IRONTON — Junior high school Quiz Bowl teams from across Lawrence County converged at Ohio University Southern for a meeting of the minds.

The Lawrence County Junior

High Ohio Valley Academic Conference Tournament was sponsored by OUS and the Lawrence County Educational Services Center.

Quiz Bowl is a question and answer game played between two teams of five players each. Points are scored by correct answers to questions asked by the reader.

“It is quite competitive,” Theresa Adkins of the Lawrence County Educational Service Center said.

Each county school has a team consisting of 10 to 20 students. A school sponsor works with the students, having “mock” matches to teach the students how to play. Since there is also a high school division, the students who competed Tuesday, could go on to compete during high school Adkins said.

High scorers for this season were: Ethan Martin, South Point; Ryan Dick and Caleb Inboden, Fairland; Tony Brumfield, Chesapeake; Levi Hopkins, St. Joseph; Dylan Markins, Ironton; Katie Willis, Dawson-Bryant; Jordan Webb, Symmes Valley; and Josh Ison, Rock Hill.

The regular season lasts seven weeks. The students practice before school, after school or sometimes during their lunch hour.

South Point Middle School’s team won the regular season with Fairland coming in second and Chesapeake coming in third.

Students have to try out to be a member of the quiz bowl team, and according to some, although it is fun, it is also a lot of work and very competitive.

“Its fun,” Symmes Valley team member Emily Kerns said. “You get to meet new people and learn new things.”

Kerns said she has been on the quiz bowl team for two years since she was previously on the talented and gifted (TAG) quiz bowl team. Her team consists of 11 members

and Kerns was one of three seventh graders who made this year’s team.

This is eighth-grader Ethan Martin’s third year on the South Point Quiz bowl team. Martin was this year’s high scorer for his team, which won the season.

“I like quiz bowl,” he said. “I get a jolt of excitement with it.”

Martin said had been working with a super team this year that really kept up the energy, which is important, he said.

Martin said his Dad had given him some important advice: Stick in there and have fun, if not, it is over before it starts.

With the other sports such as football getting attention, Martin said nobody really focuses on academics anymore and quiz bowl is just as competitive a sport.

“It’s my football,” he said.