Edison secures historic Firelands Challenge win

School Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total Edison 57 44 47 148 Norwalk 34 51 52 137 St. Mary's 38 11 31 80 MILAN TWP. — The Firelands Challenge wrapped up on Tuesday with Edison claiming its 12th consecutive championship — a feat no other area school can claim. Firelands Challenge is an academic competition for local high schools organized by North Point Educational Service Center. The students compete to answer questions from numerous academic subjects. In the final match of the season, which was hosted at the gymnasium at Edison High School, the Chargers' team competed against Norwalk and St. Mary Central Catholic School. Each team put in their best effort, but it was Norwalk who came out on top. The match ended with Norwalk earning 52 points, Edison with 47 and St. Mary Central Catholic with 31. But despite Norwalk's victory in the final match, the team did not score enough points to surpass Edison's cumulative score of all three matches in the championship round. The cumulative scores of this year's championship were Edison with 148 points, Norwalk with 137 and St. Mary Central Catholic School with 80. The final match The third match saw both Edison and Norwalk neck-in-neck in points through most of the round. Norwalk pulled ahead about halfway through the match. At this point, Edison started its comeback. The category was physical science and it was the only team to answer the question. Then Edison went on to currently answer a question on the Compromise of 1850 in the American history category while Norwalk missed its question. Edison's team said at this point in the match, which going into the final lightning round, the team's members were doing mental math to see how many points they would need to beat Norwalk. Their excitement grew when they realized they were close to winning. Norwalk answered four out of the eight lightning round questions while Edison only answered one. Norwalk was applauded for its match win, but the cumulative scores led the gym full of Edison students to erupt in cheers. How they feel The competition was described by Edison co-captain Noah Proctor as something bigger than just another consecutive win. "We're continuing a legacy," Proctor said. Hanging on the walls of Edison's gym is a banner listing all of the school's previous Firelands Challenge victories. The last spot on the banner was filled last year. Sarah Roan, Edison's team adviser, joked that since there was no more room on the banner to commemorate Edison's tournament victories, the district would need to get a brand-new banner. Roan described this season as a historic run with a historic team. Edison co-captain Nadia Cantelli said the team's excitement won't wear off. Cantelli and a few other teammates have been involved with the challenge since fifth grade. She said it's nice to know they went out with a win. As seniors, Cantelli and Proctor will be leaving the team after graduation, but neither are worried about the team's future. "I think both of us are really excited to see the future of this program," Proctor said. "There are a decent number of underclassmen that are showing a lot of progress and we couldn't do this without them." How they did it Proctor commented on the strong competition in this year's Firelands Challenge and the pride he feels for his team who kept pushing even with a slow start in earning points. So what's the secret to Edison's success? While the team's co-captains were hesitant to divulge its game plan, Cantelli did say that it focused heavily on preparation and determination. "The other thing that I think a lot of teams don't realize is how close of friends our team is," Cantelli said. "We hang out outside of school, we study together, we're all friends and I think that rapport between team members really helps." William Muthig, the Firelands Challenge coordinator at North Point Educational Service Center, expanded on what might be behind the team's success. He said St. Mary Central Catholic School had a nice comeback after a rough second round and Norwalk played very well, but it was Edison's consistency that led to their win. Roan also praised the team's ability to go into each competition with a fresh mindset. "Their mentality is everything," she said. "They're aware anything could happen. Every round is the final round." Winning team The members of Edison's championship-winning Firelands Challenge team, under the tutelage of advisers Sarah Roan and Amy Facemire, are: • Ingrid Berkmueller • Nadia Cantelli (co-captain) • Jeffrey Esser • Kyle Kardotzke • Chase King • Trevor Leimeister • Samuel McClester • Mary Moon • Noah Proctor (co-captain) • Ilah Reynolds • George Rhodes • Maylie Weilnau