Scholastic Bowl Coach Brian Bartoz submitted this report and photograph.
Morrison High School’s Scholastic Bowl team won three-of-its-five matches in the Illinois Masonic Academic Bowl State Tournament, on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Bloomington, IL, High School. Their 3-2 record is the best record any MHS team achieved in the past decade, in the Illinois Masonic Academic Bowl tournament. The team paused for a moment of reflection, before the competition began. Left-to-right (seated) are Sam Mills (Freshman); Logan Peavy (Sophomore); Captain Quinn Blevins (Senior); Gunner Nelson (Freshman); Rose Melton (Junior); (standing) Alexander Weston (Sophomore.)
Morrison finished the season with a 41-21 overall record and achieved a Second Place finish (5-3 record) in the Northwest Upstate Illini Conference (NUIC) South Division. Ashton-Franklin Center earned First Place with an 8-0 record.
The sections within a match alternate between tossup sections, which allow any, swift player to buzz in to answer a question posed by a Moderator, and teamwork questions, which are directed to a particular team by the Moderator. A summary of each match follows.
Match 1: Morrison vs. Cisne HS (Morrison won 170-100)
Both teams were evenly matched for the first three sections, but Morrison built a 140-100 lead during the fourth teamwork section. In Section 5, with correct buzzes from Logan Peavy and Gunner Nelson, the team scored 30, points to win the match 170-100.
Match 2: Morrison vs. New Berlin (New Berlin won 390-100)
New Berlin’s Captain Matthew Kapinus brought an encyclopedic knowledge to the competition and dominated New Berlin’s scoring throughout the contest. In the first (tossup) section, Rose Melton answered the first question correctly, but Kapinus answered the next five questions accurately for New Berlin. In the third (tossup) section, Quinn Blevins and Rose Melton scored points for Morrison, but Kapinus Kapinus buzzed in to correctly answer four-of-the-six available questions in the section, advancing New Berlin to a 240-60 lead. By the end of the fourth (teamwork) section, New Berlin led 350-100. In the final (tossup) section, Matthew answered all four tossups correctly, bringing the final score to 390-100.
Match 3: Morrison vs. Elmwood (Elmwood won 160-140)
The third match proved close, with Morrison and Elmwood tied 20-20 after the first section. Morrison’s 20 points came from correct buzzes by Rose Melton. Morrison led 90-60 after the second (teamwork) section. In the third section, two correct buzzes from Gunner Nelson and one correct buzz from Logan Peavy helped Morrison maintain a 120-90 lead. Correct answers from Elmwood during the (teamwork) section allowed Elmwood to take a 160-140 lead during the fourth section. A correct buzz from Logan Peavy in the fifth section helped Morrison score another 10 points, but Elmwood also scored in the fifth section, bringing the final score to 170-150 in their favor.
Match 4: Morrison vs. Galena (Morrison won 170-160)
Morrison’s Scholastic Bowl team rarely defeats the top-ranked Galena Pirates. Circumstances, however, aligned perfectly for a Morrison victory in Round 4. Correct buzzes from Logan Peavy and Rose Melton put Morrison on the board with 20 points (compared to Galena’s 40 points) in the first section. In the (teamwork) section, Morrison made up lost ground and built a 20-point lead over Galena (100-80.) A correct buzz from Logan Peavy allowed Morrison to maintain a slight lead at the end of the third section (110-100.) Teams were evenly matched in the fourth section, with each logging another 50 points, (Morrison leading 160-150.) Galena’s long-serving Coach, Ron Jenkins, substituted a few players after the third and fourth rounds, to provide his team with every possible advantage allowed under the rules, but it was to no avail! Both Morrison and Galena scored ten points in the fifth (tossup) section, with Morrison’s points coming from Logan Peavy. Morrison prevailed over Galena in a nail-biter of a match, by a score of 170-160. Both teams hosted IHSA Regional competitions on Monday, March 9, due to their solid overall records during the past season. (See below.)
Match 5: Morrison vs. Winchester (Morrison won 150-60)
Morrison and Winchester were evenly matched during the first two sections of the contest; Morrison led 60-50 at the end of the second section. In the third (tossup) section, Morrison gained 30 points from two correct buzzes by Logan Peavy and one correct buzz from Gunner Nelson. Morrison expanded its lead during the fourth section, closing with a 130-50 lead. Correct buzzes from Rose Melton and Gunner Nelson helped Morrison score another 20 points, winning 150-60.
“I would like to thank the parents, siblings, relatives, and other supporters, including Wade Kaufman from Dunlap Masonic Lodge #321, who traveled from Morrison to Bloomington last Saturday to view the matches,” said Coach Brian Bartoz. “Our team faced some solid competition. We managed to secure a win over Galena, which is one of the strongest teams in Northwest Illinois! We hope to continue to build our team to compete effectively in our local Masonic Sectional Tournament in February 2027. I appreciate the work of all of our players during the past season, [who excelled] within their areas of expertise.”
Morrison High School hosted an IHSA Regional in Scholastic Bowl on Monday, March 9. Morrison had a bye in the 1st round, due to its favorable seeding going into the Regional. In Round 2, Morrison defeated Pearl City by a score of 450-260.
Round 3, however, proved much tougher, as the Mustangs faced Winnebago. Winnebago led Morrison 200-170 at the end of the first half, but Morrison remained competitive going into halftime, with correct buzzes from Logan Peavy, Quinn Blevins, and Gunner Nelson. In the second half of the match, Winnebago answered eight tossup questions correctly compared to Morrison’s three. Seven-of-the-eight correct answers for Winnebago came from powerhouse player Linnea York, a Junior student with an impressive base of knowledge. By the end of the match, Winnebago outscored Morrison 400-290 and earned the IHSA Regional title.
True to the spirit of Scholastic Bowl, coaches and players from each team shook hands at the end of the match. Morrison’s Coach and players congratulated Winnebago High School on a job well done.
During recent weeks, Coach Brian Bartoz and volunteer Assistant Coach RJ Tillman have visited Morrison Junior High’s Quiz Bowl team, to see them in action and begin the recruiting process for the 2026-27 school year.
“If we are able to recruit players who have a strong interest in all of the major categories of Scholastic Bowl, we will remain competitive in the Northwest Upstate Illini Conference–as well as in special tournaments, such as the Masonic Sectional Tournament,” Bartoz said.