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(whistle blowing) (lively upbeat music) ♪ Go (lively upbeat music) - Welcome to this season of WVIA's Scholastic Scrimmage.

I'm your host, Paul Lazar.

Scholastic Scrimmage is a question and answer competition featuring high school students from across the WVIA viewing area.

In each program, two schools will compete in a single elimination tournament for a chance to win one, three, or $5,000.

Tonight's match features Carbondale versus Valley View.

Representing Carbondale are Aiden Manus, William Murphy, Olivia Lawler, and Matthew Cercoski.

Their advisor is Dr.

Samantha Masco.

Representing Valley View are Jagger Rowe, Petar Nescoff, Molly Carter, and Anthony Cotillo.

Their alternate is Addison Daiute and their advisor is Cindy Sermonaro.

Scholastic Scrimmage is a game of rapid recall of factual information, so let's take a moment and review the rules.

The first team to buzz in will have an opportunity to answer a toss-up question.

Correct answers to these questions are awarded 10 points and that team will then receive a five point bonus question.

If that toss-up answer is incorrect, no points will be deducted, but the question will then rebound to the other team.

If the other team answers correctly, they'll be given the toss-up points but will not receive a bonus question.

Let's get the game started with this toss-up question.

What geologic period saw massive oxygenation of Earth's oceans as well as a massive proliferation of multicellular life during its namesake explosion?

(electronic buzz drones) That was the Cambrian Period.

Here's our next toss-up question.

What novel, which includes legends about the sun god, Frith, and the trickster, El-ahrairah, was written by Richard Adams about Hazel and other rabbits.

(electronic buzz drones) That novel was "Watership Down".

Alright, let's go on to another toss-up.

What politician who took office in 2023 by succeeding Kevin McCarthy, represents the fourth district of Louisiana, and is the Speaker of the House?

(electronic beeping) Aiden, Carbondale.

- Nancy Pelosi?

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Valley View.

(electronic buzz drones) That is Mike Johnson.

Mike Johnson.

Alright, let's move on to a math toss-up.

Get your pencils and papers ready.

What is the smallest positive integer with three distinct prime factors, given it must be the product of the three smallest primes?

(soft upbeat music) (electronic beeping) Matthew, Carbondale.

- Six?

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Valley View.

(electronic beep) Jagger.

- 21?

- Nope.

That answer is 30.

Okay guys, let's go to another toss-up question.

What show in which Jonah Vogelbaum tries to denounce Vought International is a Prime Video series portraying corrupt superheroes, such as- (electronic beep) Anthony, Valley View.

- "The Boys".

- Is correct.

And here's your bonus question now.

What Swiss-born man outlined five points of architecture and pioneered international style with a concrete machine for living called the Villa Savoy?

(electronic buzz drones) That is Le Corbusier.

Okay, let's go to another toss-up.

What opera in which "Uno Voce Poco" is sung by Bartolo's ward, Rosina, is a Gioachino Rossini opera featuring Figaro who gives Bartolo a shave.

(electronic beeping) Olivia, Carbondale.

- "Phantom of the Opera"?

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Valley View.

(electronic buzz drones) That was "The Barber of Seville".

Okay guys, let's go to this next toss-up question.

What seat of Duval County is the largest city by area in the contiguous US, is the most populous city in Florida, and is home to the NFL's Jaguars?

(electronic beep) Anthony, Valley View.

- Jacksonville?

- Is correct.

(electronic warbling) And here's your bonus question.

What type of RNA that has a special cap at one and is produced by transcription of DNA?

(electronic beep) Peter.

- mRNA?

- mRNA is correct for your bonus points, Valley View.

Great job.

Let's go on to another toss-up.

What process which can occur in a specular fashion at smooth surfaces is the change in the direction of light caused by shiny objects (high pitched tone plays) like mirrors.

(electronic beep) Jagger, Valley View.

- Reflection.

- Is correct.

(electronic warbling) And here's your bonus question.

Lil' Wayne's 2025 song, "The Days", features what musician, who sang on songs like "With or Without You" as the lead singer of U2?

(electronic beep) - Bieber.

- No, you're close.

So we're looking for Bono.

Well that sound that you heard signals the end of the first quarter and it's now time for the lightning round.

