(upbeat music) ♪ Go (upbeat music) - Welcome to the 18th season of "WVIA 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 1, 3, or $5,000.

Tonight's match features Scranton versus West Scranton.

Representing Scranton are Daniel Jacklinski, Jevon James, Kenny Kraycer, and Megan Wong.

Their alternates are Jason Monroe and Jenna Lewis.

And their advisor is Lynn Cawley-Harding.

Representing West Scranton are Britt Banal, Celia Miliani, Ava Crisco, and Ava Stanton.

Their alternate is Kate Evans.

And their advisor is Richard Bresser.

"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.

Well, let's go ahead and get started with this toss-up question.

What Supreme Court Justice, who participated in hunting trips and private plane rides with billionaire Harlan Crow- (signal beeps) Daniel, Scranton.

- Clarence Thomas.

- Is correct.

And here comes your bonus question.

What configuration, whose far electric field varies like 1 over R cubed, consists of two opposite electric charges, and a short distance from each other?

(signal beeps) - Pass.

- Okay, that was electric dipole.

Let's go on to another toss-up.

What battle, which saw fighting at the Bloody Lane and Miller's Cornfield, took place in Maryland, and was the bloodiest single day of the Civil War?

(signal beeps) Javon, Scranton.

- Antietam.

- Is correct.

And your bonus question.

The island formerly known as Van Diemen's Land is now named for what Dutch explorer?

- Pass.

- Okay, and that's Abel Tasman, for Tasmania.

Let's go to our next toss-up question.

What east coast state is home to most of the White Mountains, has the shortest coastline of any coastal state, and is between Maine and Vermont?

(signal beeps) Javon, Scranton.

- Rhode Island.

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to West Scranton.

(signal beeps) Ava.

- New Hampshire.

- Is correct for your rebound points, West Scranton.

And here comes your next toss-up question.

What disease, whose last natural case occurred in Somalia in 1977, is characterized by a rapidly spreading rash, and is caused by the variola virus?

(signal beeps) Daniel, Scranton.

- Smallpox.

- Is correct.

And your bonus question now.

What Irish actor, credited as Shivering Soldier in the movie "Dunkirk," played the Scarecrow in "Batman Begins", and the title physicist- (signal beeps) Javon.

- Cillian Murphy.

- Is correct for your bonus points, Scranton, great job.

Let's go to another toss-up.

What man, whose confessions from prison were published by Thomas Gray, was captured after an 1831 slave rebellion that he led in Virginia?

(signal beeps) - Britt, West Scranton.

- Beacon.

- [Paul] Is incorrect, rebound to Scranton.

(signal beeps) - Shay.

- Nope, that man's name was Nat Turner.

Nat Turner.

Let's move on to another toss-up.

What man drew on Charles Barbier's night writing system to create a system of raised dots representing letters, which is used by blind people?

(signal beeps) Kenny, Scranton.

- Braille.

- Is correct.

And here comes your bonus question.

Georgetown is the capital of what British overseas territory, which is made up of three islands, and is a notable offshore financial center?

(signal beeps) - Pass.

- Okay, that's the Cayman Islands.

Here's your next toss-up.

What author wrote about Thea Kronborg's training to be an opera singer in "The Song of the Lark", and depicted life on the great plains in "O Pioneers?"

(timer beeps) That was Willa Cather.

Let's go to another tossup.

What organ, whose marginal zone separates the red and white pulp, may be enlarged in people with mononucleosis, and destroys old red blood cells?

(signal beeps) Celia, West Scranton.

- The liver.

- [Paul] Is incorrect, rebound now to Scranton.

(signal beeps) - Bones.

- Is incorrect.

That organ is the spleen.

(signal beeping) And that sound that you heard signals the end of the first quarter, and it's now time for the lightning round.

(lightning flashing) (electricity buzzing) 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.

Scranton has won the coin toss, and will pick first.

Your categories are, Andrew Jackson, or Alliterative Idioms.

(team chattering) - Andrew Jackson.

(signal beeps) - Andrew Jackson it is.

