Difference between revisions of "VHSL Scholastic Bowl"

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The '''Virginia High School League''', which governs Virginia public-school participation in extracurricular activities including sports and academic contests, began offering a Scholastic Bowl title in 1998. The three-class system was in effect through the 2012-2013 year. Beginning in 2013-2014, thanks to the [[2014 VHSL Realignment]], new conferences and a six-class state tournament were implemented.
+
The '''Virginia High School League''' offers a comprehensive program of extracurricular activities including sports and academic contests in Virginia and began offering a Scholastic Bowl title in 1998. The three-class system was in effect through the 2012-2013 year. Beginning in 2013-2014, thanks to the [[2014 VHSL Realignment]], new conferences and a six-class state tournament were implemented.
 +
 
 +
==Prior to 1998==
 +
 
 +
Quizbowl in Virginia existed in several forms prior to the awarding of a VHSL state championship, including:
 +
*independent weekend tournaments run by high schools and colleges, with [[Spotswood]], [[Thomas Jefferson (VA)]], and [[Virginia Tech]] being among the longest-tenured hosts
 +
*TV tournaments such as [[It's Academic]], [[Battle of the Brains]], [[Tidewater Challenge]], and [[Pop Quiz]]
 +
*leagues and championship tournaments run at the sub-state level by certain VHSL regions - more information on this is desired
  
 
==Structure (1998-2013)==
 
==Structure (1998-2013)==
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==Structure (2014-2017)==
 
==Structure (2014-2017)==
  
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Districts were used only for the optional regular season. Postseason play begam in Conferences. Conferences each sent two teams to Regionals, and each Regional, of which there are two per class, sent two teams to the state tournament. The state tournament involved each of the six classes playing a four-team, three-game round robin; three-way ties were broken on total points (not played off) under the announced system.
+
Districts were used only for the optional regular season. Postseason play began in Conferences. Conferences each sent two teams to Regionals, and each Regional, of which there were two per class, sent two teams to the state tournament. The state tournament involved each of the six classes playing a four-team, three-game round robin; three-way ties were broken on total points (not played off) under the announced system.
 +
 
 +
The new classes were known as [[VHSL Class 6A|6A]], [[VHSL Class 5A|5A]], [[VHSL Class 4A|4A]], [[VHSL Class 3A|3A]], [[VHSL Class 2A|2A]], and [[VHSL Class 1A|1A]]. Magnet schools no longer played up in the highest class for academic competitions, and instead played in the class that their enrollment size dictated.
  
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The new classes are known as [[VHSL Class 6A|6A]], [[VHSL Class 5A|5A]], [[VHSL Class 4A|4A]], [[VHSL Class 3A|3A]], [[VHSL Class 2A|2A]], and [[VHSL Class 1A|1A]]. Magnet schools no longer play up in the highest class for academic competitions, and instead play in the class that their enrollment size dictates.
+
In a more minor change, conferences and regions were required to choose from either a round-robin or double-elimination format and could not design their own formats.
  
−
In a more minor change, conferences and regions are now required to choose from either a round-robin or double-elimination format and may not design their own formats.
 
 
==Structure (2018-)==
 
==Structure (2018-)==
 
The [[2018 VHSL Realignment]] keeps the class system intact except for changing the naming of the classes from using the system of "A"s. For example, 6A will now be called Class 6. Conferences are eliminated and replaced with districts for the regular season. Postseason play will begin at regional tournaments, of which there will now be four per class.
 
The [[2018 VHSL Realignment]] keeps the class system intact except for changing the naming of the classes from using the system of "A"s. For example, 6A will now be called Class 6. Conferences are eliminated and replaced with districts for the regular season. Postseason play will begin at regional tournaments, of which there will now be four per class.
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In 2001, [[Shawn Pickrell]] took over as Commissioner and chief question writer. He implemented a strategy by which Regionals and States (but not the regular season or Districts) gradually became more [[pyramidal]] and the stated subject distribution of the packets was roughly followed.
 
In 2001, [[Shawn Pickrell]] took over as Commissioner and chief question writer. He implemented a strategy by which Regionals and States (but not the regular season or Districts) gradually became more [[pyramidal]] and the stated subject distribution of the packets was roughly followed.
  
−
===2010-present===
+
===2010-2017===
  
−
In 2010, Pickrell resigned and [[Fred Campbell]] became the new Commissioner, contracting with [[HSAPQ]] to provide the questions. [[Good quizbowl]] principles were introduced at all levels of the competition.
+
In 2010, Pickrell resigned and [[Fred Campbell]] became the new Commissioner, contracting with [[HSAPQ]] to provide the questions. """
 +
"[[Good quizbowl]]" principles were introduced at all levels of the competition.
 +
 
 +
===2018-present===
 +
 
 +
In Fall 2017, it was announced that [[NAQT]] would be the new question provider for Scholastic Bowl's regular season, Regionals, Super Regionals, and State tournaments.
  