In this segment, each team will have an opportunity to answer as many of the 10 rapid-fire questions as they can in one minute.

Valley View has won the coin toss and will pick first.

Your categories are Home Countries or The Royal C.

- Home Countries.

- Home Countries.

- Yeah.

- Home Countries.

- Home Countries.

(electronic beep) - Home Countries.

- Home countries it is, and your time begins when I finish reading the first question.

Give the country these athletes represent in international competition, which may not be their birthplace.

Track and Fields, Usain Bolt.

(electronic beep) - Jamaica.

- Yes.

Basketball, it's Diana Taurasi.

Don't know?

You can pass.

(electronic beep) Pass.

- That's the US.

Hockey, Sydney Crosby.

(electronic beep) - Canadian.

- Yes.

Tennis is Rafael Nadal.

(electronic beep) - German.

- [Paul] Spain.

Soccer's Lionel Messi.

(electronic beep) - Argentina.

- Yes.

Golf's Lydia Ko.

(electronic beep) - Pass.

That's New Zealand.

Soccer's Namar.

(electronic beep) - Brazilian.

- [Paul] Yes.

Tennis is Roger Federer.

(electronic beep) - Pass.

- [Paul] Switzerland.

Soccer's Erling Haaland.

(electronic beep) New... Netherlands.

- [Paul] No, Norway.

Boxing's Imane Khelif.

(electronic beep) - Dominican.

- Nope, that's Algeria.

Okay, Valley View, that's going to do it for your portion of the lightning round.

Carbondale, we're coming at you, and your remaining category will be The Royal C. And, again, your time begins when I finish reading the first question.

Give these rulers, whose regnal names in English begin with a letter C. Crowned Britain's king in May, 2023.

(electronic beeping) - Charles?

- Be more specific.

- King Charles III.

- [Paul] Yes.

First Roman emperor to convert to Christianity.

(electronic beeping) - Caesar.

- [Paul] Constantine.

First wife of Henry VIII.

(electronic beeping) - Catherine.

- [Paul] Be more specific.

- Of Aragon.

- [Paul] Yes.

King of the Franks, crowned emperor in 800.

(electronic beeping) - Charlemagne?

- Yes.

Holy Roman Emperor who oversaw the 1521 Diet of Worms.

(electronic beeping) - Nero.

- That's Charles V. First king of the Unified Franks, baptized in 508.

(electronic beeping) - Skip.

- [Paul] That's Clovis the First.

Empress of Russia from 1762 (electronic beeping) to '96.

- Catherine the Great.

- Catherine the Great.

- [Paul] That's correct.

English king executed in 1649.

(electronic beeping) - Pass.

- [Paul] Charles the First.

Roman emperor succeeded by Nero.

(electronic beeping) - Pass.

- That's Claudius.

(high pitched tone plays) Alright, we're not going to get to that last one there.

And that's going to do it for the first lightning round, and after that we have Valley View in the lead over Carbondale 55 to 20.

And we're now going to go ahead and move along to the second quarter beginning with this toss-up question.

What author portrayed the fictional nation of La basse-cour in her novel, "Villette", and wrote about a governess who works for Mr.

Rochester in "Jane Eyre"?

(electronic buzz drones) That author was Charlotte Bronte.

Okay, here's our next toss-up question.

What river, which is crossed by the Alexander III Bridge and the Pon Neuf, empties into the English Channel, Le Havre, and flows past Paris.

(electronic beep) Peter, Valley View.

- The Seine.

- [Paul] Is correct.

(electronic warbling) And here's your bonus question, and get out your pencils and papers.

In terms of X, what is the perimeter of a rectangle whose width equals X plus two, and whose height equals X minus three?

(electronic beep) Peter.

- X squared plus five-X plus six.

- No, that's incorrect.

We were looking for four-X minus two.

Well let's move on to another toss-up question.

In ancient Rome, what process could have a person in a tunica molesta take the form of damnatio ad bestias (electronic beeping) with lions or- William, Carbondale.

- Mummification.

- Is incorrect.

I'll finish the question and rebound to Valley View.

Or have a person crucified?

(electronic buzz drones) That is capital punishment or execution.

Okay guys, here's our next toss-up.

What seven letter adjective for silent mutations with no effect on an organism's functions also describe solutions that are neither acidic nor basic.

