Mooney wins Academic Challenge championship


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Neighbors | Submitted .Cardinal Mooney Academic Challenge team members, from left, (front) Will Engler, Coach Karen Wright, Kyle Okular, Matt Krivanek, Lauren Tonti, Alex Seiman; (back) Coach Pete Smith, Coach Eileen Bacha, Charles Christopher, Dalton Smolinsky and Mike Rotar took top honors in the WYTV/YSU sponsored broadcast competition. The team has placed in the "elite eight" every year they have participated.

For the second time in three years, Cardinal Mooney’s Academic Challenge team took top honors in the WYTV/YSU sponsored broadcast competition.

Forty high school teams from five counties competed in the “quiz bowl” format. After defeating Boardman 380-260 in the quarterfinals and Commodore Perry 430-390 in the semifinals, the Cards won the championship beating Niles 350-280.

Mooney is also the only team to have reached the “Elite 8” every year it they have participated.

Eileen Bacha, one of the team’s three coaches, indicated that 12 to 15 students are involved with the Academic Challenge team, but only four appear on the air at any given time.

Students start preparations shortly after school opens in the fall, drilling in the four different formats used in the competition. The coaches, Bacha, Mrs. Wright and Pete Smith offer their academic expertise in the humanities, science, sports or math to prepare the squad for the October taping of the preliminary rounds and the spring taping of the championship rounds.

Broadcasts start in late fall and continue until the championship is decided in mid-June. Appearing on air were seniors Alex Sieman, Lauren Tonti and Matt Krivanek, and junior William Engler.

Providing competition at many practice sessions were juniors Chuck Christopher, Dalton Smolinsky, Kyle Okular and Mike Rotar, who will form the nucleus of next year’s team. Freshmen and sophomores also practice with an eye on the future.

The winning team receives four $1,000 scholarships to Youngstown State University.

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