And your time begins after I finish reading the first question.

Answer the following about Andrew Jackson.

He was this party's first president.

(signal beeps) - Democrat.

- [Paul] Yes.

He won the battle of New Orleans in this war against Britain.

(signal beeps) - 1812.

- [Paul] Yes.

Volunteer State he represented in the Senate.

(signal beeps) - Tennessee.

- [Paul] Yes.

He had this nickname comparing him to a tree.

(signal beeps) - Pass.

- [Paul] Old Hickory.

He signed a bill named for this type of tax on imports in 1833.

(signal beeps) - Pass.

- Tariff.

His second vice president who succeeded him.

(signal beeps) - John Tyler.

- [Paul] Van Buren.

He killed lawyer Charles Dickinson during one of these events.

(signal beeps) - Pass.

- Pass.

- [Paul] A duel.

He's buried at this plantation, his former home.

(signal beeps) - Pass.

- [Paul] That's the Hermitage.

He fought the rechartering of one of these entities- (timer beeping) led by Nicholas Biddle.

That was a bank.

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

West Scranton, we're coming over to you.

And your remaining category will be alliterative idioms.

And again, your time begins after I finish reading the first question.

Give these idioms, whose two components are alliterative.

For example, motor mouth or cookie cutter.

A hard to say phrase.

(signal beeps) - Tongue twister.

- [Paul] Yes.

A car with poor fuel efficiency.

(signal beeps) - Pass.

- [Paul] Gas guzzler.

To arrange for a person to be professionally or socially excluded.

(signal beeps) - Pass.

- [Paul] Blackball.

Stunned into silence at meeting a celebrity.

(signal beeps) - Starstruck.

- [Paul] Yes.

Unenthusiastic and insincere as an attempt or gesture.

(signal beeps) - Pass.

- Half-hearted.

A fearless thrill seeker.

(signal beeps) - Daredevil.

- [Paul] Yes.

An early term for wartime PTSD.

(signal beeps) - Shell shock.

- [Paul] Yes.

A humorous but disruptive student.

(signal beeps) - Class clown.

- [Paul] Yes.

A person noted for their extreme thrift.

(signal beeps) - Pass.

- Penny pincher.

An easygoing, pleasurable lifestyle that may lead to sin.

(timer beeping) That was primrose path.

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

And, after that, a very good game.

Scranton in the lead over West Scranton, 60 to 35.

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

What instrument played by Domenico Dragonetti and Charles Mingus is a large string instrument that is often played with its player standing upright?

(signal beeps) Celia, West Scranton.

- The cello.

- [Paul] Is incorrect.

Rebound to Scranton.

(signal beeps) - Bass.

- Is correct.

And that's great for your rebound points.

And we're gonna move on now to another toss-up.

What organization led by Grand Sachems like Charlie Murphy and the infamously corrupt William Tweed, was a political machine that dominated New York?

(signal beeps) - The Mafia.

- Javon, Scranton.

Is incorrect.

Rebound to West Scranton.

(timer beeps) That was Tammany Hall.

Tammany Hall.

Let's go to another toss-up here.

What song, whose artist asks how do you lie without flinching, is the lead signal from "Guts" by Olivia Rodrigo and is titled for a blood sucker?

(signal beeps) Ava, West Scranton.

- "Vampire."

- Is correct.

And your bonus.

And get your pencils and papers ready.

What is the straight line distance between the points one comma six and six comma negative six?

(signal beeps) Ava.

- Negative two.

- Is incorrect.

We were looking for 13.

Let's go to another toss-up.

What former leader who resigned as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in 2023, was succeeded by Liz Truss and later Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister?

(timer beeps) That was Boris Johnson.

Let's go to your next toss-up question.

What author who won a Pulitzer Prize for "The Reivers" created the Sartoris and Bundren families who live in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County?

(signal beeps) Javon, Scranton.

- John Dunn.

- [Paul] Is incorrect.

Rebound to West Scranton.

(timer beeps) That author was William Faulkner.

