Quincy
| Quincy Blue Devils | |
| |
|---|---|
| Location: Quincy, Illinois | |
| Coaches | Kay Dyer |
| State Championships | 1987 IHSA, 1988 IHSA, 1993 IHSA |
| Program Status | Unknown |
| School Size | Unknown |
| NAQT Page | link |
Quincy Senior High School is located in Quincy, Illinois in western Illinois on the Mississippi River. During much of the 1980s and 1990s, they were one of the strongest, if not the strongest, program in the state. The team still is successful today.
From 1978-2001, the team was coached by Beth Young. Totaling over 991 wins over her 23 year career, Young was the among the most respected coaches in Illinois having played a role in IHSA's adoption of Scholastic Bowl and in the formation of IHSSBCA. So much so that in 2005, the IHSSBCA named Young to its Hall of Fame apart of its inaugural class along with other instrumental Illinois scholastic bowl pioneers. In 2018, the IHSSBCA named its annual "At-Large Award" winner for Coach of the Year after Young.
Quincy's most famous alum in collegiate quizbowl is Subash Maddipoti.
Over the years the team has had to overcome two major obstacles. The first is their location, which is far from other large schools, forcing them to travel or host when they want to play other Class AA schools. The other is funding, which in some years has not come at all from the school. Unlike most high school teams, this team has its own Booster Club and in some years is self-funding. The team still manages to play a full schedule of tournaments in downstate Illinois, and it used to travel to national tournaments.
Following Young's retirement, Quincy has had yet to replicate the same level of success as seen in the 1990's. The rise of perennial powerhouse programs like Macomb & Springfield in Western & Central Illinois have stymied many playoff runs with a top-4 seed often the only hope to spare the team from facing either at the Regional level. In 2022, an upset over Dunlap saw the Blue Devils advance to the Masonic State finals for the first time in 13 years.
The Blue Devils have also been participants on WGEM's Academic Challenge.
Notable Team Accomplishments
- IHSA State Tournament (1st Place): 1993 (2A), 1988, 1987
- IHSA State Tournament (3rd Place): 1995 (2A), 1994 (2A)
- IHSA State Tournament (4th Place): 2000 (2A)
- IHSA Sectional titles: (10) 2000 (2A), 1997 (2A), 1996 (2A), 1995 (2A), 1994 (2A), 1993 (2A), 1991, 1989, 1988, 1987
- IHSA Regional titles: (1) 2008 (2A)
- Masonic State Qualifier: (8) 2022 (3A), 2009, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2001, 2000, 1997
IHSSBCA Individual Honors
All-Sectional Honorees
- 2020-21: Christian Alexandre, Harrison Knapp (2A)
- 2019-20: Sam Scheuermann (2A)
- 2018-19: Sam Scheuermann, Jordyn Summy (2A)
- 2017-18: Zachary Spooner (2A)
- 2016-17: Luke Engelmeyer (2A)
- 2015-16: Luke Engelmeyer, Logan Sonethongkham (2A)
- 2013-14: Chase Crossan (2A)
- 2012-13: Caleb Fischer (2A)
- 2011-12: Caleb Fischer, Will Castillo (2A)
- 2010-11: Dejan Vritkapa (2A)
- 2009-10: Christina Goehl, Marlee Labroo (2A)
- 2008-09: Christian Goehl, Marlee Labroo (2A)
- 2007-08: Jenna Casady, John Hayashi (2A)
- 2003-04: Joseph Bozdech (2A)
External Links
Chicago Tribune coverage of 1993 IHSA Championship