‘To say I am proud is an understatement’

On May 3, 2024By Vaseline

pasted image 0 — The West Point High School Scholars Bowl team celebrates its highest finish ever at the national Scholars Bowl tournament. From left to right are John Davis Yovino, Coach Lee Henry, Brodie Henry, Sean Harbison, Cole Chamblee and Brady Laughlin. (Lee Henry)

The WPHS Scholars Bowl team finishes second in the nation at the small school national championship

WEST POINT, Ala. – The West Point High School Scholars Bowl team was ranked No. 2 in the nation at the National Academic Quiz Tournament LLC’s 2024 Small School National Championship Tournament on Sunday, April 28, 2024, with Brodie Henry earning second-highest individual honors.

“The kids and I knew we had been ‘talking’ about the National Championship all year,” said coach Lee Henry. “That’s a tough place to be. The expectations are so high and the stress gets to you. We went into every game with a huge target on our back. Winning the Jesse Brown Small School Showcase in January contributed to this. But we also knew the team from Hasting, NY would be great, and they are. They had four senior players who were all experts in their field, and they worked as a team. I hope our guys saw that, took it to heart and will work to be at that level next year. There is no denying that we will now be talking again. We were second and our entire team returns.

“To say I am proud is an understatement.”

The national stage was a change from local competitions, as Henry explained:

“I kept telling the guys to calm down and ‘take this all in’ as we prepared for the championship game. They are used to years of playing in nearly empty classrooms with only a few — or no — spectators consisting only of family members, teammates and coaches. But the championship took place on a raised stage in a large ballroom full of spectators. Most of the teams and coaches eliminated from the playoffs stayed to watch the championship. It was a new experience and I hope they took the time to absorb it. Very few players from this game get the opportunity to play in a national championship game.”

Henry’s son Brodie Henry, who earned the No. 2 individual score, told The Tribune: “Playing at this year’s SSNCT was one of my favorite moments in my seven years of playing quiz bowl. Leading the team to such a high position and coming second individually is an amazing and rewarding feeling for how hard I have worked. Although I led the team strongly in points, we couldn’t have gotten this far without my teammates: Brady, Sean, and JD, all of whom routinely answer topics I’m struggling with and grab me when I start to struggle. I also enjoy experiencing the nearby attractions and food in and around Chicago with my teammates.

“I have been to every tournament since the 2016 edition, when I was in third grade. I remember always looking forward to visiting the Chicago area and seeing the team play, and I told myself that one day I would win it. I actually played in the tournament for the first time in 2021 when I was in eighth grade; Since then we have finished eleventh, eighth, fifth and now second. With only one year left to realize my dream, my next and final year of quiz bowl (at least at the high school level) will have to be my best, and I look forward to growing as a player and as a team and hopefully going home the title.”

Coach Henry concluded, “I have had a long, successful coaching career. But this has been the best so far. I am deeply grateful to everyone at West Point – the administrators, the teachers, the parents, the children and the entire community – who contributed to our team’s success.”