SCIOTO COUNTY— After a year of academic competitions, two local schools brought home wins during the 2024 Division I and II Southern Ohio Academic Tournament Championship on February 29 and will advance to future competitions with tougher challenges ahead.

Wheelersburg High School, led by Coach Brett Oakes, took home the 2024 Division I title, while Coach Justin Howard led his Valley High School team to the Division II championship.

Ironton High School’s Coach Allison Gleichauf and Portsmouth High School coaches, Julie Horn and Shelley Darnell, guided their teams to Division I and II Runners-Up titles.

“Our bracket was very competitive tonight,” Wheelersburg’s Coach Oakes said. “After losing our first match, we didn’t know how the night was going to turn out, but these kids never give up and they clawed their way back to the championship match. I’m so proud of this team and what they have accomplished tonight. All year long, they have put in the time to put us in position to make this happen. Now we start preparing and look forward to seeing what we can do at Regionals”

Valley’s Coach Justin Howard was also proud of his students.

“It’s a great privilege to be able to coach this team,” Howard said. “They make every practice a lot of fun and are so passionate about competing. We have an amazing group of upperclassmen that set the bar high and really encourage each other. We also have a large number of freshman members that show great potential, and it makes me excited to see what the future holds.”

120 students from 16 school districts participated in the Southern Ohio Academic Competition Tournament held at Shawnee State University. Participating schools included East, Green, Ironton, Northwest, Oak Hill, Scioto County Career and Technical Center, South Webster, and Wheelersburg in Division I, and Clay, Minford, New Boston, Notre Dame, Piketon, Portsmouth, Portsmouth West, and Valley in Division II.

“We follow the Ohio Academic Competition format but use fewer alphabet and lightning round questions in order to fit each competition into a half-hour time slot,” Gifted Services Coordinator Sharee Price, of the South Central Ohio Educational Service Center, explained. “Basically, two teams participate in each match with a maximum of four members of each team participating at a time. Two team questions and one ‘toss-up’ question, where contestants must buzz in to answer, are asked in each of ten categories. This is followed by an alphabet round in which each team is given a list of ten written questions where answers all begin with the same letter of the alphabet. The teams are given three minutes to write their answers to all ten questions. Then, the match concludes with ten ‘lightning round’ questions, which can come from any category and teams must buzz in to answer. Each round lasts approximately 30 minutes and the team with the highest number of points wins the match.”

According to Price, each team prepares for competitions with their own methods, often meeting throughout the school year for scrimmages against themselves. Some teams also attend outside tournaments that use other formats in order to sharpen their skills for our tournament.

“I’m always surprised by the amount of knowledge the students have and the way they are able to think on their feet. In order to do well in this type of competition, students have to be able to recall information quickly and be confident enough in their answers to buzz in ahead of the team they are competing against. For most questions, they only get ten seconds to respond, so it’s really quick.” Price said. “I coordinate the academic competitions, but I also moderate them, so I get to see first-hand what a great job these students do! It’s obvious to me that the teachers and coaches are doing a really good job of preparing these students to compete and it’s great to see the friendly rivalries that develop between the teams over the school year.”

The Wheelersburg and Valley teams will advance to the 41st annual OAC Regional Competition on April 13, 2024, at Fisher Catholic High School in Lancaster, OH. Teams that win the Regional Competition will advance to the State Competition in Delaware, Ohio on May 4, 2024.