 
==VHSL Format==
 
==VHSL Format==
  
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The format used in VHSL matches consists of a round of fifteen tossups, ten "directed questions" for each team which bounce back, and a concluding phase of fifteen more tossups. Tossups are scored in the normal quizbowl way. Directed questions are worth 10 points each and function similarly to a single-part bonus, but their reading is not correlated to answering tossups.
+
The format used in VHSL matches consists of a round of fifteen tossups, ten "directed questions" for each team which bounce back, and a concluding phase of fifteen more tossups. Tossups are scored in the normal quizbowl way but lack powermarking. Directed questions are worth 10 points each and function similarly to a single-part bonus, but their reading is not correlated to answering tossups.
  
 
===Origin of the format===
 
===Origin of the format===
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The format is somewhat based on the format of the Mountain Academic Competition Conference and the Southwest Virginia Academic Conference, two local organizations which ran quizbowl competitions prior to the formation of Scholastic Bowl. The format is not used at any non-Scholastic Bowl events (nearly all independent events in Virginia use standard [[ACF]] format).
 
The format is somewhat based on the format of the Mountain Academic Competition Conference and the Southwest Virginia Academic Conference, two local organizations which ran quizbowl competitions prior to the formation of Scholastic Bowl. The format is not used at any non-Scholastic Bowl events (nearly all independent events in Virginia use standard [[ACF]] format).
  
−
==Notes==
+
==Eligibility notes==
 +
 
 +
State-level VHSL competition is restricted to one team per school, though some district-level Scholastic Bowl tournaments have JV divisions and/or allow B teams.
 +
 
 +
The VHSL is not formally limited to public schools and in 2015 voted to allow "non-boarding" private schools to join. In practice, the only known private school that began playing VHSL sports is Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg. LCA participated in its local Scholastic Bowl league starting in 2024.
 +
 
 +
Some specialty public schools that are too small to support a full sports program are not members of VHSL and thus do not play Scholastic Bowl.
 +
 
 +
The VHSL does not include half-day magnet programs such as [[Mountain Vista]] and requires students in those programs to play sports and activities such as Scholastic Bowl for their home schools.  Prior to the late 2010s, invitational tournaments in Virginia usually allowed these kinds of magnets to participate, though this has become less common in recent years following a renewed focus on clear and enforced eligibility rules.
 +
 
 +
VHSL has minimum courseload requirements for all sports and activities which, in simplified form, require a "take five/pass five" approach; students must be enrolled in five for-credit courses during the current semester and must have passed five for-credit courses during the prior semester. While this rarely causes issues with Scholastic Bowl participants, there have been cases where local schools allowed 12th graders with near-complete graduation requirements to take fewer than five courses at the school and complete their day on independent study. These students were generally eligible for quizbowl due to being enrolled at the school but were not eligible for Scholastic Bowl due to failing to meet the five-course minimum.
  
−
As the VHSL is an organization of public schools, such longstanding Virginia programs as [[St. Christopher's]], [[Collegiate (VA)|Collegiate]], and [[St. Anne's]] have been unable to participate in VHSL tournaments or compete for the state title. Such schools are eligible for the [[NAQT Virginia Championship]]. B teams are not eligible for VHSL participation.
+
In the 1990s and 2000s competitive teams such as [[St. Christopher's]], [[Collegiate (VA)|Collegiate]], and [[St. Anne's]] were unable to participate in VHSL tournaments or compete for the state title due to the de facto public/private school split. Since at least 2007 the consensus best overall team in Virginia has always been a public school (Thomas Jefferson, Cave Spring, Maggie Walker, or Western Albemarle) though it is possible that some of the private schools could have contended for titles in the VHSL's multi-class system.
  
 
==State Championship Results (1998-2013 Classification System)==
 
==State Championship Results (1998-2013 Classification System)==
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{|-
 
{|-
 
|
 
|
−
{| class="wikitable sortable"
+
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"
 
|-
 
|-
−
! Years
+
!rowspan=2| Year
−
! [[VHSL_Class_AAA_(1998-2013)|AAA Champion]]
+
!colspan=2| [[VHSL_Class_AAA_(1998-2013)|Class AAA]]
−
! AAA Second Place
+
!colspan=2| [[VHSL_Class_AA_(1998-2013)|Class AA]]
−
! [[VHSL_Class_AA_(1998-2013)|AA Champion]]
+
!colspan=2| [[VHSL_Class_A_(1998-2013)|Class A]]
−
! AA Second Place
+
|-
−
! [[VHSL_Class_A_(1998-2013)|A Champion]]
+
! Champion
−
! A Second Place
+
! Second Place
 +
! Champion
 +
! Second Place
 +
! Champion
 +
! Second Place
 
