Fisher Catholic

William V. Fisher Catholic H.S. (OH)
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Location: Lancaster, OH
Coaches	Lynn Stevenson and Michael Sedlack
State Championships	OAC: 2004, 2006; NAQT: 2006
National Championships	N/A
National Appearances	PACE: 2004, 2014, 2015, 2017 HSNCT: 2003, 2007-2017
Program Status	Active
School Size	166
NAQT Page	link

William V. Fisher Catholic High School is a small Catholic high school located in Lancaster, Ohio. Its quizbowl team was founded in the 1980's by Lynn Stevenson, who has been its one and only head coach.

History

Fisher Catholic's quiz bowl team was founded in the 1980's by teacher Lynn Stevenson, social studies and English teacher at the school. An apocryphal story regarding the founding of the team surrounds an instance where Stevenson found lying on the floor a flyer for Ohio University's "Bobcat Buzz-In" addressed to the school. Enraged at first that there was even a flyer laying on the floor, Stevenson took it upon herself to start a team.

Fisher Catholic has long been an area powerhouse in Central Ohio and often features competitive squads at the regional, state, and national level. In addition to playing many events in Ohio, the program also has a tradition of going to tournaments in Pittsburgh, PA and many schools in West Virginia. Unlike most schools, Fisher Catholic has a very small student population, with an enrollment of 166 students in grades 9-12 as of the 2015-2016 academic calendar year; as such, they are often one of the smallest schools at HSNCT, a national tournament they have proudly attended for twelve years (including every iteration since 2007.)

The program is notable for surviving, and staying competitive in the face of, the 'Great Recession.' The school had an enrollment of 317 students in grades 9-12 in 2007, before seeing that number plunge to 225 in 2011 and before plunging even further down to 166 in 2016. The school's enrollment decline largely lays in the fact that the City of Lancaster has an atrocious economy that, somehow, managed to get worse during the financial crisis of 2008.

Unlike many quiz bowl programs, almost all of Fisher's players also double (in some cases, triple) up on varsity sports during the school calendar year. Despite this, Fisher Catholic has won the OAC title in both 2004 and 2006 for the entire state of Ohio, regardless of school size, and won an NAQT state title in 2006 in Division II for schools in the bottom half of Ohio's enrollment (2006 was the only year the Division II title was awarded for the NAQT State competition.) It also lays claims to countless appearances in the championship brackets for the NAQT State Championship, as well as a plethora of final four appearances at OAC State finals.

Fisher tied for ninth at 2014 National History Bee and Bowl final competition in Washington, D.C.

Notable Alumni

• Michael Sedlack - current assistant coach
• Ben Thimmes
• Sarah Hickman
• Leo Guinan
• Coert Wotruba
• Jill Guinan
• Kyle Rainier
• Chase Turner
• Christine Kennedy
• Steven Wellstead
• Jacob Snider
• Madellyn Kennedy
• Alexis Preskar
• Matthew Ford
• Thomas "Tam" Moore
• Brandon "Scrub Lord" Shull
• Eric Gundelfinger
• Luke Schmelzer
• Austin Reid
• Andrew Smith
• Luke "Sicktastic" Skelton
• Hunter Wotruba