Leader photos/JOHN BALCH
JUNIOR HIGH STATE CHAMPS. Members of the state champion Murfreesboro Junior High Quiz Bowl Team include (from left) Zack Eckert, coach Sandra Elliott, Katlyne Smith, Jack Stuard, Jansen Cowart, Sutton Balch, Dalton Cherry, Logan Wilcher, Austin Green, Mason Alexander, Peyton Rather, Kolt Petty, Adam Bailey, assistant coach Kathy Stafford and Anna Corbitt.

TOURNAMENT HONORS. Sutton Balch and Austin Green were named to the Junior Finals All-Tournament Team. Green also earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award during competition held Saturday at Pulaski Technical College.

NORTH LITTLE ROCK – The Murfreesboro Junior High Quiz Bowl Team again brought home the first-place trophy Saturday after winning the Arkansas Governor’s Quiz Bowl Association Class 2A Junior Finals held on the Pulaski Technical College campus.

The Junior Finals are the equivalent to the state championships at the senior high level.

Murfreesboro freshman Austin Green was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and he, along with freshman Sutton Balch, were named to the Junior Finals All-Tournament Team.

Members of the Murfreesboro team include freshmen Green, Balch, Logan Wilcher, Adam Bailey and Peyton Rather, and eighth graders Zack Eckert, Jack Stuard, Jansen Cowart, Dalton Cherry, Mason Alexander, Kolt Petty, Anna Corbitt and scorekeeper Katlyne Smith. The team is coached by Sandra Elliott with assistance from Kathy Stafford.

The team advanced to the state competition by winning the 2A Southwest Regional Tournament held Feb. 2 at Mountain Pine where Green also earned the tournament’s MVP honor.

Murfreesboro won its first match of the day over Mountain Pine, 295-270, before beating Salem, 270-100, and England, 295-85. The wins gave the Murfreesboro team a bye after lunch and set up a match with up Walnut Ridge. Murfreesboro rallied from a 95-95 tie to win the match, 245-155.

The junior high team from Hector was the next to fall, by a score of 185-120, and set up the final match between Murfreesboro and Mountain Pine, two teams from the same region of Class 2-A. Murfreesboro prevailed in the final game with a 220-165 win.

Saturday’s championship was the second consecutive state title for the Murfreesboro junior high team.