|-  
 
|-  
−
| 1998
+
| [[1998 VHSL State Championship|1998]]
 
| [[1998 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 
| [[1998 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 
| [[1998 Lake Braddock|Lake Braddock]]
 
| [[1998 Lake Braddock|Lake Braddock]]
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| [[2002 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 
| [[2002 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 
| [[2002 Albemarle|Albemarle]]
 
| [[2002 Albemarle|Albemarle]]
−
| [[2002 Robert E. Lee (Staunton, VA)|Robert E. Lee]]
+
| [[2002 Staunton|Staunton]]
 
| [[2002 Blacksburg|Blacksburg]]
 
| [[2002 Blacksburg|Blacksburg]]
−
| [[2002 George Mason|George Mason]]
+
| [[2002 Meridian|Meridian]]
 
| [[2002 Buffalo Gap|Buffalo Gap]]
 
| [[2002 Buffalo Gap|Buffalo Gap]]
 
|-
 
|-
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| [[2003 Maggie Walker|Maggie Walker]]
 
| [[2003 Maggie Walker|Maggie Walker]]
 
| [[2003 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 
| [[2003 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
−
| [[2003 Salem|Salem]]
+
| [[2003 Salem (Salem, VA)|Salem]]
 
| [[2003 Spotswood|Spotswood]]
 
| [[2003 Spotswood|Spotswood]]
−
| [[2003 George Mason|George Mason]]
+
| [[2003 Meridian|Meridian]]
 
| [[2003 Middlesex|Middlesex]]
 
| [[2003 Middlesex|Middlesex]]
 
|-
 
|-
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| [[2004 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 
| [[2004 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 
| [[2004 Maggie Walker|Maggie Walker]]
 
| [[2004 Maggie Walker|Maggie Walker]]
−
| [[2004 Robert E. Lee (Staunton, VA)|Robert E. Lee]]
+
| [[2004 Staunton|Staunton]]
−
| [[2004 Loudoun|Loudoun]]
+
| [[2004 Loudoun County|Loudoun County]]
 
| [[2004 Eastern Montgomery|Eastern Montgomery]]
 
| [[2004 Eastern Montgomery|Eastern Montgomery]]
−
| [[2004 George Mason|George Mason]]
+
| [[2004 Meridian|Meridian]]
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 2005
 
| 2005
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| [[2006 Blacksburg|Blacksburg]]
 
| [[2006 Blacksburg|Blacksburg]]
 
| [[2006 Radford|Radford]]
 
| [[2006 Radford|Radford]]
−
| [[2006 George Mason|George Mason]]
+
| [[2006 Meridian|Meridian]]
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 2007
 
| 2007
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| [[2007 Charlottesville|Charlottesville]]
 
| [[2007 Charlottesville|Charlottesville]]
 
| [[2007 Heritage (Lynchburg, VA)|Heritage]]
 
| [[2007 Heritage (Lynchburg, VA)|Heritage]]
−
| [[2007 George Mason|George Mason]]
+
| [[2007 Meridian|Meridian]]
 
| [[2007 Radford|Radford]]
 
| [[2007 Radford|Radford]]
 
|-
 
|-
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| [[2009 Heritage|Heritage]]
 
| [[2009 Heritage|Heritage]]
 
| [[2009 Rappahannock County|Rappahannock Co.]]
 
| [[2009 Rappahannock County|Rappahannock Co.]]
−
| [[2009 George Mason|George Mason]]
+
| [[2009 Meridian|Meridian]]
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 2010
 
| 2010
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| [[2010 Blacksburg |Blacksburg]]
 
| [[2010 Blacksburg |Blacksburg]]
 
| [[2010 New Kent |New Kent]]
 
| [[2010 New Kent |New Kent]]
−
| [[2010 George Mason |George Mason]]
+
| [[2010 Meridian|Meridian]]
 
| [[2010 Honaker |Honaker]]
 
| [[2010 Honaker |Honaker]]
 
|-
 
|-
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| [[2011 Christiansburg|Christiansburg]]
 
| [[2011 Christiansburg|Christiansburg]]
 
| [[2011 Western Albemarle|Western Albemarle]]
 
| [[2011 Western Albemarle|Western Albemarle]]
−
| [[2011 George Mason|George Mason]]
+
| [[2011 Meridian|Meridian]]
 
| [[2011 Nandua|Nandua]]
 
| [[2011 Nandua|Nandua]]
 
|-
 
|-
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| [[2012 Cave Spring|Cave Spring]]
 
| [[2012 Cave Spring|Cave Spring]]
 
| [[2012 Christiansburg|Christiansburg]]
 
| [[2012 Christiansburg|Christiansburg]]
−
| [[2012 George Mason|George Mason]]
+
| [[2012 Meridian|Meridian]]
 
| [[2012 Honaker|Honaker]]
 
| [[2012 Honaker|Honaker]]
 
|-
 
|-
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| [[2013 New Kent|New Kent]]
 
| [[2013 New Kent|New Kent]]
 
| [[2013 Western Albemarle|Western Albemarle]]
 
| [[2013 Western Albemarle|Western Albemarle]]
−
| [[2013 George Mason|George Mason]]
+
| [[2013 Meridian|Meridian]]
 
| [[2013 Honaker|Honaker]]
 
| [[2013 Honaker|Honaker]]
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
  
−
==State Championship Results (2014- Classification System)==
+
Notes on names:
 +
 