Our next toss-up.

what element whose primary ore is considerate, was historically alloyed with copper to produce bronze and is known for its use in food cans?

(signal beeps) - Tin.

- [Paul] Megan, Scranton.

- Tin.

- Is correct.

And here comes your bonus.

What member of the Spartan-II program, who receives advice from the AI Cortana, is the main protagonist of the "Halo" video game series?

(signal beeps) - Master Chief.

- He is correct for your bonus points, Scranton.

And we move on to another toss-up.

George Orwell fought for whom during what 1936 to 1939 war in which the Republicans clashed with Nationalists- (signal beeps) Ultimately led- Javon, Scranton.

- The Spanish Civil War.

- Is correct.

And your bonus.

In what northern state, where Horace Mann helped to create a board of education in 1837, did Edward Everett and John Hancock serve as Governor?

(signal beeps) - Ohio.

- No, we were looking for Massachusetts.

Our next toss-up question.

What author described how the Valar made the island of Numenor in "The Silmarillion" and depicted the quest of Frodo Baggins in "The Lord of the Rings?"

(signal beeps) Ava, West Scranton.

- Tolkien.

- Is correct.

And your bonus question now.

In what kingdom of organisms do microscopic channels called plasmodesmata allow for transport between cells?

(signal beeps) - Britt.

- Proteus.

- No, we're looking for Plantae, Plantae.

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 Scranton.

And, Daniel, I'll come to you first.

Tell us what you like to do when you're not in school.

- I like to play baseball.

I just started playing golf this past summer.

I'm involved in a lot of clubs and I'm the Senior Class President at Scranton High.

- Doesn't leave much time for sleeping, Daniel, does it?

- [Daniel] No.

- Okay, great job.

Thanks for being here.

Javon.

- Like Dan, I like to be in a lot of clubs.

I'm the class's Vice President.

And on my free time I like to play football and wrestle.

- Excellent, thank you Javon.

Kenny?

- In my free time I like to just hang out with my friends and my family.

- [Paul] Very nice.

Meghan.

- I very much enjoy playing volleyball and just learning about neuroscience.

- Okay, very good.

Thank you, Scranton.

And good luck the rest of the way.

West Scranton, we're coming over to you.

And, Britt, if you wouldn't mind telling us what you like to do for fun when you're not in class.

- Yeah, I enjoy volunteer hours.

So with the scouting program especially.

- [Paul] Okay, great.

Thank you, Britt.

Celia.

- I enjoy playing tennis and I'm Senior Class President.

- [Paul] Okay.

Ava.

- I like to read and I like to hang out with my friends.

- [Paul] Okay.

And Ava.

- I do track, volleyball, and cheer.

- Okay, very good.

It was very nice to see you again, West Scranton.

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

And get your pencils and papers ready.

What is the diameter of a circle whose area is 144 PI, given the area of a circle is a function of the square of the radius?

(signal beeps) - 24.

- [Paul] Meghan, Scranton.

- 24.

- Is correct.

And your bonus.

In July, 2023, what Big 10 university in Illinois fired its football coach Pat Fitzgerald for covering up patterns of hazing and racism?

(signal beeps) Javon.

- Northwestern.

- Is correct for your bonus points.

Let's go to another toss-up question.

What figure from Greek myth rejected the nymph Echo and drowned after being cursed?

(signal beeps) Ava, West Scranton.

- Narcissus.

- Is correct.

And your bonus now.

What king who initiated the law, the Splintered Paddle, in 1797, ruled from Hilo as the founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

(signal beeps) Ava.

- No answer.

- Okay, that was Kamehameha.

Let's go to a next toss-up question that we have here.

What title character kills the talking cricket in a Carlo Collodi novel which describes how the wooden nose of this puppet grows larger- (signal beeps) Ava, West Scranton.

- "Pinocchio."

- Is correct.

And your bonus.

What Nigerian playwright wrote about Simon Pilkings who tries to prevent Elesin's ritual suicide in death in "The King's Horseman?"

(signal beeps) - No answer.

- Okay, that's Wole Soyinka.

