(upbeat exciting music) - Welcome to the 17th 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 one, three, or $5000.

WVIA would like to thank our sponsors, FNCB, and Peoples Security Bank for making this competition possible.

The rules of the game have been modified for this season's virtual version, and in each half, students will have the chance to alternatively answer one question.

If they answer that question correctly, they'll receive a bonus question.

If their answer is incorrect, the other team can rebound, but will not be given a bonus.

Students can also score points during the two lightning rounds in each game.

Judges tonight are educators from the WVIA viewing area.

And tonight's match features Wallenpaupack versus Dunmore.

Playing for Wallenpaupack are Ella Wessenyek and Tyler Loftberg.

The alternates are Emma Mahone, Abby Lopez, Molly Dickerman, and Kai Pumasteleck.

Their advisor is Ryan Nenan.

Representing Dunmore are Cadie Lewis and Liam Ahern.

Their alternate is Jessica Trogger, and their advisor is William O'Malley.

Well, let's get started.

Wallenpaupack has won the coin toss, and will receive the first question, which is what president, who had a child with his mistress Nan Britton, promised the return to normalcy, and was succeeded by Calvin Coolidge upon dying in 1923?

- Warren Harding?

- Is correct, and here's your bonus question.

Boss Tweed was among the leaders of what Democratic organization that dominated New York City politics for most of the 19th century?

- The Teamsters Union?

- Is incorrect.

We're looking for Tammany Hall.

Dunmore, here's your first question.

Which metal, which is found in cinnabar, and whose alloys are called amalgams, is a liquid at room temperature, and has the atomic symbol HG?

- Mercury?

- Is correct, and here's your bonus question.

What market structure characterized by a kindred demand curve occurs when an industry is dominated by a small number of large sellers?

- Monopoly?

- No, that answer is oligopoly.

Let's move back over to Wallenpaupack.

What hymn, whose second stanza begins, "Stony the road "we trod" has words by James Weldon Johnson, and is considered the black national anthem?

- No answer.

- [Paul] Okay, rebound to Dunmore.

- Pass.

- Okay, that answer is "Lift Every Voice and Sing".

Dunmore, here's your next question.

What brother of Salmoneus, who cheated death by chaining up either Thanatos or Hades, was punished by being forced to eternally roll a rock up a hill?

- Pass.

- Okay, rebound to Wallenpaupack.

- Pass.

- Okay, that answer is Sisyphus.

Wallenpaupack, here's your next question.

What painter, who featured his hometown's new church in view of Delft, was a Dutch master who painted The Milkmaid, and Girl with a Pearl Earring?

- No answer.

- Okay, rebound to Dunmore.

- Rembrandt?

- Nope, that painter is Johannes Vermeer.

Dunmore, here's your next question.

What author, who wrote about a diver named Keno in his novella "The Pearl" wrote about the mentally challenged Lenny Small in "Of Mice and Men"?

- Steinbeck?

Steinbeck?

- Is correct, and here's your bonus question.

The provisions of what Constitutional Amendment were first used to replace Spiro Agnew when he resigned as vice president in 1973?

- 25?

- Is correct.

For your bonus points, Dunmore.

Great job.

Let's move back over to Wallenpaupack.

What 10 step process, regulated by the enzymes phosphofructokinase and hexokinase, breaks down glucose in the first step of aerobic respiration?

- Glycolysis?

- Is correct.

And here's your bonus question.

What organ's action potentials pass through the Purkinje fibers before reaching the bundle of His?

- Kidneys?

- Is incorrect.

That organ is the heart.

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

(electricity crackling) 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.

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

Your categories are literary food or C in geography.

- Geography.

- Okay, C in geography it is, and your time begins when I finish reading the first question.

Identify these geographical features whose names start with the letter C. US state governed from Hartford.

- Connecticut.

- Yes.

Inland body of water that receives the Volga River.

- Pass?

- Yeah.

- Pass.

- [Paul] Caspian Sea.

City whose archbishop heads the Church of England.

- Pass.

- [Paul] Canterbury.

African country whose capital is N'Djamena.

- Congo?

- [Paul] Chad.

Mexican state that is also a tiny breed of dog.

- Chihuahua.

- Yes.

Mountain range that helps form the Europe Asia divide.

- Pass.

- [Paul] Caucasus Mountains.

African capital whose suburbs include Giza.

- Cairo?

- [Paul] Yes.

Country home to Great Bear Lake.

- Pass.

