They won their competitions in the semifinals. Were they good enough to push through and win the finals? The answer was revealed Feb. 15 when the Knowledge Bowl team competed for the title of the champion and a whopping $7500.

The “A-Team” members of the Quiz Bowl team Raj Gosain (12), Shawn Meng (12), Abhi Lingareddy (12),  Noel Madapatu (12) and alternate Lena McMillen (11) are the competitors for the Knowledge Bowl team; and this year during the finals, they competed against Collierville High School. The winning team went home with $7500 in scholarship money for each participant.

“There’s a lot of pressure but at the same time I think we’ll win,” Captain Gosain said.

Last December, the team made an appearance on WREG’s television show “Knowledge Bowl,” and they returned to the screens once again this February for the finals, where they will be shown competing against their opponents when the episode airs.

“Knowledge bowl is kind of like jeopardy, if you’ve ever watched jeopardy,” Vice Captain Lingareddy said.  “It’s on TV, it’s televised, and it’s only schools from around here.” 

The team members were confident in their success for the recent competition but have endured challenges over the years. However, they have pulled through these difficulties together and have been there for each other as teammates and as friends. All members of Knowledge Bowl this year are seniors with the exception of alternate McMillen, and most have been participating in Quiz Bowl since freshman year.

“For me, especially as a freshman, I wasn’t very good at Quiz Bowl and Knowledge Bowl,” Lingareddy said. “I’d just be getting destroyed at competitions, and it’s very demoralizing at first, but it’s friends like Raj [Gosain] and other people that lifted me up and showed me ‘this is fine, you can get better,’” 

But becoming a better team player in the game does not happen overnight. The members have had to work hard to acquire the skills of diligent players. Lingareddy and Gosain have both admitted that because they find Quiz Bowl and Knowledge Bowl entertaining, it is easier for them to work harder. 

“I would study when I thought no one else was studying, and I would study with my friends and practice with them at home,” Gosain said. “I think putting in the work when no one else was really helped me.”

As captain, Gosain believes the group has worked really well together and has great team chemistry. With the help of their sponsors Erika Pyror and Doug Insch, who show much passion and support towards the club, and the team’s unity and assistance towards one another, the group has become unmatched and were able to beat Collierville in the finals.

“We’re trying to become a top 20 team in the nation, which isn’t easy,” Gosain said. “I think when the year is up, we’ll have done the best of any team in White Station history.”