Our next toss-up and, again, get your pencils and papers ready.

What is the measure of the vertex angle of an isosceles triangle whose two base angles each measure 65 degrees?

(signal beeps) - 50.

- Is correct.

And your bonus.

What European composer wrote his ninth symphony while visiting the US in the 1890s, leading to his nickname From the New World?

(signal beeps) Javon.

- Beethoven.

- Nope, we are looking for Dvorak, Dvorak.

Our next toss-up question.

Which leader was the Consort of Prasutagus, was killed at the battle of Watling Street, and was an Iceni Queen who led a rebellion in Roman Britain?

(timer beeps) That leader was Boudica.

Let's move on to another toss-up.

What French writer who defended colonialism in his 1841 essay on Algeria, visited US prison facilities before writing "Democracy in America?"

(signal beeps) - Meghan, Scranton.

- Thoreau.

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to West Scranton.

(timer beeps) Okay, that was Alexis de Tocqueville.

our next toss-up question.

What type of reaction, which occurs at a battery's cathode, involves a substance gaining electrons and is normally accompanied by oxidation?

(signal beeps) - Redox reaction.

- [Paul] Meghan, Scranton.

- Redox reaction.

- [Paul] Judges?

- [Judge] Yes.

- Is correct.

And your bonus.

What greedy nincompoop falls into the Chocolate River after he becomes the first child to win- - Augustus Gloop.

- Is correct for your bonus points, Scranton.

let's go to another toss-up.

What country, of which Joan Enric Vives Sicilia is co-prince alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, is a small country between France and Spain?

(signal beeps) Ava, West Scranton.

- Pandora.

- Is correct.

And your bonus.

Jose Orozco and Diego Rivera were Mexican artists who often painted works denoted by what term beginning with M that signifies a painting on a wall?

(signal beeps) - Mural.

- Is correct for your bonus points, West Scranton.

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

(lightning flashes) (electricity buzzing) This time West Scranton will pick first.

Your categories are starts and ends with R or types of boat.

(team chattering) - Starts and ends with R. - Starts and ends with R it is.

And your time begins after I finish reading the first question.

Give these words that both begin and end with the letter R. An adult male chicken.

(signal beeps) - Rooster.

- [Paul] Yes.

Dasher, Dancer, and Prancer among others.

(signal beeps) - Reindeer.

- [Paul] Yes.

It's Doppler type is used in weather forecasting.

(signal beeps) - Radar.

- [Paul] Yes.

Facial covering that protects against airborne hazards such as the N95 type.

(signal beeps) - Pass.

- [Paul] Respirator.

Husband of Grace Kelly or a mountain in Washington.

(signal beeps) - Rainier.

- [Paul] Yes.

Criminal denoted by the R in the legal acronym RICO.

(signal beeps) - Pass.

- Racketeer.

A pitcher who replaces a starter.

(signal beeps) - Reserve.

- [Paul] Reliever.

A six shooter or a Beatles album.

(signal beeps) - Revolver.

- Yes.

Pseudonym of villain Edward Nygma.

(signal beeps) - Pass.

- That was The Ridler.

All right, West Scranton, that's going to do it for your portion of the lightning round.

Scranton, we're coming over to you and your main and category will be types of boat.

And, again, your time begins after I finish reading the first question.

Name these types of boats or ships.

Boat designed to independently operate under water.

(signal beeps) - Submarine.

- Submarine.

- [Paul] Yes.

Ships that carry vacationers such as for Royal Caribbean.

(signal beeps) - Cruise.

- [Paul] Yes.

Inuit canoe-like watercraft propelled by a double bladed paddle.

(signal beeps) - Kayak.

- [Paul] Yes.

Warship that carries fighter jets and other planes.

(signal beeps) - Carrier.

- Yes.

Vessel that may fly the Jolly Roger flag.

(signal beeps) - Pirate ship.

- [Paul] Yes.

Traditional flat bottom Venetian boat.

(signal beeps) - Raft.

- [Paul] Gondola.

Large ship that stores and transports oil.

(signal beeps) - Pass.

