Ellicottville Central School triumphed in the championship match of WJTN radio’s 63rd annual High School Bowl tournament at SUNY Jamestown Community College, defeating Maple Grove 116-71 to claim its first title since 1999.
The Eagles advanced through the single-elimination tournament by besting Jamestown, Cassadaga Valley, and Warren, securing the championship under the leadership of 12th-year coach Ann Chamberlain.
The Ellicottville team featured captain Jackson Kruszynski, Skye Wood, Siying Sun, Isabella Wilder, and Grace Kwagalakwe.
Reflecting on the win, Kruszynski shared, “It feels great – it’s been a long time coming. My dad was on the team back in 1999 when they won – great for me to continue on with quiz bowl. I’m glad High School Bowl has been able to continue – it’s always a great competition.”
Led by coach Jason VandeVelde, Maple Grove’s team included Addison Bryant, Aiden Leonard, Audrey Nesbitt, Elora Watkins, and Calvin Yeskey.
Ashley Hinman, president of the JCC Alumni Association, presented certificates to the champions and announced a $1,000 scholarship opportunity for up to two years at JCC.
The High School Bowl quiz show gave students from 17 area school districts the opportunity to showcase their academic knowledge across a wide range of subjects. Tournament matches were recorded at the Carnahan Center at JCC’s Jamestown Campus.
The championship match aired May 18 on WJTN 1240 AM 101.3 FM in Jamestown and is available for replay, along with all 16 other matches from the season, at wjtn.com.
The tournament was presented by the Media One Group of radio stations in partnership with Jamestown Community College and sponsors including: Weinberg Financial Group, Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union, County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency, Live CHQ, Peterson’s Candies, JCC Foundation, Inner Lakes Federal Credit Union, Honest John’s Pizza, and Pepsi of Jamestown.
High School Bowl was produced and engineered by Andrew Hill of Media One Radio Group, hosted by Jade Barber of Jamestown Community College, and moderated by Wendy Dyment of Westfield.