ECMS Academic Team Dominates Governor's Cup District Championship

Back row: (left-right) Greg Grey, Robin Grey, Nick Skaggs, Jonas Miller, Ava Lich, Arey Durbin, Taylor Dooley, Alan Florence. Bottom row: (left-right) Brody Johnson, Sarah Stewart, Catherine Vincent, Meredith Hennion.

Edmonson Voice Staff:
The ECMS academic team shined brightly at the KAAC Governor’s Cup District 19 Tournament, held at Bowling Green Junior High School on January 21, 2017, and featured teams from ECMS, Drakes Creek, Moss, and St. Joseph.  ECMS team members placed in every competition in the district tournament.  

According to head coach Greg Grey, the quick recall team displayed great skill and speed during its three games.  In round one, ECMS took a commanding 31 to 1 lead into the halftime and took a 48 to 8 victory over Moss.  Bowling Green faced ECMS in round two, where the Wildcats started strongly and held a 23 to 9 lead at the half.  ECMS ended the game by doubling Bowling Green’s score with a final tally of 38 to 19. 

ECMS had a bye in round three, but faced Bowling Green again the championship game. Bowling Green took an early lead in the final match but the Wildcats refused to give in to the pressure, regaining their momentum, and took a 19 to 13 lead by halftime.  ECMS dominated the second half, outscoring Bowling Green 23 to 11, and gained a 42 to 24 championship game victory. 

ECMS Quick Recall starting lineup: L-R: Brody Johnson, Sarah Stewart, Arey Durbin, Jonas Miller.

The ECMS future problem solving team also rose to new heights as the team won the district championship. FPS (future problem solving) is a six-step process that requires students to identify challenges, create solutions, and make an action plan to address a possible scenario in the future. The district topic, “It’s All in the Genes” dealt with the long-term impact of genetic modification of plants and animals.

FPS coach, Nick Skaggs, prepared team members for the competition by researching the topic and refining FPS process skills. All of the district judges placed the ECMS booklet first overall.

“I am very proud of the progress out FPS team has made," said FPS Coach Nick Skaggs. "We are now looking forward to the regional competition.”

ECMS students placed in thirteen individual events at the district competition. Jonas Miller placed first in social studies testing. Sarah Stewart placed second in arts and humanities and third in language arts testing, Meredith Hennion finished second in language arts testing, Arey Durbin placed third in arts and humanities and fifth in science testing, Jon Smith placed third in mathematics testing, Brody Johnson placed third in arts and humanities and fifth in language arts, Gavin Rose placed fourth in social studies and fifth in mathematics testing, Ava Lich finished fifth in English composition, and Daniel Woosley placed fifth in social studies testing.

Bowling Green Junior High School won the overall district championship by amassing 55 points in the complete standings. ECMS placed a strong second with 47 overall points.

When asked to recap the performance, Coach Grey said one word could cover it all, "awesome."

"It sums up our team’s performance in the Governor’s Cup district tournament," he said. " The players earned 13 of a possible 18 spots in testing and composition. Our FPS competitors, (Danyale Atwell, Meredith Hennion, Ava Lich, and Taylor Dooley) scored a huge win in the competition. All of the coaches are extremely proud of the FPS team’s work and accomplishments. Our quick recall team cruised to the district championship like a finely tuned machine. When our subs entered the game, they never missed a beat."

He also said that every ECMS quick recall player scored multiple points in the competition and that players at all grade levels made outstanding contributions to the quick recall performance.

"Now, we've changed our focus to the regional competition. We're looking to maintain and even improve our overall standing," he said.