A year after winning the 5A state championship back in 2021, the Andover Central Scholars Bowl team returned to the tournament with expectations to win it all.
And they didn’t disappoint.
The team, including head coach Brent Ruggles, consisted of five seniors, Jun Byun, Jacob Norris, Ayman Hemed, Drew Friesen, Alex Ritter, and junior Garrett Kane
“Being able to go this year with the team was like a fairytale,” Ruggles said.
Returning members, Byun and Norris helped lead the team to the tournament at Newton High School.
“The team is such a tight-knit group, and we help each other really well towards success by building confidence and being encouraging,” Byun said. “Scholars bowl is in great shape to build on the legacy at Central since the people and environment are so amazing.”
After a round of 16 questions, the Jags were in a hole, and came back for the tie-breaker against De Soto High School.
“The tie-breaker question ended up being science, a calculating question, and Norris came through and was brilliant,” Ruggles said.
After leading the Jags to three state titles, Coach Ruggles will be stepping down and handing the team over to math teacher Bethany Tyndall.
The Jags will hopefully return next year to uphold their champion title and bring home another state championship.