Eldon
| Eldon Mustangs | |
| Location: Eldon, MO | |
|---|---|
| Coaches | Emily Waller, Nick Dissen |
| National Appearances | 2019 NSC |
| Program Status | Active |
| School Size | 412 (grades 9-11) |
| NAQT Page | link |
Eldon is is a public high school in central Missouri, currently competing in Class 4 (Class 3, during the four-class era). They have regularly attended the Tri-County Conference since at least 2008.
History
Eldon's quizbowl team was first mentioned in a forum post from August 2006 by Alex Dzurick in a post referencing their district, implying the team was at least registered at the time. [1] The first known competition results appeared in another forum post in April 2008, regarding a conference in which the team went 0-3. [2]
Eldon achieved a small amount of notoriety between 2010 and 2014, when the team began placing first and second in their district and conference tournaments. While there are no published individual stats from the time, All-District results and accounts from the time imply that most of the scoring was done by a player named Mikayla Petchell.
The team remained dormant until the 2016-17 season, when the old coach retired and librarian Sally Garbi decided to take the position. The team began attending their first tournaments during this time, primarily novice tournaments from around central Missouri. Their first major success, however, was at the 2018 Sparta Fall Tournament, placing third and gaining the first bid to PACE NSC in school history. Their success was further elevated when Tuscumbia player Caleb Martonfi moved to the school, helping lead the team to a 4th-place State finish in 2019. Their first nationals was not as successful, going 3-12 and placing 93rd out of 96 teams.
Eldon remained competitive into the 2019-20 season, making the playoffs at nearly every tournament attended, including giving Hallsville their first and only conference loss. Unfortunately, after a season cut short, Sally Garbi retired, leaving her spot to coaches Emily Waller and Nick Dissen. The team went into 2020-21 primarily led by Jacob Groves and Connor Lee, winning the school's first small school title at the MOQBA Online Spring Tournament and nearly breaking the Hoppes-Mikanowski limit at the Outstate Missouri Academic Rendezvous. Their regular season ended after an upset loss to Fatima in the semifinals at their district tournament.
Current Members
- Jacob Groves (2021)
- Connor Lee (2022)
- Anneliese Brundin (2022)
- Matthew Polett (2023)
- Addyson Gerber (2023)
- Luke Graham (2024)
Alumni
- Caleb Martonfi (2020)
- Ryan Dodds (2020)
- Kenzi Bustamante (2020)
- Autumn Clark (2019)
- Emelie Johnston (2019)
- Robert Wester (2018)
- Mikayla Petchell (2014)
- Dustin Lee (2013)