The FHS academic team dominated at the Northwestern District Scholastic Bowl Championship on Jan. 23 at John Handley High School. The Fighting Nerds faced off against three schools that night, Sherando, Culpepper and Millbrook. Their win pushes them on to regionals on Feb. 12 where they hope to win and move on to the super regionals.

“It felt really good. Last year, we went further because we did well enough in districts, but this year we won,” said Luke Patusky, senior and academic team member. “So it felt really good to have that progression going from advancing to actually winning. It felt really good to be part of the team.”

Zita Ribiero, academic team captain and senior, said that the team had a variety of strengths and weaknesses among each member which helped them excel in competition. She added that they are also a very tight-knit team. “We’re kind of like a little family. So we know how to keep each other ready to go for everything,” said Ribiero.

Academic bowl competitions consist of multiple rounds. During the first round, teams of four compete by individually buzzing in to answer a series of questions. In the second round, each team takes a turn answering the questions. The team members can consult one another during this round, and if they get the question wrong, the other team can steal it and potentially get it right.

Academic team sponsor Catherine Croft said she was very proud of her student’s performance. “We were ranked third, and we’d never beaten these two teams,” she said. Croft added, “They work so hard… they deserve this so much.”