- [Paul] That's Canada.

US River impounded (timer beeping) by the Grand Coulee Dam, that was the Columbia River.

Okay, Wallenpaupack.

That's going to do it for your portion of the lightning round.

Dunmore, we're coming over to you, and your remaining category will be literary food.

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

Name the literary works that depict these meals.

Gruel, which prompts a boy to say, "Please sir, "I want some more."

- "Oliver Twist".

- [Paul] Yes.

A tea party with the Mad Hatter.

- "Alice in Wonderland".

- [Paul] Yes.

Bread, milk, and blackberries eaten by Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail.

- "Peter Rabbit"?

- [Paul] Yes.

Chowder eaten by Ishmael and Queequeg in Nantucket.

- Pass.

- [Paul] "Moby Dick".

Ice cream sodas consumed by George Gibbs and Emily Webb.

- Pass.

- "Our Town".

A Madelein cookie that triggers childhood memories.

- Pass.

- [Paul] "In Search of Lost Time".

Medieval pilgrims dining at the Tabard Inn.

- Pass.

- [Paul] "Canterbury Tales".

A pie made with the flesh of Tomyris' sons.

- Pass.

- [Paul] "Titus Andronicus".

Sweet and cold plums left in the icebox.

- Pass.

- [Paul] "This is Just to Say".

Sal Paradise's meals of ice cream and apple pie.

(timer beeping) That was "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac.

And that's going to do it for the lightning round, and after that, a very close contest.

Dunmore in the lead over Wallenpaupack, 55 to 50.

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 Wallenpaupack, and Ella, I'm going to come to you first.

Tell me what your favorite film is, and why.

- Um.

I think that my favorite film is probably I don't know.

I don't think I have a favorite.

- Okay, as long as it's not "Good Burger", we're on good terms.

Thanks, Ella.

Tyler, what is your favorite film?

- My favorite film is "Fargo", just because I love the characters in it, and it gets funny, and it just makes me laugh at some points for a murder story.

- All right, excellent.

Good luck the rest of the way, Wallenpaupack.

Dunmore, let's come over to you.

Cadie, what is your favorite film and tell us why.

- My favorite film is "We Bought a Zoo".

I just really like story told in it.

- Thank you, Cadie.

And Liam, what is your favorite film?

- I'm gonna have to go with "Good Burger".

- Oh.

Can we deduct points?

No?

Okay.

Good luck the rest of the way, Dunmore.

Thank you very much.

It was very nice to meet all of you.

Now let's go ahead and begin the second quarter with this question that goes to Dunmore.

What animal, which names a long war between the Iroquois and French ally tribes, was until the 1800s the most prized Canadian source of fur?

- Beaver?

- Is correct.

And here's your bonus question.

"We Wear the Mask" is a poem by what African-American author whose work provided the title of Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"?

- Phillis Wheatley?

- No, we're looking for Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Wallenpaupack, here's your next question.

What author described the colonial great game in his novel "Kim", explained how the leopard got his spots in "Just So Stories", and wrote "The Jungle Book?"

- No answer.

- Okay, rebound now to Dunmore.

- Pass.

- Okay, that author is Rudyard Kipling.

Dunmore, here's your next question, and get your pencils and papers ready.

There are two answers required here.

What are both solutions to the equation the absolute value of the quantity X plus two equals five?

(timer beeps) Ran out of time, rebound to Wallenpaupack.

- Three and negative seven?

- Is correct for your rebound points, Wallenpaupack.

Great job.

And here comes your next question.

What country is home to the tech center of Campinas, the former rubber center of Manaus, and the coastal cities of San Paulo and Rio de Janeiro?

- Brazil.

- Is correct.

And here's your bonus question.

What Englishman claimed, "Fools rush in "where angels fear to tread", and asserted "a little learning is dangerous" in his 1711 poem, "An Essay on Criticism"?

- No answer.

- Okay, that is Alexander Pope.

Dunmore, it's back over to you.

What text preserved on a stele found in Susa in 1901 espouses the doctrine an eye for an eye, and was a code compiled by a namesake Babylonian king?

(timer beeping) - The Bible?

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Wallenpaupack.

- Hammurabi's Code?

- Is correct.

For your rebound points, Wallenpaupack.

And here's your next question.

What language, in which the renga poetic form originated, was used to write "The Seashell Game", a poetry collection by Matsuo Basho, a master of haiku?

- Japanese?

- Is correct.

And here's your bonus question.