- [Paul] Tanker.

Boat sailed in the 2021 America's Cup or owned by a billionaire.

(signal beeps) - Yacht.

- [Paul] Yes.

Ancient galley manned by three rows of oars.

(signal beeps) - Pass.

- That was trireme.

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

And after that we currently have Scranton in the lead over West Scranton, 165 to 115.

And still plenty of time to catch up, West Scranton.

We're gonna move now into the last segment of the game with this toss-up question.

What man proposed a speed up called Uskorenie as part of Perestroika was told to tear down this wall and was the last leader of the Soviet Union?

(signal beeps) Javon, Scranton.

- Yeltsin.

- [Paul] Is incorrect.

Rebound to West Scranton.

(signal beeps) Celia.

- Vladimir Lenin.

- Nope, Gorbachev.

Mikhail Gorbachev.

Our next toss-up.

What region can be accessed in its south by the Rafah border crossing, has been administered by Hamas since 2006 and is a narrow Palestinian strip?

(signal beeps) Daniel, Scranton.

- Gaza.

- Is correct.

And here comes your bonus.

What class of colloids, which include ointments and mayonnaise, are mixtures in which one liquid is dispersed as tiny droplets within another liquid?

(signal beeps) - No answer.

- Pass.

- That is emulsion.

Our next toss-up.

What National League team, which lost to a cross-town rival in the 2000 World Series, dubbed the Subway Series- (signal beeps) Plays its- Javon, Scranton.

- New York Mets.

- Is correct.

And your bonus.

In 2023, what airline faced legal battles over both its partnership with American Airlines and its planned purchase of Spirit Airlines?

(signal beeps) - Southwest.

- No, we're looking for JetBlue.

Our next toss-up.

In what process, which was first observed by Fritz Strassmann and Otto Hahn, and co-explained by Lisa Meitner, do nuclei split into multiple parts?

(signal beeps) - Nuclear.

- Meghan, Scranton.

- Nuclear fission.

- Is correct.

And your bonus.

An 1810 royal marriage party at Theresa's Green in Munich, is the origin of what now Worldwide celebration that involves drinking beer?

(signal beeps) - Oktoberfest.

- Is correct for your bonus points, Scranton.

Our next toss-up question.

What character uses a cane to murder Sir Danvers Carew, appears in an 1886 novella by Robert Lewis Stevenson and is the evil alter ego of Dr Jekyll.

(signal beeps) Javon Scranton.

- Mr Hyde.

- Is correct.

And here comes your bonus.

What Ghanaian diplomat served as Secretary General of the United Nations between 1997 and 2006?

(signal beeps) - No answer.

- Okay, that was Kofi Annan.

Our next toss-up.

What religious leader who in 1989 issued a fatwa, calling for the death of Salman Rushdiee, became supreme leader of Iran after its 1979 revolution?

(signal beeps) Ava, West Scranton.

- Muhammad Ali.

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Scranton.

(signal beeps) - No answer.

- Okay, that was Ayatollah Khomeini.

Our next toss-up question.

What stage of cell division, during which chromatin condenses into discrete chromosomes, follows the G2 phase and is the first phase of mitosis?

(signal beeps) Meghan, Scranton.

- Prophase.

- Is correct.

And your bonus now.

The words, "You'll be a man my son," conclude what poem, which uses conditional statements to offer moral guidance and was written by Rudyard Kipling?

- No answer.

- Okay, we're looking for "If," "If."

Here's our next toss-up question.

What novel in which Father Mapple gives a sermon about Jonah, begins with the line "Call me Ishmael" and depicts Captain- Ava, West Scranton.

- "Moby Dick."

- Is correct.

And your bonus question.

What pre-Socratic philosopher from Ephesus saw fire as the fundamental element and argued that it is impossible to step into the same river twice?

(signal beeps) - No answer.

- Okay, that was Heraclitus.

That was a tough one.

And that's the end of the game.

And our winner tonight is Scranton over West Scranton, 220 to 125.

Congratulations, Scranton, 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 for watching.

(upbeat music)