Washington High School’s scholar bowl team captured the Gateway Athletic Conference title on Saturday, March 15, at North Point High School. A total of 12 teams competed in the event.

Washington’s team members were seniors Phin Schneider and Alina Hayden and juniors Nathan Oreskovic and Peter Bush. The team is coached by David Dennis.

This was Washington’s sixth win in a row at the GAC meet, and ninth out of the past 10 years. In that past decade, WHS has posted a 77-2 record in games against GAC opponents. It gives Washington its 10^th overall GAC title (including a 2004 win), while second-place Francis Howell Central has five.

Oreskovic made first-team all-conference at 92 points per game, averaging nine tossups out of a possible 20 ever game. He was the top overall scorer, with the second-place finisher at 64 points per game. Oreskovic is the third WHS player to earn top scorer at the GAC after Samatha Doepker in 2022 and Joe Stitz in 2017. 

Hayden earned second-team all-conference honors at 39 points per game.

As is typical for a tournament, the teams were placed into preliminary brackets, and the top teams from each prelim bracket advanced to the playoffs. Typically, both prelims and playoffs are a round-robin format.  

In prelims, Washington went 5-0 with wins over Ft. Zumwalt South, Ft. Zumwalt North, Francis Howell Central, Holt and North Point. 

The top two teams from each prelim bracket, Washington, Ft. Zumwalt North, Ft. Zumwalt West and Orchard Farm, played a round robin in the playoffs.  

In round 6, Washington defeated Orchard Farm 415-180, while FZW beat FZN, 580-100.  

In round 7, Washington defeated FZN 450-175 while FZW beat Orchard Farm, 535-105. 

That set up round 8 as the matchup between the two undefeated teams, Washington and Ft. Zumwalt West. 

Washington had a 15-point lead at halftime and the two teams traded that lead back and forth for the entire second half.  Going into tossup 20, Washington led, 305-280.  A tossup for WHS would seal the championship, while FZW could take it with a tossup and clearing enough points in the bonus.  

Hayden powered the tossup (an early enough correct answer that gets 15 points instead of the usual 10) on a science question, and Washington cleared the bonus to win, 350-280.

Earlier in the week, Oreskovic was selected by the MO Quiz Bowl Alliance to play for the Missouri B team at the National All-Stars Academic Tournament (NASAT) in June at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the sixth-ever player from Washington to be selected. 

Orekovic also will compete at the National Academic Quiz Tournament's (NAQT) Individual Players National Championship on April 6 in Chicago. 

Washington High School will next play on Saturday, March 29, at Lindbergh. Washington Middle School hosts its annual tournament, the Washington Invitational for Middle School and Elementary Youths (WIMSEY) on April 5.  WHS then travels to Sullivan on April 12 for the districts tournament.   

GAC Scholar Bowl Champions

Washington High School’s scholar bowl team captured the
Gateway Athletic Conference title on Saturday, March 15,
at North Point High School. From left are Phin Schneider,
Nathan Oreskovic, Alina Hayden and Peter Bush.

First-Team GAC Scholar Bowl

From left are Rachel Goldberg (North Point), Nathan Oreskovic (Washington),
Joey Spraggon (Winfield) and Ryka Adi (Fort Zumwalt West).

Second-Team GAC Scholar Bowl

From Left are Alina Hayden (Washington), Sommer Cody (Orchard Farm),
Andrew Wersching (Fort Zumwalt North) and Tanisi Adi (Fort Zumwalt West).