A team of eighth-grade students from Polk, Rutherford and Cleveland Counties emerged as the winning middle school team in the recent 2013 NC Quiz Bowl.

Representing their school, Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy (TJCA), they took the state championship with a 4-0 record over second place Seventy-First Classical MS of Fayetteville.

The academic competition, which is sponsored by the North Carolina Association for Scholastic Activities (NCASA), took place on April 13 in Durham, N.C. After claiming the state trophy, the team is now headed to Chicago, Ill. where they will participate in the National Association of Quiz Tournaments competition (April 26 –28).

Eli Hornback, Alex Harrelson, Drew Hoyle, Gabe Turner and Goutam Gadiraju know how to stay cool under pressure: in the Quiz Bowl two teams of four compete head to head to be the first to answer questions read by a moderator. Participants need not only demonstrate their knowledge, but also have the self- confidence to buzz in at the right time. Questions range from math and science to history, literature, music, as well as current events.