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(dramatic upbeat music) (whistle chirping) ♪ Go (dramatic upbeat music) (whistle chirping) - Welcome to this 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 $5,000.

Tonight's match features Mid Valley versus Old Forge.

Representing Mid Valley are Delaney Caines, Jonah Harrington, Giada Vagni, and Molly Banick.

Their alternate is Ruby Lennon, and their advisor is Stan Yanowski.

Representing Old Forge are Elena Bailkowski, Connie Lin, Ryan Schlegel and James Kupetz.

Their advisor is Maryanne Matouschek.

"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 question.

Well, let's get the game started with this toss-up question.

Plays in what language include Eugene Ionesco's absurdist play "The Bald Soprano," as well as a play about the impious hypocrite, "Tartuffe," by Moliere?

(buzzer beeps) Molly, Mid Valley.

- Italian.

- [Paul] Is incorrect.

Rebound to Old Forge.

(buzzer beeps) - German.

- Nope, that's the French language.

Let's go on to another toss-up question.

What city is home to the Genbaku Dome, contains the headquarters of Mazda and is a Japanese city that was the first to be struck by an atomic bomb?

(buzzer beeps) James, Old Forge.

- Hiroshima.

- Is correct and here comes your bonus question.

The successful American defense of what fort in Baltimore inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner"?

(timer beeps) That is Fort McHenry.

All right, let's move on to our next toss-up.

What element, whose filings are used to show field lines, lends its name to a phenomenon also displayed by cobalt and nickel called ferromagnetism?

(buzzer beeps) Molly, Mid Valley.

- Iron.

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

Mayonnaise is an example of what kind of colloid in which one liquid is dispersed into another admissible liquid?

(buzzer beeps) - Homogenous.

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

Our next toss-up question, what man who poses as the receptionist Shirley in "The Miserable Mill" pursues the Baudelaire orphans in Lemony Snicket's... (buzzer beeps) Molly, Mid Valley.

- Count Olaf.

- That's right, and here comes your bonus question.

What country's 2025 presidential election was won narrowly by right-wing candidate Karol Nawrocki, who succeeded the term-limited Andrzej Duda?

(buzzer beeps) - France.

- Nope, we're looking for Poland.

Good guess, though.

Let's move on to our next toss-up.

What's civilization founded what is now the city of Cadiz, used Murex snails to create purple dye in its city of Tyre, and invented the first alphabet.

(buzzer beeps) James, Old Forge.

- Sumeria.

- [Paul] Is incorrect.

Rebound to Mid Valley.

(buzzer beeps) Molly.

- Rome.

- Nope, those were the Phoenicians.

That was the Phoenicians.

All right, let's move on to our next toss-up.

What quantity equals the dot product of tort and angular velocity in rotational systems is defined as work per unit time and is measured in watts?

(buzzer beeps) Jonah, Mid Valley.

- Electricity.

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Old Forge.

(buzzer beeps) - Power.

- Power is what we were looking for there.

Very good for your rebound points, Old Forge, as we turn now to our next toss-up.

What opera, in which suitors of a princess must answer several riddles, contains Calaf's aria "Nessun Dorma," and was composed by Giacomo Puccini?

(buzzer beeps) Molly, Mid Valley.

- "Madame Butterfly?"

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Old Forge.

(timer buzzes) That was "Turandot."

All right, our next toss-up question.

What 22-year-old woman who was detained on the ship Madleen while trying to bring aid to Gaza and deported to Sweden is a leading climate activist?

(buzzer beeps) James, Old Forge.

- Greta Thunberg.

- Is correct, and your bonus question.

In the novel "Ethan Frome," (timer buzzes) Ethan and Mattie are severely injured after an intentional accident in which they steer what object into a tree?

(buzzer beeps) - A plane?

- Nope, we were looking for sled.

Well that sound that you heard signals the end of the first quarter and it's now time for the Lightning Round.

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.

Old Forge has won the coin toss and will pick first.

Your categories are Duplicate Anatomy or The Gilded Age.

- We'll take Duplicate Anatomy, please.

- Duplicate Anatomy it is and your time begins when I finish reading the first question.

Name these features that the human body normally has two of.

Opposable digit of the hand.