What French religious group was granted toleration by the Edict of Nantes, and was targeted by the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre?

- Catholics?

- No, that answer is Huguenots.

Dunmore, here comes your next question.

What point at which the Third Law of Thermodynamics dictates there is a minimal amount of molecular motion, is about negative 273 degrees celsius?

- Pass.

- Okay, rebound now to Wallenpaupack.

- Absolute zero?

- Absolute zero is correct.

(timer beeping) For your rebound points, Wallenpaupack.

And after one half of play, we currently have Wallenpaupack in the lead over Dunmore, 100 to 65.

We want to say thank you to Ella and to Tyler from Wallenpaupack, and thank you to Cadie and Liam from Dunmore, you are absolutely phenomenal.

We are now going to meet your teammates for the second half.

Playing for Wallenpaupack in the second half are Nick Husong and Anastasia Ayapolo.

Representing Dunmore are Ally McNeph, and Kevin Walsh.

And our first question in the third quarter goes to Wallenpaupack.

And that question is what city, which is home to the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, and the State Fair of Texas, is part of a metroplex along with Fort Worth?

- Dallas, Texas?

- Is correct.

And here's your bonus question, what country were the Islamist group Ansar Dine once supported the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad is governed from Bamako?

- No answer.

- Okay, that country is Mali.

Dunmore, here's your first question of the second half.

What monarch who had Renault of Chatillon beheaded, founded the Ayyubid Dynasty, and opposed Richard the First's Christian forces during the Third Crusade?

- Pass.

- Okay, rebound to Wallenpaupack.

- No answer.

- Okay, that monarch is Saladin.

Wallenpaupack, here's your next question.

What moon under whose smooth icy crust life may exist is the smallest Galilean moon, and is in residence with Io and Callisto around Jupiter?

- Europa.

- Is correct, and here's your bonus question.

Many limestone formations contain the ossified skeletons of creatures from what phylum, whose members include sea cucumbers and starfish?

- No answer.

- Okay, that's echinoderms.

Dunmore, here's your next question.

What film, in which Millie and Key seek to uncover a code that was stolen by Tsunami's head developer stars Ryan Reynolds as a video game character?

- Should I guess?

"Wreck it Ralph".

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Wallenpaupack.

- "Free Guy".

- "Free Guy" is correct for your rebound points, Wallenpaupack, and here is your next question.

What mountain, also called Goddess Mother of the World, or Chomolungma, is the tallest peak in the Himalayas, and the tallest mountain in the world?

- Mount Everest.

- Is correct.

And here's your bonus question.

In 1862, what union Ironclad fought the Confederate CSS Virginia in the Battle of Hampton Roads?

- No answer.

- Okay, that was the USS Monitor.

Dunmore, here's your next question.

What author wrote about a junior tempter, mentored by an older demon in "The Screwtape Letters", and depicted the lion Aslan in "The Chronicles of Narnia"?

(timer beeps) Okay, rebound to Wallenpaupack.

- C.S.

Lewis?

- Is correct, for your rebound points Wallenpaupack.

And here comes your next question.

What NFL team that drafted Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in 2020 was led for 16 years by Brett Favre, and since then by quarterback Aaron Rodgers?

(timer beeps) - Packers?

- Is correct, and here's your bonus question.

In the King James version of the Bible, what book's final chapter begins and ends with the words, "Praise ye the Lord"?

- Revelations?

- No.

That's the Book of Psalms.

Great guess, though.

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

(electricity crackling) This time, Dunmore will pick first.

Your categories are birds or Belgians.

- We'll do birds.

- Birds it is.

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

Answer the following about birds.

National bird of the US.

- Bald eagle?

- [Paul] Yes.

Englishman whose study of finches in the Galapagos informed his theory of natural selection?

- Pass.

- Pass.

- [Paul] Darwin.

Tallest, heaviest living bird.

- Ostrich?

- [Paul] Yes.

Bebop saxophonist nicknamed Bird.

- Pass.

- Charlie Parker.

Snowy owl who delivers messages for Harry Potter.

- Hedwig.

- [Paul] Yes.

Master of suspense who directed the 1963 horror film "The Birds".

- Pass.

- [Paul] Hitchcock.

Large black corvids found in the Tower of London.

- Raven?

- [Paul] Yes.

Ancient Greek playwright of the comedy, "The Birds".

- Pass.

- Pass.

- Aristophanes.

Romanian sculptor of bird (timer beeping) and space, that was Brancusi.

