2022 HSNCT

2022 NAQT HSNCT
Edited by	NAQT
Champion	Detroit Catholic Central A
Runner-up	Hunter A
Third	East Chapel Hill A
Fourth	Kinkaid
High scorer	Rohan Ganeshan, Buffalo Grove
Site	Atlanta, GA
Field	272 teams
Stats	[1]

The 2022 HSNCT, held at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis and Atlanta Hilton, was the first in-person national championship of all-subject quiz bowl open to all high schools in nearly three years. With 272 teams, it returned to the split-field (sessionized) system first used in 2018. Detroit Catholic Central A won their third HSNCT and first since 2001, defeating Hunter A 470-275 and 380-295 in both games of an advantaged final. East Chapel Hill A won third place, defeating Kinkaid 425-235.

On Saturday, Lambert claimed the #1 card by racing through the morning session by an average of almost 400 PPG, with the closest game being a 480-370 win over Great Valley A. Arcadia claimed the #2 card, ending the afternoon session with a 380-330 win over Detroit Catholic Central. Hoover A was also undefeated on Saturday, finishing with an overtime win over High Tech. On Sunday, Arcadia defeated Lambert; Lambert then defeated Hoover, leaving Arcadia the last unbeaten team. Arcadia dropped their tenth prelim game to Carmel A, ensuring another year without an undefeated HSNCT champion; however, their PP20TUH was enough to earn them the top seed in the playoff bracket.

Hunter had been forced to shift to the afternoon session due to transportation issues. With only Jacob Hardin-Bernhardt present, they lost their first game to Chattahoochee A. Once the rest of the team arrived from their overnight bus ride, they came on strong, with their only other loss coming to Carmel in their fifth game. Four blowout playoff wins (including over Arcadia) were followed by a 375-360 nail-biter in the winners' bracket final against #3 seed East Chapel Hill A (who had beaten Detroit Country Day A and Detroit Catholic Central to get there). Lambert lost to Richard Montgomery A and Solon A, finishing t-15th. #2 seed Carmel also finished t-15th after consecutive losses to DCC A and Livingston. #4 Hoover was eliminated by Thomas Jefferson Science & Tech A, finishing t-10th. Thomas Jefferson B, Strake Jesuit A, and Solon A lost in the last Sunday afternoon round, finishing t-7th.

Thirteen seed Kinkaid managed to reach quarterfinals despite their history player sitting out of the tournament with COVID-19 and knocked out Thomas Jefferson Science & Tech A with a 435-175 win. Meanwhile, on the other side of the bracket, Detroit Catholic Central A rallied to overturn a 145-285 second-half deficit, eliminating Arcadia with a 340-310 win secured on the last tossup. This set up a semifinal round with two rematches from Round 26: Hunter vs Kinkaid and DCC A vs East Chapel Hill A. A balanced attack from Detroit overcame a brief second-half charge from Ben McAvoy-Bickford, as DCC A avenged their earlier loss to ECH with a 455-230 win. Kinkaid was not so fortunate, as Andrew Zeng's four first-half powers led Hunter to a runaway 520-220 win.

	Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Advantaged Finals Unbeaten team has advantage
	13	Kinkaid	435			8	Hunter A	520
	9	Thomas Jefferson Science & Tech A	175			13	Kinkaid	220
											8	Hunter A	275	295
											7	Detroit Catholic Central A	470	380
	7	Detroit Catholic Central A	340			3	East Chapel Hill A	230
	1	Arcadia	310			7	Detroit Catholic Central A	455			Third place
											13	Kinkaid	235
											3	East Chapel Hill A	425

NOTE: Seeds represent seeds at the start of bracket play.