(buzzer beeps) - Thumbs.

- Yes.

Colored part of the eye surrounding the pupil.

(buzzer beeps) - Iris?

- Yes.

External opening of the nasal cavity.

(buzzer beeps) - Nostrils.

- Yes.

Organ whose nephron filter blood.

(beeper buzzes) - Kidney?

- Yes.

Bone parallel to the radius in the forearm.

(buzzer beeps) - Ulna.

- Yes.

Diagonal ligament in the knee that is the one most often injured.

(buzzer beeps) - ACL.

- Yes.

Gland that produces aldosterone and epinephrine.

- Pass.

- [Paul] That's adrenal.

Triangular shoulder muscle named for a Greek letter.

(buzzer buzzes) - Deltoid.

- Yes.

Major artery branching off the aorta sending blood to the head.

(buzzer buzzes) - Carotid?

- Yes.

Ear bone that is the smallest in the body.

- Pass.

- That is stapes.

All right, Old Forge, great job in the Lightning Round.

We're now going to go ahead and turn things over to Mid Valley for their portion of the Lightning Round.

Your remaining category will be The Gilded Age.

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

Name these people and things from American life in the late 1800s.

Founder of Standard Oil, the first US billionaire.

(buzzer beeps) - Rockefeller.

- Yes.

Immigration station opened in New York Harbor in 1892.

(buzzer beeps) - Ellis Island.

- Yes.

Political machine led by Boss Tweed.

(buzzer beeps) - Tammany Hall.

- Yes.

Mocking name for investigative journalists who exposed corruption.

(buzzer beeps) - Muckrakers.

- That's right.

Nationality subject to an 1882 Exclusion Act.

(buzzer beeps) - Chinese.

- Yes.

1890 antitrust law named for an Ohio Senator.

(buzzer beeps) - Sherman.

- Yes.

Detective agency that helped fight the Homestead Strike.

(beeper buzzes) - Pinkertons.

- Yes.

Robber baron nicknamed the Commodore.

(beeper buzzes) - Carnegie.

- Vanderbilt.

Socialist president candidate jailed over the Pullman Strike.

(buzzer beeps) - Debs.

- Yes.

Railroad mogul who tried to corner the gold market in 1869.

(buzzer beeps) - Vanderbilt?

- Gould.

All right, that's going to wrap up the Lightning Round and after that we currently have Old Forge in the lead over Mid Valley by just 10 points, 70 to 60.

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

What airport is named for a World War II fighter pilot who defended the USS Lexington, has the airport code ORD and serves the Chicago area?

(buzzer beeps) James, Old Forge.

- O'Hare?

- Is correct, and here comes your bonus.

What term beginning with A refers to a measurement of a fraction of light an astronomical object reflects?

(timer buzzes) That is albedo.

All right, let's move on to our next toss-up.

The Frasch process extracts what element which forms cross links and vulcanization, is bonded to hydrogen in a thiol and has atomic symbol S?

(buzzer beeps) - James, Old Forge.

- Silicon.

- Is incorrect.

(buzzer beeps) Rebound.

Molly?

- Sulfur.

- Sulfur is correct for your rebound points, Mid Valley, as we go to our next toss-up.

What 1994 film in which an opera duet is played over a intercom depicts Andy Defresne crawling through a sewage pipe to escape the title prison?

(buzzer beeps) - Molly, Mid Valley.

- "Escape from Alcatraz"?

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Old Forge.

(timer buzzes) We're looking for "The Shawshank Redemption."

All right, let's go to our next toss-up.

What ecological event, a refugee from which was depicted in the photo "Migrant Mother" devastated agriculture on the Great Plains?

(buzzer beeps) Molly, Mid Valley.

- The Dust Bowl.

- That's right.

And our bonus now.

What small Canadian province known as The Cradle of Confederation has a southern coast that borders the Northumberland Strait?

(beeper buzzes) - Nova Scotia?

- Nope.

Prince Edward Island.

All right, here's our next toss-up question.

What character who's the protagonist of a 2024 novel by Percival Everett rafts down the Mississippi River with Huck Finn?

(beeper buzzes) - Molly, Mid Valley.

- James?

- Yes, and our bonus question.

