Edison High School Wins Firelands Challenge Crown
Unprecedented Fifth Straight Victory
Perkins High School won Thursday's final Firelands Challenge Championship Match in front of an enthusiastic home crowd, but Edison High School was the overall champion based on cumulative points. The third Championship Match proved to be as exciting as the first two with Perkins jumping out to an early lead and winning an appeal of a mathematics answer to finish the match with 50 points. Edison ended with 46 points and St. Paul with 39 points.
However the Championship is based upon the total cumulative points earned in all three finals matches. With the final match completed, St. Paul finished in third place with 109 points, Perkins finished in second place with 152 points, and Edison took the winner's plaque with 155 points. It also earned congratulatory applause from the students at Perkins.
This season saw Edison earn its fifth straight Firelands Challenge Championship. In the 36 years that the Firelands Challenge Program has been sponsoring these contests, this is the first time a high school has earned five consecutive championships.
The champion's plaque did not come easy for Edison. It faced three tough matches against Perkins and St. Paul. Perkins scored the highest number of points during the regular season (342) with Edison close behind (338). Those two teams never faced each other during the regular season, meeting for the first time in the Championship Round. Edison won the first two matches and had a seven point lead going into the final match. It needed every point with Perkins winning in the final match.
William Muthig, Program Coordinator, commented: "The Firelands Challenge Program seeks to stress the importance of learning while providing an entertaining environment. These three teams made this season one of the most entertaining. The results speak to the investment of time and the quality of the study that all of the student participants put in for their teams."