 +
*T. C. Williams changed its name to Alexandria City High School in 2021.
 +
 
 +
*Prior to 2002, the school that is now Maggie Walker participated in VHSL sports and activities on a combined team with Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond; to avoid confusion with the Thomas Jefferson in Alexandria which appears several times in the above table, the Maggie Walker name is intentionally being used here anachronistically.
 +
 
 +
*Robert E. Lee changed its name to Staunton High School in 2020.
 +
 
 +
*George Mason changed its name to Meridian High School in 2021.
 +
 
 +
*Stonewall Jackson changed its name to Unity Reed High School in 2020.
 +
 
 +
==State Championship Results (2014-present Classification System)==
 +
 
 +
Note: Classes were renamed in 2018; "Class 6A" became "Class 6," etc.  Other than normal year-to-year realignment based on school size fluctuations, the only other change to the structure of the postseason series occurred at the lower levels.  Since the state championship tournament format and class structure did not change, results from before and after 2018 are combined in one table.
  
 
{|-
 
{|-
 
|
 
|
−
{| class="wikitable sortable"
+
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"
 
|-
 
|-
−
! Years
+
!rowspan=2 | Year
−
! [[VHSL Class 6A|6A Champion]]
+
!colspan=2 | [[VHSL Class 6|Class 6]]
−
! 6A Second Place
+
!colspan=2 | [[VHSL Class 5|Class 5]]
−
! [[VHSL Class 5A|5A Champion]]
+
!colspan=2 | [[VHSL Class 4|Class 4]]
−
! 5A Second Place
+
!colspan=2 | [[VHSL Class 3|Class 3]]
−
! [[VHSL Class 4A|4A Champion]]
+
!colspan=2 | [[VHSL Class 2|Class 2]]
−
! 4A Second Place
+
!colspan=2 | [[VHSL Class 1|Class 1]]
−
! [[VHSL Class 3A|3A Champion]]
+
|-
−
! 3A Second Place
+
! Champion
−
! [[VHSL Class 2A|2A Champion]]
+
! Runner-up
−
! 2A Second Place
+
! Champion
−
! [[VHSL Class 1A|1A Champion]]
+
! Runner-up
−
! 1A Second Place
+
! Champion
 +
! Runner-up
 +
! Champion
 +
! Runner-up
 +
! Champion
 +
! Runner-up
 +
! Champion
 +
! Runner-up
 
|-  
 
|-  
−
| 2014
+
| [[2014 VHSL State Championship|2014]]
 
| [[2014 Langley|Langley]]
 
| [[2014 Langley|Langley]]
−
| [[2014 Stonewall Jackson|Stonewall Jackson]]
+
| [[2014 Unity Reed|Unity Reed]]
 
| [[2014 Albemarle|Albemarle]]
 
| [[2014 Albemarle|Albemarle]]
 
| [[2014 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 
| [[2014 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
−
| [[2014 Loudoun|Loudoun]]
+
| [[2014 Loudoun County|Loudoun County]]
 
| [[2014 Woodgrove|Woodgrove]]
 
| [[2014 Woodgrove|Woodgrove]]
 
| [[2014 Western Albemarle|Western Albemarle]]
 
| [[2014 Western Albemarle|Western Albemarle]]
 
| [[2014 Blacksburg|Blacksburg]]
 
| [[2014 Blacksburg|Blacksburg]]
 
| [[2014 Maggie Walker|Maggie Walker]]
 
| [[2014 Maggie Walker|Maggie Walker]]
−
| [[2014 George Mason|George Mason]]
+
| [[2014 Meridian|Meridian]]
 
| [[2014 Honaker|Honaker]]
 
| [[2014 Honaker|Honaker]]
 
| [[2014 Mathews|Mathews]]
 
| [[2014 Mathews|Mathews]]
 
|-  
 
|-  
−
| 2015
+
| [[2015 VHSL State Championship|2015]]
 
| [[2015 Langley|Langley]]
 
| [[2015 Langley|Langley]]
 
| [[2015 Western Branch|Western Branch]]
 
| [[2015 Western Branch|Western Branch]]
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| [[2015 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 
| [[2015 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 
| [[2015 Woodgrove|Woodgrove]]
 
