The Ridgefield High School Knowledge Bowl varsity team made history on Saturday, March 22.
Five local students clinched the Knowledge Bowl State Championship title and tied the all-time record for the highest morning round score ever recorded in the state with 143 points. The previous record was set in 2017 by Moses Lake, a school in the state’s 4A division. It surpassed the 2A division record, previously set by Charles Wright Academy, of 132 points.
Ridgefield’s champions are seniors James Haddix and Nathan Walker, Junior Sadie Ford, and sophomores Margret Turner and Katie Thiel. Coach David Jacobson said the record-breaking performance was merely a testament to the team’s dedication.
“You gotta understand the amount of work that these kids put in. Not just practicing every week, but independent studies, being intrinsically motivated for years,” Jacobson said. “I’ve worked with these guys since they were in 7th grade. They have their subject, and they just master it; it’s just hours and hours of study.”
At the helm of this talented group is team captain James Haddix, a senior who has been a standout competitor since seventh grade. Haddix is the only returning varsity student to have returned from last year.
“I’ve had him pegged as our varsity captain for the last 6 years since he was a 7th grader. I knew this kid was going to be a great captain someday and to watch how he works and encourages the other kids; it’s just amazing,” Jacobson said.
Haddix views the victory as a story of redemption for the team. Last year, Ridgefield was the top seed at state but suffered a tragic one-point loss in the semifinals, which pushed them out of title contention. They finished fourth that year. That same year, however, they went on to win the National Knowledge Bowl championship, proving their dominance on a national level. It was the team’s second national championship victory since 2022.
“It [felt] unreal … I thought we were gonna be lucky if we even qualified for state because I generally did not know what were gonna do without Adam Ford,” Haddix said, referring to last year’s captain who graduated last year. “From going to that to actually winning state and being first was just awesome. It kind of validates all the effort that we’ve put into studying and everything.”
Haddix highlighted his team’s dedication and commitment to practice as their most significant factor. While not condoning it, he mentioned that Katie Thiel stayed up until midnight on several occasions to study science trivia.
With the state championship secured, Ridgefield’s team now sets its sights on competing in the National Quiz Bowl tournament in Atlanta. According to Jacobson, however, no National Knowledge Bowl will be held this year.
Unlike Knowledge Bowl, which emphasizes collaboration and teamwork, Quiz Bowl relies on individual buzzer skills. The team is adapting by studying past Quiz Bowl questions, analyzing patterns, and adjusting to the different format.
“We’re not an elite Quiz Bowl team yet,” Jacobson admitted. “I think we’ll be a playoff team this year. Our strength in Knowledge Bowl is collaboration, where we get 14 seconds to discuss answers. In Quiz Bowl, it’s just one person per question … it takes some getting used to.”
One of the biggest differences between the two competitions is the structure of the questions. While Knowledge Bowl questions are typically one or two sentences long, Quiz Bowl questions follow a pyramidal structure, starting with obscure clues and gradually becoming easier. In quiz bowl, players lose points for buzzing in early and getting a question wrong.
Their performance in Quiz Bowl has also been improving. Last year’s team barely missed the playoffs but won the consolation bracket. This year, with more experience and practice, the team believes they are strong contenders.
“We’ve been there a couple of times now, and we’ve improved a lot. We’re a playoff team this year,” Jacobson said.