(electronic beeping) Matthew, Carbondale.

- Neutral.

- Is correct.

And here's your bonus question.

What South American country may have lost two thirds of its population in the disastrous 1860s War of the Triple Alliance?

(electronic beeping) - Brazil?

- No, we're looking for Paraguay.

Alright, here's our next toss-up.

What author, who wrote about a phenomenon that sits looking over a harbor and city in his poem, "Fog", depicted the City of the Big Shoulders in "Chicago"?

(electronic buzz drones) That author was Carl Sandburg.

Here's our next toss-up.

What president, who refused to visit victims of the Great Mississippi Flood, took office in 1923 after Warren Harding died and was called Silent Cow?

(electronic beeping) Olivia, Carbondale.

- Coolidge?

- Is correct.

And here's your bonus question.

Casting on and binding off are terms for starting and stopping what form of textile-making done by hand with a pair of needles?

(electronic beeping) - Sewing.

- Is incorrect.

This is knitting.

Knitting.

Let's go to another toss-up.

What organ, whose first transplant was done by Thomas Starzl in 1963, helps detoxify the blood (electronic beeping) and is affected- Matthew, Carbondale.

- Liver.

- Is correct.

(electronic warbling) And here's your bonus question.

What name is shared by a river that runs through Seoul in South Korea and by the world's largest ethnic group which predominates in mainland China?

(electronic beeping) - Asian?

- No, we're looking for the Han.

Han.

Alright, here's our next toss-up.

What island, whose largest settlement is Hanga Roa, is home to the Rapanui people, and is a Chilean island home to many large stone statues.

(electronic beeping) Matthew, Carbondale.

- Easter Island.

- Is correct.

And here's your bonus question.

What group of silicate minerals includes plagioclase and orthoclase, and is the most abundant group of minerals in the earth's crust?

(electronic beeping) Aiden.

- Quartz?

- No.

That answer is feldspar.

Well, that sound that you heard signals the end of the first half and we're now going to give our contestants a little bit of a break and the opportunity for those of you at home to get to know them a little better.

And we'll start with the students from Carbondale, and Aiden, I'll come to you first.

Tell me what you like to do for fun when you're not in class?

- I usually like Boy Scouts or soccer or... Yeah, baseball, too.

I do.

- Awesome.

Thanks Aiden.

William?

- Honestly, just whatever.

Wherever life takes me.

Hanging out with friends doing anything.

- [Paul] It's a great way to be.

Thanks William.

Olivia?

- I also like hanging out with my friends and reading.

- [Paul] Thanks, Olivia.

Matthew?

- Playing soccer, hanging out with friends.

- Thanks, Carbondale.

Good luck the rest of the way.

Valley View, coming over to you.

Jagger, what do you like to do for fun?

- I like to hustle, and then, like, I play sports (Paul chuckles) and I hang out with my friends and family.

- [Paul] Thanks, Jagger.

Peter?

- I like to run.

- [Paul] Thank you Peter.

Molly?

- Dance, cheer, and theater.

- [Paul] Alright, thank you.

And Anthony?

- I just like to go to the gym.

- [Paul] Alright, sounds good.

It was very nice to meet you all and good luck the rest of the way.

We're now going to go ahead and begin the third quarter with this toss-up question.

What two characters, who face the evil penguin, Feathers McGraw, in the short, "The Wrong Trousers", are a British man and his dog made using claymation?

(electronic buzz drones) Those are Wallace and Grommet.

Alright, here's your next toss-up question.

What African country was controlled by Mengistu Haile Mariam's communist junta, called "The Derg", after the 1974 overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie?

(electronic beeping) William, Carbondale.

- Democratic Republic of Congo?

- [Paul] Is incorrect.

Rebound to Valley View.

Peter.

- Angola?

- Nope, that country is Ethiopia.

Let's go to another toss-up.

In 2024, what former mayor of Tlalpan succeeded fellow Morena Party member, Andreas Manuel Lopez Obrador, to become the first female president of Mexico?

(electronic beep) Peter, Valley View.

- Sheinbaum.

- Is correct.

And here's your bonus question.

The Hamiltonian operator can be written as T plus V, where T is what energy that can be expressed as momentum squared over two times mass?

(electronic buzz drones) Time ran out.