| [[2015 Woodgrove|Woodgrove]]
−
| [[2015 Loudoun|Loudoun]]
+
| [[2015 Loudoun County|Loudoun County]]
 
| [[2015 Western Albemarle|Western Albemarle]]
 
| [[2015 Western Albemarle|Western Albemarle]]
 
| [[2015 Cave Spring|Cave Spring]]
 
| [[2015 Cave Spring|Cave Spring]]
 
| [[2015 Maggie Walker|Maggie Walker]]
 
| [[2015 Maggie Walker|Maggie Walker]]
−
| [[2015 George Mason|George Mason]]
+
| [[2015 Meridian|Meridian]]
 
| [[2015 Rappahannock County|Rappahannock Co.]]
 
| [[2015 Rappahannock County|Rappahannock Co.]]
 
| [[2015 Radford|Radford]]
 
| [[2015 Radford|Radford]]
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 2016
+
| [[2016 VHSL State Championship|2016]]
 
| [[2016 Langley|Langley]]
 
| [[2016 Langley|Langley]]
−
| [[2016 WT Woodson|WT Woodson]]
+
| [[2016 W.T. Woodson|W.T. Woodson]]
 
| [[2016 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 
| [[2016 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 
| [[2016 Princess Anne|Princess Anne]]
 
| [[2016 Princess Anne|Princess Anne]]
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| [[2016 Cave Spring|Cave Spring]]
 
| [[2016 Cave Spring|Cave Spring]]
 
| [[2016 Culpeper County|Culpeper County]]
 
| [[2016 Culpeper County|Culpeper County]]
−
| [[2016 Central-Wise|Central-Wise]]
+
| [[2016 Central (VA)|Central-Wise]]
 
| [[2016 Maggie Walker|Maggie Walker]]
 
| [[2016 Maggie Walker|Maggie Walker]]
 
| [[2016 Honaker|Honaker]]
 
| [[2016 Honaker|Honaker]]
 
| [[2016 Riverheads|Riverheads]]
 
