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McLean Quiz Bowl capped its season with one of the strongest performances in program history, placing 21st among 320 teams at the High School National Championship Tournament in Atlanta.

The May 22-24 tournament featured two teams from McLean. The A team’s national finish marked a dramatic improvement from McLean’s 49th-place result a year earlier.

“This year, by record, is technically the best McLean team in history,” sophomore Hudson Hu said. He credited coaches Jeff Brocketti and Ms. Benedict, who have guided the program for more than a decade.

Experience and team chemistry played central roles in the run. Six of the nine students competing across McLean’s two teams were seniors, and many of the upperclassmen had participated in quiz bowl since their freshman year.

Sophomore Tarek Elbehiry said the seniors entered their final season with more polished individual skills and another year of experience. Hu described the upperclassmen as an inspiration throughout the season and tournament.

Close victories fuel a playoff run

McLean’s A team needed at least six victories in 10 preliminary matches to reach the playoffs and finish among the top 97 teams. It won seven despite a schedule that included Henderson A, which ultimately placed 13th.

Brocketti said the players recovered well after lopsided losses, even when those defeats were mentally difficult.

The A team then won two of four tightly contested playoff matches. McLean defeated Greenhill A 335-320 and Frazer 210-200.

The Greenhill result hinged on a successful protest. After officials accepted McLean’s challenge, the team answered the follow-up question and secured the victory, keeping it in the winner’s bracket and extending its tournament run.

McLean eventually fell 425-215 to rival Montgomery Blair A, ending its bid several rounds before the national final.

“Twenty-first place doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is quite an accomplishment,” Brocketti said.

McLean’s B team went 5-5 in preliminary play, missing the playoff threshold by one victory and finishing 177th nationally. Hu noted that the B team had lost one of its strongest previous players when Elbehiry moved to the A team, where he helped power the deeper run.

A major transition awaits

Players also had to adjust as members moved between teams during the season. Elbehiry, a new addition to the A team, said communication presented an early challenge, but the group’s cohesion helped it work through those difficulties.

Now the program must replace an unusually large senior class. More than two-thirds of McLean’s national tournament participants are graduating, including more A-team seniors than the club has ever lost at once, Brocketti said.

Despite that turnover, the returning players intend to build on the historic finish.

“Our main goal is to keep the spirit of McLean Quiz Bowl alive and keep trying to get better,” Elbehiry said. “I believe that with the right training and leadership, we can move forward and do even better.”