MSHSAA State Championship
A MSHSAA State Championship has been hosted for Scholar Bowl annually since 1996.
Predecessor
Prior to 1996, a state tournament was hosted by the Missouri Academic Association.
Format and Distribution
The MSHSAA state series uses a four-quarter format that is largely unchanged since inception:
- 1st quarter: 15 tossups
- 2nd quarter: 10 tossups with bonuses
- 3rd quarter: 15 tossups
- 4th quarter: 10 tossups with bonuses
All tossups are worth 10 points; all bonuses are worth 20 points. Previously, they contained four parts worth five points each, but starting in 2010, the four part bonuses were changed to two part bonuses worth ten points each. There are no powers or negs. The maximum score in a MSHSAA game is thus 900.
The Missouri distribution consists of:
- Science: 10/4
- Math: 10/4
- Social Studies: 10/4
- Literature: 10/4
- Fine Arts: 6/2
- Miscellaneous/Vocational Education: 4/2
The format and distribution used before 2010 were inherited from the MAA tournament. The original distribution included 3 tossups and 1 bonus in language arts; these questions were reassigned to fine arts in 2010. Combined with the change in bonus format also in 2010, the current Missouri format is uniquely MSHSAA's.
Districts and Sectionals
To participate in the MSHSAA state series, schools must register to participate in the activity for the current school year, which allows the school to participate in competitions against other MSHSAA member schools. The registered schools (usually a little over 400 each year) are then divided into four roughly equal classes based on enrollment. Enrollments are updated on a two year cycle in the summer of even years. Populations for private schools are multiplied by 1.35, and populations for single-gender schools are also doubled (which makes sense for single-gender sports but not so much for quizbowl). The schools are then divided within their classes into roughly equally-sized districts based on geographic proximity.
Districts are held in early April. District tournaments of four or more teams begin with three preliminary rounds with matchups based on random draw by teams. Based on the results of these games, the top 4 teams based on record then average points per game advance to a four team single-elimination bracket. District tournaments of three teams play a full round robin in the three rounds, then play a championship game between the top two teams. District tournaments with only two teams play a best two of three series.
From 1996-2008, each class had 8 districts, with the winner of each district advancing to the state tournament. Beginning in 2009, each class now has 16 districts, with the winners of two adjacent districts meeting on a Wednesday evening to play a best two-of-three series to determine which eight teams advance to the state tournament.
State Tournament
The state tournament is held in early May in Columbia. The tournament was previously hosted at Stephens College in 1996 and 1997, Columbia College in 1998, and Rock Bridge High School from 1999-2008 (except for 2000 when the tournament was held at Gentry Middle School). Since 2009, the tournament has been hosted in Memorial Union on the University of Missouri campus.
From 1996-2007, all four classes competed on Saturday. Since 2008, the tournament has been split to two days, with Classes 1 and 2 competing on Friday and Classes 3 and 4 competing on Saturday.
The tournament uses the same schedule as districts. Each team plays three preliminary rounds with predetermined matchups based on district/sectional number. Based on the results of these games, the top 4 teams based on record then average points per game advance to a four team single-elimination bracket. This format has been used consistently since the tournament's inception.
Question Providers
- 1996, 1997, 1998: unknown
- 1999-2002: The Question Bank (Bob Brown)
- Following the 2002 season, Bob Brown began teaching at Richland
- 2003: Champions Quiz Prep
- 2004: Straight A
- 2005-2007: Bryce Avery
- 2008: Shawn Pickrell
- 2009-2010: Questions Galore
- 2011-present: NAQT
Color Key
| Set/matched record in all classes | |
| Set/matched class record |
Championship Game Results
Indicated records are for highest score by a team with their placement in the championship game.
Championship Game Statistics
900 points are possible in a MSHSAA format game (50 tossups worth 10 points each and 400 bonus points). If a game is tied after regulation, overtime consists of reading tossups until one team has answered three correctly.
| Statistic | Class 4 | Class 3 | Class 2 | Class 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest score, champion | 600
2013 Ladue |
470
2012 Savannah |
480
2014 Richland |
530
2012 Mound City |
| Highest score, second place team | 380
2003 Parkway Central |
390
2013 Hallsville; 2017 Orchard Farm |
330
2015 Richland |
380 (forcing OT)
2014 Pilot Grove |
| Highest combined score | 860
2013: Ladue 600, Hickman 260 |
840
2017: Savannah 450, Orchard Farm 390 |
715
1998: Richland 400, North Platte 315 |
760
2014: Thomas Jefferson 380, Pilot Grove 380 (OT) |
| Lowest combined score | 440
2006: Ladue 290, Liberty 150 |
385
2009: Priory 240, Smithville 210 |
305
2006: Richland 170, McAuley Catholic 135 |
315
2009: Tarkio 255, Leeton 60 |
| Smallest margin | 30 points
2003: Liberty 410, Parkway Central 380 |
3-1 in overtime
2014: Hallsville 370, Savannah 370 |
3-0 in overtime
2010: Barstow 170, St. Paul Lutheran 170 |
3-0 in overtime
2011: Heartland 340, Mound City 340; 2014: Thomas Jefferson 380, Pilot Grove 380 |
| Largest margin | 360
1998: North Kansas City 495, North County 135; 2012: Ladue 590, Rock Bridge 230 |
300
2012: Savannah 470, Priory 170 |
250
1999: Richland 420, Elsberry 170 |
380
2012: Mound City 530, Columbia Independent 150 |
The lowest combined scores occurred in years in which poorly written and excessively difficult questions were used, lowering scores across the board. A notoriously difficult Bryce Avery set was used in 2006, and Questions Galore wrote the questions in 2009.