| [[2016 Riverheads|Riverheads]]
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 2017
+
| [[2017 VHSL State Championship|2017]]
−
| [[Robinson (VA)|James Robinson]]
+
| [[2017 Robinson (VA)|Robinson]]
−
| [[McLean]]
+
| [[2017 McLean|McLean]]
−
| [[Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
+
| [[2017 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
−
| [[Princess Anne]]
+
| [[2017 Princess Anne|Princess Anne]]
−
| [[Loudoun County]]
+
| [[2017 Loudoun County|Loudoun County]]
−
| [[Sherando]]
+
| [[2017 Sherando|Sherando]]
−
| [[Cave Spring]]
+
| [[2017 Cave Spring|Cave Spring]]
−
| [[Blacksburg]]
+
| [[2017 Blacksburg|Blacksburg]]
−
| [[Maggie Walker]]
+
| [[2017 Maggie Walker|Maggie Walker]]
−
| [[Central (VA)|Central-Wise]]
+
| [[2017 Central (VA)|Central-Wise]]
−
| [[Honaker]]
+
| [[2017 Honaker|Honaker]]
−
| [[Galileo Magnet]]
+
| [[2017 Galileo Magnet|Galileo Magnet]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[2018 2018 VHSL State Championship|2018]]
 +
| [[2018 Robinson (VA)|Robinson]]
 +
| [[2018 McLean|McLean]]
 +
| [[2018 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 +
| [[2018 Princess Anne|Princess Anne]]
 +
| [[2018 Jamestown|Jamestown]]
 +
| [[2018 Jefferson Forest|Jefferson Forest]]
 +
| [[2018 Cave Spring|Cave Spring]]
 +
| [[2018 Western Albemarle|Western Albemarle]]
 +
| [[2018 Maggie Walker|Maggie Walker]]
 +
| [[2018 Central (VA)|Central-Wise]]
 +
| [[2018 Galileo Magnet|Galileo Magnet]]
 +
| [[2018 Honaker|Honaker]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[2019 VHSL State Championship|2019]]
 +
| [[2019 Alexandria City|Alexandria City]]
 +
| [[2019 Robinson (VA)|Robinson]]
 +
| [[2019 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 +
| [[2019 Douglas Freeman|Douglas Freeman]]
 +
| [[2019 Jamestown|Jamestown]]
 +
| [[2019 Woodgrove|Woodgrove]]
 +
| [[2019 Rockbridge County|Rockbridge County]]
 +
| [[2019 Cave Spring|Cave Spring]]
 +
| [[2019 Maggie Walker|Maggie Walker]]
 +
| [[2019 Clarke County|Clarke County]]
 +
| [[2019 Honaker|Honaker]]
 +
| [[2019 George Wythe|George Wythe]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[2020 VHSL State Championship|2020]]
 +
| [[2020 McLean|McLean]]
 +
| [[2020 Robinson (VA)|Robinson]]
 +
| [[2020 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 +
| [[2020 Princess Anne|Princess Anne]]
 +
| [[2020 Jamestown|Jamestown]]
 +
| [[2020 Blacksburg|Blacksburg]]
 +
| [[2020 Fort Defiance|Fort Defiance]]
 +
| [[2020 Maggie Walker|Maggie Walker]]
 +
| [[2020 Clarke County|Clarke County]]
 +
| [[2020 Gate City|Gate City]]
 +
| [[2020 George Wythe|George Wythe]]
 +
| [[2020 Rappahannock County|Rappahannock Co.]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[2021 VHSL State Championship|2021]]
 +
| [[2021 Robinson (VA)|Robinson]]
 +
| [[2021 John Champe|John Champe]]
 +
| [[2021 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 +
| [[2021 Harrisonburg|Harrisonburg]]
 +
| [[2021 Grafton|Grafton]]
 +
| [[2021 Jefferson Forest|Jefferson Forest]]
 +
| [[2021 Maggie Walker|Maggie Walker]]
 +
| [[2021 Fort Defiance|Fort Defiance]]
 +
| [[2021 Gate City|Gate City]]
 +
| [[2021 Radford|Radford]]
 +
| [[2021 George Wythe|George Wythe]]
 +
| [[2021 Galileo Magnet|Galileo Magnet]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[2022 VHSL State Championship|2022]]
 +
| [[2022 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 +
| [[2022 McLean|McLean]]
 +
| [[2022 Douglas Freeman|Douglas Freeman]]
 +
| [[2022 Princess Anne|Princess Anne]]
 +
| [[2022 Lightridge|Lightridge]]
 +
| [[2022 Jamestown|Jamestown]]
 +
| [[2022 Rockbridge County| Rockbridge County]]
 +
| [[2022 Hidden Valley|Hidden Valley]]
 +
| [[2022 Radford|Radford]]
 +
| [[2022 Buckingham County|Buckingham County]]
 +
| [[2022 George Wythe|George Wythe]]
 +
| [[2022 Galileo Magnet|Galileo Magnet]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[2023 VHSL State Championship|2023]]
 +
| [[2023 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 +
| [[2023 McLean|McLean]]
 +
| [[2023 Princess Anne|Princess Anne]]
 +
| [[2023 Albemarle|Albemarle]]
 +
| [[2023 Lightridge|Lightridge]]
 +
| [[2023 Great Bridge|Great Bridge]]
 +
| [[2023 Maggie Walker|Maggie Walker]]
 +
| [[2023 Fort Defiance|Fort Defiance]]
 +
| [[2023 Buckingham County|Buckingham County]]
 +
| [[2023 Richlands|Richlands]]
 +
| [[2023 George Wythe|George Wythe]]
 +
| [[2023 Galileo Magnet|Galileo Magnet]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[2024 VHSL State Championship|2024]]
 +
| [[2024 McLean|McLean]]
 +
| [[2024 Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]
 +
| [[2024 Ocean Lakes|Ocean Lakes]]
 +
| [[2024 Lightridge|Lightridge]]
 +
| [[2024 Blacksburg|Blacksburg]]
 +
| [[2024 John Champe|John Champe]]
 +
| [[2024 Maggie Walker|Maggie Walker]]
 +
| [[2024 Rockbridge|Rockbridge]]
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| [[2024 Ridgeview|Ridgeview]]
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| [[2024 Poquoson|Poquoson]]
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| [[2024 John I. Burton|John I. Burton]]
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| [[2024 George Wythe|George Wythe]]
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Latest revision as of 15:40, 22 July 2024

The Virginia High School League offers a comprehensive program of extracurricular activities including sports and academic contests in Virginia and began offering a Scholastic Bowl title in 1998. The three-class system was in effect through the 2012-2013 year. Beginning in 2013-2014, thanks to the 2014 VHSL Realignment, new conferences and a six-class state tournament were implemented.

Prior to 1998

Quizbowl in Virginia existed in several forms prior to the awarding of a VHSL state championship, including:

Structure (1998-2013)

From the time of Scholastic Bowl's inception to the end of the 2012-2013 year, the VHSL classified schools into groups A, AA, and AAA based primarily on school size. Many schools played up or down from where their size would dictate in order to be in the same division as geographically nearby opponents. Both Maggie Walker and Thomas Jefferson were required by rule to play in Group AAA in academic activities regardless of school size. This system was eliminated in the 2014 VHSL Realignment.

Each district produced two teams to send to regionals. 44 of the 46 districts in VHSL participated in Scholastic Bowl.

