Evan Katsounis
| Evan Katsounis | |
| Noted subjects | Geography, History, Fine Arts |
| High school | Kellenberg Memorial High School (Uniondale, NY) |
| Stats | HDWhite • NAQT |
Evan Katsounis, also known as Evangelos, was a player at Kellenberg Memorial High School from 2015 until his graduation in 2018. In his junior and senior years, he was a driving force behind the Kellenberg team.
High School Career
Evan transferred to Kellenberg in his sophomore year after spending freshman year in Germany. At his first tournament, Princeton High School Academic Tournament XXIII, Evan competed on Kellenberg B, notably helping the B team to place above the A team. Evan continued to spend 2015-2016 as a member of B teams, until he was offered a chance to attend the 2016 HSNCT. Though not making playoffs, he was the second highest scorer on his team (under senior president Matt York) and helped them to their 111th place finish.
Evan began to study seriously in summer 2016, attending ACE camp at Kutztown University. This effort began to show in fall 2016, where he led to his team to single digit finishes at tournaments such as SWISS I, FAcT, Scarlet Knight Fall, and HFT XI. Evan also earned continuous scoring awards. At the 2017 HSNCT, Evan led the team to a t-65 finish, along with earning a Tournament All-Star Award for 34th highest scorer.
Evan's dedication to leading his team continued into 2017-2018, leading his team to an early season victory at 2017 Scarlet Knight Fall. He was named co-president along with then sophomore Aidan York in September. Similar to 2016-2017, scoring awards followed Evan to each tournament, as did single digit finishes for his team. At the 2018 HSNCT, Evan again earned a Tournament All-Star Award, this time for 25th, along with leading his team to a t-51 finish.
Legacy
Meme Legacy
Evan was a driving force not only behind the Kellenberg quiz bowl team in his tenure, but also the meme economy of the team. He underwent a very clear transformation from the beginning of the 2016-2017 season to the end of the 2017-2018 season. With memes arising from his teammates peculiar habits, such as co-president Aidan York's tendency to say "Good job." after almost every question, and the texting habits of Tyler Martinus, he shifted from a normal quiz bowler to a transcendent meme.
Often doing things others would consider strange or foolish, Evan has stated he does it for the irony, similar to the ironic cringe that Kellenberg propagates as a whole. Such actions include wildly and uncontrollably dabbing while taking team photos, unintentionally answering questions using the B emoji, and perhaps most notably, tackling his teammates while shouting nonsense words, such as "goobie."
Evan blames the majority of a shift on his teammates, Aidan York and Aidan Dowd, both of whom he spent two years with on A team. He has stated he hates what they have done to him, but this too is thought to be ironic.
Going Forward
Evan will be returning to Europe in the coming months, where he will be attending the American College of Greece, where there is unfortunately no quiz bowl team, taking classes in art history. However, he remains in regular contact with the team through the team group chat, which he has called a "flaming cesspool."
Notable Accomplishments
- HSNCT Tournament All-Star 2x (2017, 2018)
- Highest Scorer, PHSAT XXV, Columbia Fall Tournament 2017
- Runner Up Scorer, Scarlet Knight Invitational 2016
- Third Highest Scorer, SWISS I, Scarlet Knight Invitational 2017
- Fourth Highest Scorer, Lehigh Valley Invitational, HFT XII
- Fifth Highest Scorer, Yale FAcT 2016