We have kinetic energy for that answer.

Here's our next toss-up question.

What large molecules, which can be generated through step growth or chain growth mechanisms, are formed from small units called monomers?

(electronic beeping) Matthew, Carbondale.

- Polymers.

- Polymers is correct.

(electronic warbling) And here's your bonus question.

In what 1741 sermon delivered in Enfield, Connecticut, did Jonathan Edwards describe humanity as hanging by a slender thread over hellfire?

(electronic beeping) - "The Crucible"?

- No, that's "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God".

Let's go on to another toss-up.

What patriarch, who was almost killed during the Akedah, was the husband of Rebecca and was a miraculous child of Abraham, who nearly sacrificed him?

(electronic beeping) William, Carbondale.

- Muhammad.

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Valley View.

(electronic buzz drones) That answer is Isaac.

Alright, here's your next toss-up.

What quantity, whose relationship with GDP is described by Okun's Law, has cyclical and seasonal forms, and measures the share of labor without a job.

(electronic beeping) Matthew, Carbondale.

- Unemployment rate.

- Is correct.

(electronic warbling) And here's your bonus question.

In what country do citizens register with Aadhaar, the world's largest digital identity system?

(electronic beeping) - Canada?

- No, that country is India.

Okay, let's go on to another toss-up.

What company, which in 2025, recalled many cars with its VC turbo engines owns the Infinity brand (electronic beep) and makes- Anthony, Valley View.

- Nissan.

- Is correct.

And here's your bonus.

And get out your pencils and papers.

What area of wallpaper is needed to cover the walls and ceiling, but not the floor, of a room that is a seven by seven by seven cube?

(soft upbeat music) (high pitched tone plays) (electronic buzz drones) Ran out of time there.

That was 245.

Well that sound that you heard signals the end of the third quarter and another lightning round.

This time Carbondale will pick first.

Your categories are Taxonomy or Colorado.

(Carbondale team murmuring) (electronic beeping) - Colorado.

- Colorado it is, and your time begins after I finish reading the first question.

Answer the following about Colorado.

Its capital, nicknamed "The Mile High City".

(electronic beeping) - Denver?

- William.

Yes.

Time zone for all of Colorado?

(electronic beeping) - CST?

- [Paul] Mountain Time Zone.

Sports team that won the 2022 Stanley Cup?

(electronic beeping) - Pass.

- [Paul] That's the Avalanche.

Fictional TV town home to Stan Marsh and Kyle Broflovski?

(electronic beeping) - South Park.

- Yes.

Precious Metal found in 1878 at Leadville?

(electronic beeping) - Gold?

- Silver.

Animal mascot of the University of Colorado Boulder?

(electronic beeping) - The Bisons?

- No it is incorrect.

Buffaloes.

Year Colorado became a state, leading to its nickname, "Centennial State"?

(electronic beeping) - 1900.

- [Paul] 1876.

City home to the Air Force Academy?

(electronic beeping) - Denver.

- [Paul] Colorado Springs.

National Park containing hundreds of cliff dwellings.

(electronic beeping) - Grand Canyon.

- [Paul] Mesa Verde.

Western Colorado City (high pitched tone plays) where the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers meet.

That is Grand Junction.

Alright, Carbondale, that's gonna wrap up your portion of the lightning round.

Valley View, we're coming your way.

Your remaining category will be Taxonomy.

And once again, your time will begin after I finish reading the first question.

Given a taxon, classify it as a domain, a kingdom, a phylum, an order, or a class.

Okay, you guys got that?

- Yeah.

(electronic beep) - [Paul] Animalia or animals?

- Pass.

- [Paul] Kingdom.

Angiosperme or flowering plants?

(electronic beep) - Class?

- [Paul] That's phylum.

Mammalia or mammals?

(electronic beep) - Class?

- That's class.

- Fungi?

(electronic beep) - Class?

- [Paul] Kingdom.

Avis or birds?

(electronic beep) - Kingdom?

- Class.

Manara or bacteria?

(electronic beep) - Phylum?

- [Paul] Kingdom.

Archaea?

(electronic beep) - Kingdom?

- [Paul] Domain.

Rodentia or rodents?

(electronic beep) - Class?

- That's an order.

Platyhelminthes?

(electronic beep) - Class.