Pitcher Freddy Peralta and catcher William Contreras helped what baseball team win the NL Central in 2024?

(buzzer beeps) - The Dodgers?

- Nope, that was the Milwaukee Brewers.

All right, let's go to our next toss-up question.

What mountain range is home to the world's largest salt flat, contains the Alta Plano Plateau and stretches along the western coast of... (beeper buzzes) Molly, Mid Valley.

- The Andes?

- Is correct.

And your bonus question, what country's Coquimbo region is home to the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which in 2025 began a 10 year long time lapse study of the southern sky?

(buzzer beeps) - Venezuela?

- Nope.

Chile.

Chile.

All right, here's our next toss-up and get out your pencils and papers.

What mixed number combining a whole number and a proper fraction is equivalent to the improper fraction 47 divided by 6?

(thoughtful music) (buzzer beeps) James, Old Forge.

- 7 1/2?

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Mid Valley.

(buzzer beeps) - 7 5/6?

- Is correct for your rebound points, Mid Valley, as we turn to our next toss-up.

The second king of what name established the brutal Force Publique to extract rubber from the Congo Free State which he ruled as King of Belgium?

(timer buzzes) (buzzer beeps) James, Old Forge.

- Leopold?

- Is correct.

And your bonus question, what was the common German name for the MFS, the East German Secret Police Agency that maintained an extensive surveillance network?

(buzzer beeps) - The Browncoats.

- No, that's the Stasi.

The Stasi.

Well that sound that you heard signals the end of the first half and we're now going to give our contestants a 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 Mid Valley and Delaney, I'll come to you first.

Tell me what your favorite subject is in school and why.

- I like math because it's like a game.

- [Paul] Okay, thanks, Delaney.

Jonah?

- I like math 'cause you could learn an endless amount of things about it.

- [Paul] Absolutely.

Giada?

- My favorite subject is science.

I just love like, every part of it.

- [Paul] Thanks, Giada.

Molly?

- My favorite subject is history 'cause I just feel like it's so fascinating.

There's so much to learn about the people who have come before us.

- [Paul] Absolutely.

Thank you, Mid Valley, and good luck the rest of the way.

Old Forge, coming over to you.

Elena, tell us what your favorite subject is and why.

- I really like history because it's like, really interesting, and I also like how you're able to like, see movies about it and like, modern adaptations.

- [Paul] Absolutely.

Connie?

I like bio because it's in everything.

- Thank you, Connie.

Ryan?

- My favorite is science because there's so much to learn and it's always fun to know how the world works.

- [Paul] Thank you, Ryan.

And James.

- My favorite subject is geography because I like looking at maps.

- All right, excellent.

Thank you, Old Forge, and good luck the rest of the way.

We'll now go ahead and begin the third quarter with this toss-up question.

In August, 2025, police in what state captured Austin Drummond who allegedly committed a quadruple murder along its Missouri border north of Memphis?

(beeper buzzes) - James, Old Forge, - Tennessee.

- Yes, and here's your bonus question.

What member of the 12 apostles does the Roman Catholic Church recognize as the first Pope?

(buzzer beeps) Ryan?

- Peter?

- Is correct for your bonus points.

Good job.

Let's go to our next toss-up.

Colostrum is a precursor of what substance which contains IGA antibodies, is produced by mammary glands and is a white fluid secreted in lactation?

(buzzer beeps) Molly, Mid Valley.

- Milk?

- That's correct.

And your bonus now.

In George Orwell's novella "Animal Farm," the exploitation of the proletariat is represented by what large cart horse whose motto is, "I will work harder"?

(buzzer beeps) - General?

- Boxer.

Boxer.

All right, here's our next toss-up question.

What new world country's independence began on Dia do Fico when the future Braganza Dynasty emperor Pedro I refused to return to Portugal?

(buzzer beeps) James, Old Forge.

- Brazil?

- Is correct.

And here's your bonus.

YBCOs exhibit the high temperature form of what phenomenon?

Meaning that it can occur in YBCO at temperatures above 77 Kelvins?

(timer buzzes) That is super conductivity.

Okay, our next toss-up question.

