PMC 1 RUNNERS-UP … Pettisville Missionary 1 took on PA’s Bowmansville 1 at the OH/PA Bible Quiz Invitational Championship match on March 24. Quizzing in front of a crowd of about 1,000 quizzers and supporters are PMC 1 teammates Elijah Bloomer, Zander Stamm, Cooper Roth, and Bekley Stamm, who quizzed out on question 9, making the score 45-50. In the match, Roth also scored 20 and Z Stamm 10 to make the final score 65-90. Looking on from the bench are teammate Elijah Bloomer, coaches Nick Stamm and Kelsey Roth, and fellow quizzer Mollie Roth. Pettisville Missionary 1 finished runners-up at the 67-team tournament, which was the best finish for any of our area teams since Sand Ridge won the event in 2010.
Using their knowledge of Luke 1-15 and with some fast quizzing, all ten of our area Bible Quiz teams won their first matches, and eight won their second at the OH/PA Invitational, hosted this year in the West Liberty quizzing area on the weekend of March 22-23.
When the dust was settling Saturday afternoon, six of our ten teams had advanced to the Sweet 16 Championship Bracket!
NW Ohio had three of the four #1 ranked teams in the bracket: North Clinton 1 and Pettisville Missionary 1 and 2. King’s Cross 1 was one of four teams ranked #2; Eastland Baptist 2 and North Clinton 2 went in ranked as #3’s. Rounding out the top 16 were two of Wayne County’s six teams, Fairlawn, and Orrville; one of West Liberty’s six teams, Union Chapel; and seven of PA’s 45 teams.
Pettisville Missionary 1 beat Petra 2 from PA and Wayne County’s top team, Fairlawn, Saturday evening to advance to a Sunday morning semi-final match.
They are the first area team to advance to a Sunday morning semifinal match since a Lockport team in 2011. At the 9 a.m. semi-final, Pettisville Missionary 1 beat last year’s Invitational champions, Orrville, 100-10.
In the championship match with Bowmansville 1, Bekley Stamm quizzed out on question 9, but the team was outscored 90-65 and place runners-up.
Pettisville 1 started Saturday morning with four wins over Pennsylvania teams: Maple Grove 2, Alive, Grace and Truth, and Rockville 1, PA’s tournament champion. In the Grace and Truth match, PMC 1 had one of the best come-from-behind matches of the tournament.
PMC 1 found themselves down 20-70 with only five questions left and no correct push-ins. Fortunately, two more bonuses and a quiz-out by Cooper on question 14 brought the score to 65-70; then Zander scored on the last question, winning 75-70.
Other matches in the Sweet 16 saw King’s Cross 1 beat Hinkletown 3 on Saturday evening before falling to the eventual champions, Bowmansville 1, finishing in fifth place.
Team members were Elijah and Max Grunden, Andrew and Mackenzie Yenser, Camryn Tilley, and Lydia Mosier. Eastland 2, North Clinton 1 and 2, and Pettisville 2 all tied for ninth.
Eastland 2 included Cael, Malaki and Mathias Neilson, John Hosteter, and Conner Monroe. For North Clinton 2: Eli and Olivia Armstrong, Keren Maldonado, Tony Mingione, Laura, and Luke Thomas.
Pettisville Missionary 2 was comprised of Liam Hageman, Brianna Norr, Drake Peterson, Mollie Roth, and Nautica Stamm.
Because of the success of our area teams, none of them fell into the first two consolation brackets; four teams did fall into the third consolation bracket.
The Sower, Central 1, and Eastland Baptist 2 won two matches and tied for third in that bracket, 19th overall. Central 2 finished 25th and King’s Cross 2 finished 29th overall.
In their 9am match on Saturday, Eastland Baptist 2 won 180-0 against their PA opponent, Good Shepherd 2. Then at their 10am match, they gave Wayne County’s top team, Fairlawn, their first loss 110-45.
One of the biggest upsets of the day occurred at 10:20 when King’s Cross 2, who came into the tournament ranked 49 out of the 67 participating teams, took down Blainsport 1, who back in Lancaster County, PA finished second out of their 49 teams.
At 10:40, North Clinton 2, coming in ranked 48th, stunned PA’s #9 team, Calvary Monument 1, outscoring them 130-30. Eli and Tony both quizzed out in the match.
King’s Cross 1’s big win of the tournament came at 11:40 when they scored 125-15 against Redemption 1, a West Liberty team who came in ranked second with a season average of 122 points per match.
In the afternoon, Eastland Baptist 2 surprised PA’s highest scoring teams of their season in Lancaster, Blainsport 1, who averaged 118 and Strausburg 2, 129. Pettisville Missionary 2 had a strong showing with their five wins all coming against higher ranked teams.
Eastland Baptist 1 was comprised of four siblings, Grace, Faith, Hope, and Elijah Sheldon along with Rosemary McAfee.
Nine-year quizzer Grace came into the tournament having quizzed out 44 out of 45 matches in NW Ohio quizzing.
Pennsylvania invited all areas to next year’s Invitational at Lancaster High School on the weekend of March 22-23, 2025 covering Luke 16-24 and Acts 1-9.