- Class.

- [Paul] That's phylum.

Lepidoptera or butterflies?

(electronic beep) - Oh, class.

- Nope, we were looking for order.

Alright, that's going to do it for the lightning round.

And after that we have a tight game.

It's tied 90 to 90.

Anything can happen in this last quarter.

And let's begin this fourth quarter with this toss-up question.

What government, which was established after the 1600 Battle of Sekigahara, was a shogunate that ruled Japan until the mid 19th century?

(electronic beep) Peter, Valley View.

- The Chen Dynasty?

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Carbondale.

(electronic buzz drones) That was the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Okay, let's move on to this toss-up.

Richard Hauptmann was convicted of kidnapping the infant son of what man, who in 1927, flew the Spirit of St.

Louis from New York to Paris?

(electronic buzz drones) That was Charles Lindbergh.

Okay, let's go on to another toss-up.

A theory named for Ernst Zermelo and Abraham Fraenkel describes what mathematical things that can be combined via the union or intersection operators?

(electronic buzz drones) That answer is sets.

Let's go to this toss-up.

What battle, during which the Sixth Army was trapped by Operation Uranus, was a 1942 siege of a Soviet industrial city now called Volgograd.

(electronic buzz drones) That was the Battle of Stalingrad.

Okay, here comes your next toss-up.

In what country, home to the authors of the "Silent Cry" and "Kafka on the Shore", is the Akutagawa Prize presented alongside a reward of one million yen?

(electronic beep) Jagger, Valley View.

- Japan.

- That's correct.

And here comes your bonus.

(electronic warbling) In 1936, what British King abdicated in favor of his brother, George VI, so that he could marry a divorcee?

(electronic beep) - Henry VIII?

- No, we're looking for Edward VIII.

Edward VIII.

Okay, here comes your next toss-up.

What artist of the "Triple Self-Portrait" painted the "Four Freedoms" series as well as hundreds of covers of the magazine, "The Saturday Evening Post"?

(electronic beep) - Frida Kahlo?

- Molly, Valley View.

- Frida Kahlo?

- [Paul] Is incorrect.

Rebound to Carbondale.

(electronic beeping) Olivia.

- Van Gogh?

- Nope, that's Norman Rockwell.

Okay guys, let's go to this toss-up.

What man, whose Joachim-Ma instrument sold at auction in February, 2025 for $11 million was an Italian luthier who made prized violins.

(electronic beeping) Aiden, Carbondale.

- Stradivarius.

- Is correct.

(electronic warbling) And here's your bonus question.

Unimak is the largest island in what island chain south of the Bering Sea?

(electronic beeping) - Maldives?

- No, those are the Aleutian Islands.

Alright, we have a tied game.

Let's go to our next toss-up.

What metal, which is purified in the Mond process, was used alongside cadmium in early rechargeable batteries and names a coin worth 5 cents.

(electronic beep) Jagger, Valley View.

- Nickel.

- Is correct.

And here's your bonus.

(electronic warbling) In 2024, Utah adopted a new state flag centered on a hexagon, containing one of what structures, which appear in the state's nickname?

(electronic beep) - Salt.

(high pitched tone plays) - Is incorrect.

We're looking for beehives.

And that's the end of the game and a great one it was.

Although our winner tonight is Valley View over Carbondale 110 to 100.

Congratulations Valley View.

(upbeat theme music) You're going to be moving on, and we'll see you next time with another round of Scholastic Scrimmage.

I'm your host, Paul Lazar, and thanks so much for watching.

(upbeat theme music) (upbeat theme music continues) (upbeat music) - [Announcer 1] WVIA Scholastic Scrimmage was made possible in part by... (bright orchestral music) - I am building my future, literally, at Luzerne County Community College.

(bright orchestral music) - We don't just talk about it, we build it.

- Your blueprints start here at Luzerne County Community College.

Are you a high school senior or a college student, trying to further your education?

The Luzerne Foundation can help.

The Luzerne Foundation is a northeastern Pennsylvania based community nonprofit that provides over 70 scholarships a year to students.

The Luzern Foundation, we are here for good.

- [Announcer 2] This is a place where bright minds meet, where innovative education and groundbreaking research thrive.

A world-class institution with renowned faculty and endless opportunity.

This is Binghamton University.