Herscher

Herscher Tigers
Location: Herscher, Illinois
Coaches	Jessie Rezba
State Championships	2022 (Masonic 2A)
National Appearances	SSNCT: 2022, 2021, 2017
Program Status	Unknown
School Size	School Enrollment - 504
NAQT Page	link

Herscher is a public high school in Herscher, Illinois in western Kankakee County. It competes in Class AA, the "big school" division, of the Illinois High School Association's State Championship series.

Herscher was one of the more notable stories of Illinois quiz bowl coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2020-2022, Gavin Markoff ranked among the best quiz bowl players in Illinois & in the nation. Winning the 2022 Masonic Class 2A State Championship in the program's very first State Finals appearance & finishing as Runners-Up at the NAQT Small School National Championship Tournament in 2022. Despite having only played minimal matches with his team beforehand during the rest of the season.

Notable Team Accomplishments

• Masonic State Tournament: 2022 - 1st Place (Class 2A)
• NAQT Small School National Championship Tournament: 2022 - 2nd Place, 2021 - T-5th Place, 2017 - T-29th Place
• IHSA Sectional Titles: (2) 2021 (2A), 1992 (1A)
• IHSA Regional Titles: (3) 2022 (2A), 2021 (2A), 2007 (1A)
• Masonic State Qualifier: (2) 2023, 2022
• Illinois Central Eight Conference titles: (3) 2022, 2021, 2020

Individual Awards

IHSSBCA All-Sectional Honorees

• 2021-22: Gavin Markoff (2A)
• 2011-12: Kelsey Makkay (2A)
• 2007-08: Ryan Buckman, Lea Dekker, Colin Mullikin (1A)
• 2006-07: Niel Buono (1A)

IHSSBCA All-State Honorees

• 2021-22: Gavin Markoff (First Team) Class 2A

NAQT SSNCT Top Scorer

• 2021-22: Gavin Markoff - 4th Place
• 2020-21: Gavin Markoff - 1st Place

Illinois Masonic State Tournament Class 2A Champion
Preceded by	Year	Succeeded by
University of Illinois Lab	2022	Southwestern