MORRILTON — The Morrilton High School Quiz Bowl team was behind in a tense match when senior Brett Harken came through in the clutch.
“He turned the game around for us,” said teacher and team coach Cody Vest. “It was really an exciting moment.”
The team won the Class 5A state Arkansas Governor’s Quiz Bowl Championship and is headed to national competition today through June 2 in Washington, D.C.
It’s the seventh Quiz Bowl state championship for the school, Vest said. Last year, the team was runner-up. Morrilton defeated Little Rock Christian this year to take the title in April at the Arkansas Educational Television Network studios in Conway.
It was a good year for River Valley & Ozark Edition coverage area teams. Other state winners included Sacred Heart Catholic School in Morrilton, 1A; Conway High School, 7A, and Conway Christian, 2A.
Vest, who teaches AP English and regular English, said he was assistant Quiz Bowl coach for five years; he’s been head coach for seven. It’s the team’s fourth championship since he’s been working with the team.
“Honestly, the students that I have work really hard; they study hard; we practice a lot,” Vest said.
Vest said Quiz Bowl has four rounds — the first round and last round “are toss-up questions,” and it’s whoever buzzes in first, Vest said. The second and third rounds are toss-up questions, but if a team answers correctly, it can answer four bonus questions.
The third round is a “lightning round,” and teams are given three different categories. One category this year was art and artists, which is Harken’s specialty, Vest said.
“He got seven out of 10,” Vest said.
Harken said Vest gave the students “pamphlets” to study, and Harken randomly picked art and artists.
“I’m not an artist at all,” Harken said. A couple of the questions he answered in competition gave the name of a painting and asked for the artist’s name.
For example, Harken knew that William Hogarth was the artist of The Rake’s Progress, and that Hieronymus Bosch painted The Garden of Earthly Delights.
“I was crucial in the last game, but overall, I’m definitely the second-best player,” Harken said. Although it’s unofficial, Harken said, he is considered the co-captain and Jonathan Rankin, the team’s high scorer, is the captain.
He said the team captain has to stay calm under pressure and make a decision when players are yelling out different answers.
Harken said the team members learn by studying, and Quiz Bowl questions often are repeated.
“You’ll surely have some [questions] in a game you’ve heard before,” he said. “Experience is definitely a big factor. Morrilton has a reputation for being good at Quiz Bowl, so over the years, we’ve accumulated a lot of good resource material.” He credited Vest and former coach Linda Smith, now retired.
Harken said his only regret is that the Morrilton team didn’t face Watson Chapel in the finals.
“Watson Chapel, they beat us pretty bad last year,” Harken said. “We’re a really solid team this year. If it came down to us and Watson Chapel at the end, we’d have a really good chance and show them we’re not an awful team. It would be kind of like settling a rivalry.”
Now, the Morrilton team is headed to national competition. Vest said the team received a $3,000 scholarship, to be divided among the team members. He said team members will use the money for the trip. High schools could choose to attend national competition in one of three locations, he said: Chicago, New Orleans or Washington, D.C.
Harken said last year, the team went to Chicago as the runner-up. He said he is more excited about the trip to Washington, D.C.
“Especially for a bunch of nerds like us, we’ll get together at the Smithsonian” and see other area sites, he said.
Vest said he’s optimistic about the team’s chances. “It’s going to be difficult; there are best teams from all over the country coming,” he said. “I feel like we have as good a shot as anyone.”
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.