bonus parts to take the lead. The last bonus part was answered correctly by Mendon, forcing a golden tossup overtime. That tossup was claimed by Weaubleau’s top player, sophomore Daniel Nance, resulting in a 271-270 final score. After the match, Hayes told KMMO News that despite how the loss unfolded, finishing second capped off a successful season.
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Hayes added that the state tournament exposed items that he and his teammates will need to work on before next season.

Northwestern had fallen to Weaubleau in their first round-robin match 300-220, before both teams had sizable wins over Walnut Grove and last year’s Class One state champion, North Andrew.

Meanwhile, Marceline and Thomas Jefferson Independent of Joplin had overwheming wins over Salisbury and Clopton before the two faced off in Class Two. Despite the game not mattering, the two played a tight round-robin match, with the Cavaliers downing the Tigers 330-310. The second game also was close, but saw Thomas Jefferson prevail 370-290 for their program’s 11th state title. Marceline head coach Dustin Watson says he was proud of his team’s performance in their first trip to the state finals.

Junior Cash Barnes credited studying he did over the summer after falling short at districts for his top performance at state, finishing the round-robin tied for first in Class Two with 17 tossups.

Salisbury finished in fourth, capped by a 230-140 loss to Clopton in the third place game. Chance Fischer had 12 tossups in the round-robin to also earn all-state honors.

Classes Four, Five, and Six will complete Saturday afternoon at Memorial Union on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia. That includes Hallsville and Oak Grove in Class Four; the two will square off at 1 p.m.

MSHSAA Class One Results
Weaubleau 300, Northwestern (Mendon) 220
North Andrew 270, Walnut Grove 50

Northwestern (Mendon) 320, North Andrew 170
Weaubleau 470, Walnut Grove 30

Northwestern (Mendon) 320, Walnut Grove 60
Weaubleau 320, North Andrew 160

Championship: Weaubleau 271, North Andrew 270
Third Place: North Andrew 290, Walnut Grove 50

All-State Team
Bryce Hayes, Northwestern (Mendon), 36 tossups
Daniel Nance, Weaubleau, 29
Troy Madison, North Andrew, 20
Molly West, Weaubleau, 70
Isaac Coat, North Andrew, 50

MSHSAA Class Two Results
Marceline 420, Clopton 190
Thomas Jefferson Ind. 490, Salisbury 100

Marceline 510, Salisbury 120
Thomas Jefferson Ind. 380, Clopton 180

Thomas Jefferson Ind. 330, Marceline 310
Clopton 250, Salisbury 160

Championship: Thomas Jefferson Ind. 370, Marceline 290
Third Place: Clopton 230, Salisbury 140

All-State Team
Finn O’Brien, Clopton, 17 tossups
Cash Barnes, Marceline, 17
Nathan Cole, Thomas Jefferson Ind., 15
Chance Fischer, Salisbury, 12
Grayson Bruffett, Thomas Jefferson Ind., 10
Jackson Fetherlin, Marceline, 10

MSHSAA Class Three Results
Butler 310, Portageville 200
Clark County 410, Skyline 260

Skyline 390, Portageville 160
Clark County 430, Butler 230

Clark County 350, Portageville 170
Skyline 350, Butler 150

Championship: Skyline 390, Clark County 220
Third Place: Portageville 230, Butler 210

All-State Team
Liam McIntire, Clark County, 32 tossups
Flint Barker, Skyline, 24
Easton Woollace, Butler, 21
Dustin Nolen, Portageville, 16
Vivian Reardon, Clark County, 4
Laín Alameda Blanco, Skyline, 4

All-State Team honors are based on the preliminary round-robin contests require a player to have participated in all three contests.