Quince Orchard

Quince Orchard (MD)
Location: Gaithersburg, MD
Coaches	Joshua Schuman
State Championships	None
National Championships	None
National Appearances	HSNCT: 2010, 2011, 2013-2016 NSC: 2010, 2011, 2014-2016
Program Status	Active
School Size	1814
NAQT Page	link

Quince Orchard High School, also known as QO, is a public high school in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

History

Quince Orchard High School was established in 1988 and draws in students from Lakelands Park and Ridgeview Middle School, as well as students from Roberto Clemente Middle School's magnet program.

In the 2009-2010 school year the team consisted mainly of players David Cohen, Chris Manners, Sean Reidy, and Greg Holland. In that school year the team made it to NAQT's High School National Championship Tournament, tying for 27th overall in the nation as a team, while David Cohen ranked as the 16th best individual player in the nation. Prior to this school year, Quince Orchard had never competed outside It's Academic and Quizmaster Challenge, but began playing in the quiz bowl bracket towards the beginning of 2010 and soon made it to Nationals for NAQT and PACE.

In the 2010-2011 school year the team consisted mainly of Sean Reidy, Chris Manners, Greg Holland, as well as juniors like Ankur Patel, Joey Chilbert, and Rachel Sze. The team again made it to HSNCT in 2011, where the team tied for 49th place overall and Chris Manners ranked as the 20th best individual player in the nation. The team also made it the finals of It's Academic, losing to Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School of Fairfax, Virginia.

In the 2011-2012 school year the team was captained by Joey Chilbert, with main players including seniors Ankur Patel, Rachel Sze, and David Steinberg. This team was supplemented by a group of freshman, mainly Lawrence Simon, Henry Peck, and Sean Manners, who supplemented spots in the school's A team. However, the team failed to go to the state championship or qualify for any national championship.

In the 2012-2013 school year the team was lead by co-captains Lawrence Simon and Sean Manners lead the team to a major comeback with a leap from average territory to go 8-2 at the Centennial Invitational in December, and come in 3rd place at NCIS III in Roanoke, Virginia in February. The team qualified for HSNCT at both of these tournaments and went 5-5 at HSNCT in May with captain Lawrence Simon finishing 56th individually.

Competitions

The team currently competes on the television programs It's Academic and Quizmaster Challenge, as well as in the Beltway League of the Greater DC area. The team also attends a number of tournaments year-round, mainly competing against local powerhouses like Richard Montgomery, Montgomery Blair, St. Anselm's Abbey School, and Georgetown Day School, often quite competitively.

Notable Members

David Cohen '10

Chris Manners '11