What instrument, the soloist in Ludwig von Beethoven's "Emperor Concerto," has a range of more than seven octaves across its black and white keys?

(buzzer beeps) - James, Old Forge.

- The piano.

- That's right.

And here comes your bonus.

What Swiss psychologist proposed that children go through four stages of development including sensorimotor and concrete operational?

(buzzer beeps) - Ryan?

- Piaget.

- They will be able to take that for the bonus points, correct, Old forge.

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

Merozoite cells are found in what disease that is treated with artemisinin or quinine caused by plasmodium protozoa.

(buzzer beeps) Molly, Mid Valley.

- Malaria.

- That is correct.

And your bonus.

At about 100 tons, which of Christopher Columbus's three ships was his flagship on his first voyage to the Americas in 1492?

(buzzer beeps) - The Nina.

- The Santa Maria.

The Santa Maria.

- All right, let's go to our next toss-up.

What sport whose men's 2025 World Champion was Ilya Malinin is the primary sport of Nathan Chen who performs jumps such as triple axles?

(buzzer beeps) - James, Old Forge.

- Gymnastics - Is incorrect.

Rebound to Mid Valley.

(buzzer beeps) - Figure skating.

- Is correct for your rebound points, Mid Valley, as we turn now to our next toss-up question.

In what peninsula did Great Britain launch the failed Charge of the Light Brigade against Russian troops during the 1854 Siege of Sevastopol?

(buzzer beeps) Molly, Mid Valley.

- Iberian?

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Old Forage.

(timer buzzes) That's the Crimean, the Crimean Peninsula.

Here's our next toss-up question.

Ratatoskr runs up and down what structure that is gnawed on by Nidhoggr and surrounded by the Nine Worlds, a mythic world tree from Norse mythology?

(buzzer beeps) (timer beeps) Delaney, Mid Valley.

- The Tree of Life?

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Old Forge.

(timer buzzes) That is Yggdrasil.

And that sound that you heard signals the end of the third quarter and another Lightning Round.

This time Mid Valley will pick first.

Your categories are Teams and Cities or Turtles.

- We'll do Turtles.

- Turtles it is and your time begins when I finish reading the first question.

Answer the following about turtles.

Common name for a turtle's carapace.

(buzzer beeps) - Shell.

- Yes.

Number of turtle doves in "The 12 Days of Christmas."

(buzzer beeps) ♪ Two turtle doves - That's right.

Purple clad Ninja Turtle named for a sculptor.

(buzzer beeps) - Donatello.

- Yes.

Author of the YA novel "Turtles All the Way Down."

(buzzer beeps) - John Green.

- That's right.

New York City borough whose Turtle Bay neighborhood has the UN's headquarters.

(buzzer beeps) - Manhattan.

- That's right.

Hindu god whose second avatar is Kurma, or turtle?

(buzzer beeps) - Vishnu.

- That's correct.

Greek messenger god who created the lyre using a dead turtle.

(buzzer beeps) - Hermes.

- Yes.

War in which David Bushnell deployed The Turtle, an early submarine.

(buzzer beeps) - World War I.

- [Paul] That was the American Revolution.

1865 book that introduced the Mock Turtle.

(buzzer beeps) - Pass.

- [Paul] That's "Alice in Wonderland."

14th to 19th century Korean dynasty that deployed turtle ships?

(buzzer beeps) (timer beeps) - The Han?

- Nope, that was the Joseon dynasty.

All right, Mid Valley, that's going to wrap up your portion of Lightning Round number two.

Old Forge, we're coming your way.

Your remaining category will be Teams and Cities, and once again, your time begins when I finish reading the first question.

Given an American Sports League and the name of a team, identify the city in that team's name.

MLB, The Red Sox.

(buzzer beeps) - James?

- Boston.

- Yes.

NBA, The Lakers.

(buzzer beeps) - LA.

- Yes.

NFL, The Cowboys (buzzer beeps) - Dallas.

- Yes.

NHL, The Capitals.

- Pass.

- Washington, DC.

WNBA, The Fever.

- Pass.

- Indianapolis.

MLB, The Guardians.

- Pass.

- Cleveland.

NBA, The Trailblazers.

- Pass - Portland.

MLS, The Earthquakes.

- Pass - San Jose.

