At the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, there was no fate in sight for the Herrin High School Scholastic Bowl Team, which had been in operation since Anna Morris (1944-2020) served as a Herrin teacher. However, two fresh HHS teachers stood up to take on the reins of the team’s operations: Ms. Madeline Oxendine (Varsity Coach) and Mr. Brian Evilsizer (Junior Varsity Coach). While Ms. Oxendine had played Scholastic Bowl as a Herrin High student for four years, she had never coached. But this didn’t obstruct her pursuit. “I wanted to give students the same heartwarming and amazing experience that I had and the same sense of community I had in high school,” said Ms. Oxendine.
However, she was also the sponsor of the HHS Pep Club and knew she needed help. At her side was Mr. Evilsizer: an experienced chess coach and one who had had some past experiences with Scholar Bowl. “I was really elated to be offered the position because I had always wanted to do Scholar Bowl when I was in high school. The problem was it conflicted with football and Christopher was pretty strict back then about one extracurricular per season,” Mr. Evilsizer explained.
At his previous school of employment, Mr. Evilsizer took an active role in something quite like Scholar Bowl. “I was the unofficial assistant sponsor of the BETA Club with Mrs. Sabens at our previous school and my main job was the quiz bowl team at the state convention. This is conducted just like Scholar Bowl, but only one time during the year,” Mr. Evilsizer said.
As soon as they took office, they implanted changes they felt had been lacking in previous years. For instance, each coach offered one practice session a week during advisory, for which they kept detailed lists of attendance. “In order to win and be competitive, you have to have certain policies that may be considered strict. You have to practice to be good,” Ms. Oxendine said. Coaches also kept attendance records for matches.
Under Mr. Evilsizer’s coaching, the Junior Varsity team was able to score 24 total toss-ups during their River to River Conference on Feb. 2 at Southern Illinois University of Carbondale. The student with the most toss-ups was Asher Barlage (10), who scored ten toss-ups. Fast on Asher’s heels was Nolen Frost (10), who was made Junior Varsity Captain at the start of this season and who scored seven toss-ups.
“I enjoy trivia and I was captain at a few meets in junior high so I thought it would be fun to continue the leadership role in high school. Also, I knew we needed a Captain and as one of the two returning players for JV, I thought I was a good fit,” Nolen explained.
Under Ms. Oxendine’s leadership, the Varsity team was able to place fourth in the SIAC Conference Tournament. Team captain Caden Green (12) was also placed on the All-Conference First Team. Both the captain and team brought home plaques. Four days later, Varsity traveled to Southern Illinois University of Carbondale, where they competed against the other schools of the Ohio Division. When the final toss-up was read, Green had earned 16; Nolan Gentile (11) had earned five; Tyler Dodson (11) had scored four; Sydney Atchison (12) and Emily Hosmon (12) got two each; and Joshua Jones (12) answered one toss-up.
“As the season went on, I thought everyone had better communication and became comfortable,” Gentile said. However, there is always room to improve. “Sometimes I feel we got off to slow starts against some teams that might have been tough competition and that ended up biting us when we started to do better later in the match.”
Still, Varsity’s performance at the River to River Conference concludes the 2024-2025 season for the Herrin High School Scholastic Bowl. Following this year’s graduation, the team will lose seniors Sydney Atchison, Russell Caldwell, Caden Green, Tyson Hopper, Emily Hosmon, Joshua Jones, Luke McCluskie, and Noah Pulley. “I’ll miss going out to eat and hanging out every night,” Atchison said. She continued: “Though [the coaches] had their faults, all people do, they clearly showed they cared and showed that often.”
In their absence, Nolan Gentile (11), has been chosen to succeed Green as varsity captain. “I’m excited that the coaches trust me enough to lead the team, but at the same time, it’s more pressure than I’m used to,” Gentile said. “I don’t know how good the incoming Juniors are and what subjects they are good at, but we will need more literature, geography, and art help.”
If anyone is interested in joining HHS Scholar Bowl, they can talk to Ms. Oxendine, Mr. Evilsizer, or Nolan Gentile. If you want to stay updated, Scholastic Bowl keeps an Instagram page and a Facebook account.
