By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Garfield, Rootstown and Southeast quizbowl teams all attended the NAQT Ohio Small School State Championship.

Garfield, which were champions of the Portage Quizbowl League, won the Very Small School state championship.

The G-Men trailed the entire match, including 250-115 at halftime, and did not take the lead for the first time until the final question of the the tournament for a 315-310 state-final triumph over Miami Valley (Dayton).

It was Garfield’s first-ever quizbowl state title.

Next up for the team will be an appearance at the NAQT Small School National Championships in Rosemont, Ill., on April 29-30.

Jack Rado, who was the tournament’s leading scorer, averaging 150 points per game, was named First Team All-Ohio.

Rootstown’s Anthony Yin (60.67 points per game) also was named First Team All-Ohio, while Southeast’s Cooper Kelly (45.63 points per game) was named Second Team All-Ohio.

The Rovers and Pirates each went 2-3 in the opening round and were slotted into the consolation bracket, where Southeast placed 14th overall and Rootstown was 16th.

The NAQT state championship is set up differently than the tournaments sanctioned by the Ohio High School Athletic Association. For the NAQT, a fixed enrollment limit is established in order for a school to qualify as a small school — and the division are set for public and private schools.

For traditional public schools, the enrollment is set for 500 students or less in grades 10 through 12. For private schools, along with charter and non-traditiional public schools, the enrollment figure asset at 350 and referred to as the Open Class.