NHL, The Jets.

- Pass.

- That's Winnipeg.

WNBA, The Aces.

- Pass.

- That is Las Vegas.

All right, that's going to wrap up the last Lightning Round for the game and after that we currently have a very close one.

We have Mid Valley in the lead over Old Forge 175 to 145 as we now begin the last segment of the game with this toss-up question.

What disease which last appeared naturally in Ali Maow Maalin in Somalia is caused by the variola virus and causes painful skin blisters.

(buzzer beeps) Molly, Mid Valley.

- Smallpox.

- That is correct.

And here's your bonus.

A building nicknamed the Gherkin makes up part of the skyline of what European city whose tallest skyscraper is called the Shard?

(buzzer beeps) - Budapest.

- Nope, that is London.

All right, here's our next toss-up.

What name, the regnal name of the Pope who Crown Charlemagne as Emperor in AD 800, is also the name of a zodiac constellation resembling a lion?

(buzzer beeps) James, Old Forge.

- Leo.

- Is correct.

And here's your bonus question.

What federal official has resisted Donald Trump's demand that he resign before the end of his term as Chairman of the Federal Reserve?

(timer buzzes) That is Jerome Powell.

All right, here's our next toss-up question.

What poet depicted an aspiring writer in the 1856 verse novel "Aurora Lee" and pondered the ends of being in her sonnet beginning, "how do I love thee?"

(buzzer beeps) Molly, Mid Valley.

- Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

- That is correct.

And here's your bonus question.

For nearly five decades, what country was ruled by King Hussein of the Hashemite dynasty?

(buzzer beeps) - Saudi Arabia?

- No, you are close.

We're looking for Jordan.

Let's go to our next toss-up.

What property, whose stereo form includes cis and trans alkenes occurs in any two compounds with the same molecular formula but different structures?

(buzzer beeps) - Jonah, Mid Valley.

- Isomerization.

- Is correct and here comes your bonus question.

The confluence of the White Nile and the Blue Nile is at what capital of Sudan?

(buzzer beeps) - Khartoum.

- That is correct for your bonus points, Mid Valley, as we go on now to our next toss-up.

What landmark from which the Crown of Thorns was removed after a 2019 disaster names a Victor Hugo novel about Quasimoto and is a Paris... (buzzer beeps) Molly, Mid Valley.

- Notre Dame.

- Is correct.

And here comes your bonus.

What 10 letter term is used to refer to a theoretical entity consisting of more than one and possibly infinitely many distinct universes?

(buzzer beeps) - Multiverse.

- Is correct for your bonus points, Mid Valley, as we turn to our next toss-up question.

What author of "Answered Prayers" and "Other Voices, Other Rooms" wrote about the killing of the Clutter family in his non-fiction novel, "In Cold Blood."

(buzzer beeps) Molly, Mid Valley.

- Truman Capote.

- Is correct and here comes your bonus.

What Roman poet considered the art of love in elegies titled "Ars Amatoria" and retold histories and myths in his 15 book poem, "Metamorphoses"?

(buzzer beeps) - John Donne.

- No, that was Ovid.

All right, here's our next toss-up.

The Freeport Doctrine was formulated by what senator nicknamed the Little Giant who engaged in a set of seven debates in... (buzzer beeps) (timer beeps) Molly, Mid Valley.

- Stephen Douglas.

- Is correct.

And here's your bonus question.

What 11 letter word for a timid person or something bland comes from the name of a comic strip character created by H.T.

Webster?

(buzzer beeps) - Lackadaisical.

- No, we're looking for milquetoast.

And that's the end of the game and our winner tonight is Mid Valley over Old Forge, 245 to 155.

Congratulations, Mid Valley, 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.

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- Your blueprints start here at Luzerne County Community College.

Are you a high school senior or a college student, trying to further your education?

The Luzerne Foundation can help.

The Luzerne Foundation is a northeastern Pennsylvania based community nonprofit that provides over 70 scholarships a year to students.

The Luzern Foundation, we are here for good.

- [Announcer 2] This is a place where bright minds meet, where innovative education and groundbreaking research thrive.

A world-class institution with renowned faculty and endless opportunity.

This is Binghamton University.