Okay, Dunmore.

That's gonna wrap it up for your portion of the lightning round.

Wallenpaupack, we're coming over to you with Belgians.

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

Name these people and characters who are from what is now Belgium.

King of the Francs who established the Holy Roman Empire.

- No answer.

- [Paul] Charlemagne.

Detective created by Agatha Christie.

- No answer.

- [Paul] Poirot.

Star of the films "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "Roman Holiday".

- No answer.

- [Paul] Audrey Hepburn.

Painter whose "The Treachery of Images" claims in French, "this is not a pipe".

- No answer.

- Magritte.

Cartographer who made a popular but very inaccurate projection.

- No answer.

- [Paul] Mercator.

Painter of the "Arnolfini Wedding".

- No answer.

- Jan Van Eyke.

Comic book character created by Herge.

- No answer.

- Tintin.

Man who created a namesake woodwind with alto and tenor varieties.

(timer beeping) That was Sax.

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

And after that, we have Wallenpaupack in the lead over Dunmore, 160 to 105.

And again, we're going to take a little bit of a break and get to know the contestants playing the second half a little better, and we'll start with the students from Wallenpaupack, and Nick, I'm gonna come to you first.

Tell me what your favorite film is and why.

- Either "Interstellar" or "Donnie Darko".

I really like the kind of psychological nature of them.

- Great movies.

Thank you, Nick.

Anastasia, what are your favorite films, or film, and tell us why.

- Probably "Avengers: Infinity War", just because I really like the Marvel movies, and that just is my favorite one.

- Tells a good story.

Thank you, Anastasia.

Let's come over to Dunmore.

Ally, tell us what your favorite film is and why.

- My favorite film is "The Wizard of Oz", simply because it's a classic.

- It is.

Thank you, Ally.

And Kevin, what is your favorite film?

- I like the film "Miracle".

I kind of like the comeback story of the United States with the Soviets in the Olympics.

- All right, excellent.

It was very nice to meet all of you.

And we'll now begin the last segment of the game with this question that goes to Dunmore.

British officer Charles Gordon died in what African city which is at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile, and is the capital of Sudan?

- Pass.

- Pass.

- Okay, rebound to Wallenpaupack.

- No answer.

- Okay, that is Khartoum.

Okay, Wallenpaupack, here's your next question.

What expressions flip when multiplied by a negative number are depicted on a number line by a dot and an arrow and use relations like less than?

- Inequality?

- Is correct.

And here's your bonus question, and get your pencils and papers ready.

What is the product of the two mixed numbers one and a half and one and a third?

- [Anastasia] Three?

- Is incorrect.

We're looking for two.

Dunmore, here's your next question.

What politician who wrote the memoir "Shortest Way Home" was the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and is now the Secretary of Transportation?

- Pete Buttigieg?

- Is correct, and here's your bonus question.

What newspaper once led by Ben Bradley and Catherine Graham published stories using information given by the informant Deep Throat in the 1970s?

- Pass.

- That's the Washington Post.

Wallenpaupack, here's your next question.

What general ordered the amphibious landing at Inchon before Harry Truman relieved him of his command of the United Nations Forces in the Korean War?

- No answer.

- Okay, rebound to Dunmore.

- Russ Morling?

- Nope, the general is Douglas MacArthur.

Dunmore, here is your next question.

What game in which COVID related changes to exploration bonuses were ruled back in 2021 by Niantic is an augmented reality mobile Pokemon game?

- Pokemon Go?

- Yes.

And here's your bonus question.

The stark effect is the splitting of spectral lines by what field, which has strength measured in newtons per coulomb?

- Pass.

- Pass.

- Okay, that's electric field.

Wallenpaupack, here's your next question.

What objects, which include one name for Juan de Fuca in the Eastern Pacific diverge at mid ocean ridges and make up the earth's lithosphere?

- Ions?

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Dunmore.

- Ozone?

- No, we're looking for tectonic plates.

Dunmore, here's your next question.

What author of the story "The Duplicity of Hargraves" wrote about the kidnapping of the son of Ebenezer Dorset in his story "The Ransom of Red Chief"?

(timer beeps) - Dr. Seuss?

- Nope.

Rebound to Wallenpaupack.

- No answer.

- Okay.

That author is O. Henry.

And that's the end of the game, and our winner tonight is Wallenpaupack over Dunmore, 170 to 125.

I want to say a congratulations to Wallenpaupack.

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 thank you for watching.

(upbeat exciting music)