By: Renea Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
renea@thevillagereporter.com
ROSEMONT, Ill. — Five high schools from Williams and Fulton counties joined 153 of the top quiz bowl programs from across the country at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago over the weekend of Saturday, April 25, for the 2026 Small School National Championship Tournament. Edgerton Junior/Senior High School and Montpelier Junior-Senior High School represented Williams County, while Evergreen High School of Metamora, Pettisville School and Swanton High School represented Fulton County. All five competed in the tournament’s Traditional Public Schools Division, an 88-team field drawn from 21 states. The five area schools were among 22 Ohio teams to make the trip.
The tournament, hosted by National Academic Quiz Tournaments, is a competitive academic event for teams of four students who use buzzers to answer questions about science, math, history, literature, mythology, geography, social science, current events, sports and popular culture. Matches blend individual competition with team collaboration, since no single player is likely to be an expert in every subject.
Edgerton finished the preliminary rounds with a 3-7 record under coach Olivia Schaffner. The team consisted of Lily Adams, Chloe Blakely, Mikayela Burkhart, Jon Cronin, Henry Gerschutz, Megan Gerschutz, Nate Howell, Baleigh Nickells, Aaliyah Spangler, Ben Thompson and Fernanda Trejo. Edgerton was on the brink of elimination when it defeated Logan-Magnolia of Iowa in round 8 to stay alive, but a loss to Clopton of Clarksville, Missouri, ended its run. The team also met Ohio rival Pandora-Gilboa in round 13, falling 300-45.
Montpelier finished 0-10 in preliminary rounds under coach Carolyn Hopper. The team was captained by Preston Dean and joined by Tyce Fleurkens, Piper JoHantgen, Dexter Kannel, Olivia Kannel, Hannah Martin, Wade Mauk, Nash Miller and Charlie Roe. The Locomotives faced Ohio rival Upper Sandusky in round 5, falling 200-40, and were eliminated in round 6 by Weld Central B of Keenesburg, Colorado.
Evergreen finished 2-8 under coach Bill Blanchong. The Vikings were captained by Ethan Grasser and joined by Jace Burgermeister, Sophia Goodson, Karlee Hyatt, John Mitro, Sebastian Noe, Nathan Vaughn and Aiden Vollmar. Evergreen drew Ohio rival Parkway of Rockford in round 1, suffering a closely contested 205-140 defeat, and was eliminated in round 7 by Macomb of Illinois.
Pettisville posted the best record of any area school at 4-6, finishing 51st in the 88-team field. The team consisted of Keegan Bird, Macy Hoylman, Gavin Sifuentes and Caroline Sterken, coached by Nathan Kester and Rebecca Sivik with assistance from Andy Switzer. The Blackbirds endured a string of nail-biters: a 205-195 loss to Raceland-Worthington of Kentucky in round 2, a 130-125 win over Midd-West of Middleburg, Pennsylvania, in round 5, a 220-200 loss to Hastings B of New York in round 8 and a 210-185 loss to White Cloud A of Michigan in round 9. Pettisville was eliminated in round 11 by Pierce City of Missouri.
Swanton finished 1-9 under coach David LaBonte. The team consisted of Apollo Bailey, Jordan Deaver, Logan Feuerstein and Layla Miracle-Werner. The Bulldogs’ tournament included a narrow 205-180 loss to Hastings B of New York in round 2 and ended in round 6 with a loss to Westmont of Illinois.
In a rare all-area matchup on a national stage, Pettisville and Swanton were drawn against each other in round 4. Pettisville prevailed, 140-85.
The Traditional Public Schools Division championship was won by Russell High School of Russell, Kentucky. The Open Division championship, contested alongside the public-school bracket, went to Park Tudor School of Indianapolis, Indiana.