Each of the four regional tournaments sent its top two teams to the state championship. The state championship consisted of the top eight teams (in each enrollment class) playing a double-elimination tournament. The state championship was held at Charlottesville High School in 1998 and at William & Mary from 1999 onwards.

Performance in Scholastic Bowl and other academic activities sponsored by VHSL (including debate, and forensics) counts towards a school's standing in the Wachovia Cup in Academics, an overall title awarded to the school with the best performance in all non-athletic VHSL events. There is also a Wachovia Cup for Athletics.

Structure (2014-2017)

Districts were used only for the optional regular season. Postseason play began in Conferences. Conferences each sent two teams to Regionals, and each Regional, of which there were two per class, sent two teams to the state tournament. The state tournament involved each of the six classes playing a four-team, three-game round robin; three-way ties were broken on total points (not played off) under the announced system.

The new classes were known as 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, and 1A. Magnet schools no longer played up in the highest class for academic competitions, and instead played in the class that their enrollment size dictated.

In a more minor change, conferences and regions were required to choose from either a round-robin or double-elimination format and could not design their own formats.

Structure (2018-)

The 2018 VHSL Realignment keeps the class system intact except for changing the naming of the classes from using the system of "A"s. For example, 6A will now be called Class 6. Conferences are eliminated and replaced with districts for the regular season. Postseason play will begin at regional tournaments, of which there will now be four per class.

Leadership & Questions

1998-2000

The tournament was first written and directed by Claude Sandy, a retired Academic Decathlon administrator with no prior connection to quizbowl. Tournaments in his purview were noted for recycling questions and having less than 2 literature questions in an average match, most of which are on repetitive pet topics such as Zane Grey and the fact that Leo Tolstoy held the noble rank of "count."

2001-2009

In 2001, Shawn Pickrell took over as Commissioner and chief question writer. He implemented a strategy by which Regionals and States (but not the regular season or Districts) gradually became more pyramidal and the stated subject distribution of the packets was roughly followed.

2010-2017

In 2010, Pickrell resigned and Fred Campbell became the new Commissioner, contracting with HSAPQ to provide the questions. """ "Good quizbowl" principles were introduced at all levels of the competition.

2018-present

In Fall 2017, it was announced that NAQT would be the new question provider for Scholastic Bowl's regular season, Regionals, Super Regionals, and State tournaments.

VHSL Format

The format used in VHSL matches consists of a round of fifteen tossups, ten "directed questions" for each team which bounce back, and a concluding phase of fifteen more tossups. Tossups are scored in the normal quizbowl way but lack powermarking. Directed questions are worth 10 points each and function similarly to a single-part bonus, but their reading is not correlated to answering tossups.

Origin of the format

The format is somewhat based on the format of the Mountain Academic Competition Conference and the Southwest Virginia Academic Conference, two local organizations which ran quizbowl competitions prior to the formation of Scholastic Bowl. The format is not used at any non-Scholastic Bowl events (nearly all independent events in Virginia use standard ACF format).

Eligibility notes

State-level VHSL competition is restricted to one team per school, though some district-level Scholastic Bowl tournaments have JV divisions and/or allow B teams.

The VHSL is not formally limited to public schools and in 2015 voted to allow "non-boarding" private schools to join. In practice, the only known private school that began playing VHSL sports is Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg. LCA participated in its local Scholastic Bowl league starting in 2024.

Some specialty public schools that are too small to support a full sports program are not members of VHSL and thus do not play Scholastic Bowl.

The VHSL does not include half-day magnet programs such as Mountain Vista and requires students in those programs to play sports and activities such as Scholastic Bowl for their home schools. Prior to the late 2010s, invitational tournaments in Virginia usually allowed these kinds of magnets to participate, though this has become less common in recent years following a renewed focus on clear and enforced eligibility rules.

VHSL has minimum courseload requirements for all sports and activities which, in simplified form, require a "take five/pass five" approach; students must be enrolled in five for-credit courses during the current semester and must have passed five for-credit courses during the prior semester. While this rarely causes issues with Scholastic Bowl participants, there have been cases where local schools allowed 12th graders with near-complete graduation requirements to take fewer than five courses at the school and complete their day on independent study. These students were generally eligible for quizbowl due to being enrolled at the school but were not eligible for Scholastic Bowl due to failing to meet the five-course minimum.

In the 1990s and 2000s competitive teams such as St. Christopher's, Collegiate, and St. Anne's were unable to participate in VHSL tournaments or compete for the state title due to the de facto public/private school split. Since at least 2007 the consensus best overall team in Virginia has always been a public school (Thomas Jefferson, Cave Spring, Maggie Walker, or Western Albemarle) though it is possible that some of the private schools could have contended for titles in the VHSL's multi-class system.

