Eldon
| Eldon | |
| Location: Eldon, MO | |
|---|---|
| Coaches | Nick Dissen |
| National Appearances | 2019, 2021 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, before the 2021 MSHSAA Realignment). They have regularly attended the Tri-County Conference since at least 2008.
History
Eldon's quizbowl team is believed to have existed since at least 1998, with the first known picture of the team taken in the spring of 2002. The first known competition results appeared in a forum post in April 2008, regarding the conference results that year. [1]
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 attended few events until the 2016-17 season, when coach Suzanne Henley retired and Sally Garbi decided to take the position. The team began attending their first regular 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 school's first ever bid to PACE NSC. 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.
After a brief yet equally-competitive 2019-20 season, 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, who nearly broke the Hoppes-Mikanowski limit at the Outstate Missouri Academic Rendezvous, yet the team was once again unable to break out of the bottom bracket at the 2021 NSC.
Current Members
- Connor Lee (2022)
- Anneliese Brundin (2022)
- Matthew Polett (2023)
- Addyson Gerber (2023)
- Luke Graham (2024)
- Neven Zimmerman (2024)
- William Eaton (2024)
- Lydia Moritz (2025)
- Brayden Martin (2025)
Alumni
- Jacob Groves (2021)
- Kayla Kennon (2021)
- Caleb Martonfi (2020)
- Ryan Dodds (2020)
- Kenzi Bustamante (2020)
- Autumn Clark (2019)
- Emelie Johnston (2019)
- Robert Wester (2018)
- Mikayla Petchell (2014)
- Dustin Lee (2013)
- Heather Moritz (2004)