WPHS Scholars Bowl team finishes 2nd in nation at national small school championship
WEST POINT, Ala. — The West Point High School Scholars Bowl team on Sunday, April 28, 2024, placed No. 2 in the nation at the National Academic Quiz Tournament LLC’s 2024 Small School National Championship Tournament, with Brodie Henry taking the second highest individual honors.
“The kids and I knew that we were ‘in the conversation’ for the National Championship all year,” said coach Lee Henry. “That’s an awkward place to be. The expectations are just so high and the stress gets to you. We went into every game with a huge target on our backs. Winning the Jesse Brown Small School Showcase back in January added to that. But we also knew that the team from Hasting, NY was going to be incredible, and they are. They had four senior players who were all experts in their respective fields, and they worked as a team. I’m hoping that our guys saw that, took it to heart, and will work to be at that level next year. There’s no denying now we will be in the conversation again. We were the runners-up and our entire team is returning.
“To say I’m proud is an understatement.”
The national stage was a change from local competitions, as Henry explained:
“I kept telling the boys to calm down and ‘take this all in’ as we were preparing for the championship match. They are used to years of playing in virtually empty classrooms with only a few – if any – spectators that consisted of only family members, teammates, and coaches. But the championship was on an elevated stage in a large ballroom full of spectators. Most of the teams and coaches who were eliminated in the playoffs stayed to watch the championship. It was a new experience, and I hope that they took the time to soak it in. Very few players of this game get to experience playing in a national championship game.”
Henry’s son Brodie Henry, who took the No. 2 individual score, told The Tribune, “Playing at this year’s SSNCT was one of my favorite moments in my seven years of playing quiz bowl. Leading the team to such a high placement and placing second individually is a great and rewarding feeling for how hard I’ve worked. Though I strongly led the team in points, we could not have made it as far without my teammates: Brady, Sean and JD, who all routinely answer topics that I struggle in and clutch up when I begin to struggle. I also enjoy experiencing the nearby attractions and food found in and around the Chicago area with my teammates.
“Ever since the 2016 iteration of the tournament, when I was in third grade, I have been to every single one. I remember always looking forward to visiting the Chicago area and to watch the team play, and told myself that one day I’d win it. I first actually played in the tournament in 2021, when I was in eighth grade; since then, we have placed eleventh, eighth, fifth, and now, second. With only one more year to achieve my dream, my next and final year of quiz bowl (at least on a high school level) will have to be my best, and I look forward to growing as a player and a team and hopefully taking home the title.”
Coach Henry concluded, “I’ve had a long, successful coaching career. But this has been the best so far. I’m very thankful to everyone at West Point – the administrators, the teachers, the parents, the kids and the whole community – who have contributed to the success of our team.”
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