State Championship Results (1998-2013 Classification System)

Year Class AAA Class AA Class A
Champion Second Place Champion Second Place Champion Second Place
1998 Thomas Jefferson Lake Braddock Western Albemarle Blacksburg Radford Middlesex
1999 Thomas Jefferson Maggie Walker Blacksburg Poquoson Radford West Point
2000 Maggie Walker Thomas Jefferson Charlottesville Graham Buffalo Gap Middlesex
2001 Thomas Jefferson Maggie Walker Poquoson Heritage Radford Randolph-Henry
2002 Thomas Jefferson Albemarle Staunton Blacksburg Meridian Buffalo Gap
2003 Maggie Walker Thomas Jefferson Salem Spotswood Meridian Middlesex
2004 Thomas Jefferson Maggie Walker Staunton Loudoun County Eastern Montgomery Meridian
2005 Thomas Jefferson Maggie Walker Charlottesville Spotswood James Monroe Eastern Montgomery
2006 Thomas Jefferson Ocean Lakes Charlottesville Blacksburg Radford Meridian
2007 Maggie Walker Thomas Jefferson Charlottesville Heritage Meridian Radford
2008 Thomas Jefferson Maggie Walker Charlottesville Cave Spring Radford West Point
2009 Thomas Jefferson Maggie Walker James Monroe Heritage Rappahannock Co. Meridian
2010 Maggie Walker Thomas Jefferson Blacksburg New Kent Meridian Honaker
2011 Maggie Walker Thomas Jefferson Christiansburg Western Albemarle Meridian Nandua
2012 Thomas Jefferson Maggie Walker Cave Spring Christiansburg Meridian Honaker
2013 Thomas Jefferson Maggie Walker New Kent Western Albemarle Meridian Honaker

Notes on names:

  • T. C. Williams changed its name to Alexandria City High School in 2021.
  • Prior to 2002, the school that is now Maggie Walker participated in VHSL sports and activities on a combined team with Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond; to avoid confusion with the Thomas Jefferson in Alexandria which appears several times in the above table, the Maggie Walker name is intentionally being used here anachronistically.
  • Robert E. Lee changed its name to Staunton High School in 2020.
  • George Mason changed its name to Meridian High School in 2021.
  • Stonewall Jackson changed its name to Unity Reed High School in 2020.

State Championship Results (2014-present Classification System)

Note: Classes were renamed in 2018; "Class 6A" became "Class 6," etc. Other than normal year-to-year realignment based on school size fluctuations, the only other change to the structure of the postseason series occurred at the lower levels. Since the state championship tournament format and class structure did not change, results from before and after 2018 are combined in one table.

Year Class 6 Class 5 Class 4 Class 3 Class 2 Class 1
Champion Runner-up Champion Runner-up Champion Runner-up Champion Runner-up Champion Runner-up Champion Runner-up
2014 Langley Unity Reed Albemarle Thomas Jefferson Loudoun County Woodgrove Western Albemarle Blacksburg Maggie Walker Meridian Honaker Mathews
2015 Langley Western Branch Albemarle Thomas Jefferson Woodgrove Loudoun County Western Albemarle Cave Spring Maggie Walker Meridian Rappahannock Co. Radford
2016 Langley W.T. Woodson Thomas Jefferson Princess Anne Fauquier Sherando Cave Spring Culpeper County Central-Wise Maggie Walker Honaker Riverheads
2017 Robinson McLean Thomas Jefferson Princess Anne Loudoun County Sherando Cave Spring Blacksburg Maggie Walker Central-Wise Honaker Galileo Magnet
2018 Robinson McLean Thomas Jefferson Princess Anne Jamestown Jefferson Forest Cave Spring Western Albemarle Maggie Walker Central-Wise Galileo Magnet Honaker
2019 Alexandria City Robinson Thomas Jefferson Douglas Freeman Jamestown Woodgrove Rockbridge County Cave Spring Maggie Walker Clarke County Honaker George Wythe
2020 McLean Robinson Thomas Jefferson Princess Anne Jamestown Blacksburg Fort Defiance Maggie Walker Clarke County Gate City George Wythe Rappahannock Co.
2021 Robinson John Champe Thomas Jefferson Harrisonburg Grafton Jefferson Forest Maggie Walker Fort Defiance Gate City Radford George Wythe Galileo Magnet
2022 Thomas Jefferson McLean Douglas Freeman Princess Anne Lightridge Jamestown Rockbridge County Hidden Valley Radford Buckingham County George Wythe Galileo Magnet
2023 Thomas Jefferson McLean Princess Anne Albemarle Lightridge Great Bridge Maggie Walker Fort Defiance Buckingham County Richlands George Wythe Galileo Magnet
2024 McLean Thomas Jefferson Ocean Lakes Lightridge Blacksburg John Champe Maggie Walker Rockbridge Ridgeview Poquoson John I. Burton George Wythe

External Links
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