After winning the Southwest Prairie Conference title, Oswego East High School’s Scholastic Bowl team earned a spot in one of the nation’s most competitive academic tournaments.
On Friday, the squad will compete against 319 other teams at the National Academic Quiz Tournaments’ High School National Championship in Atlanta.
Quiz bowl is a fast-paced team sport where four students use buzzers to answer rapid-fire questions spanning science, math, history, literature, mythology, geography, social science, current events, sports, and popular culture.
Success requires both individual expertise and collaborative strategy—no single player can master every subject.
“The matches feature a blend of individual competition and team collaboration, since no individual player is likely to be an expert in all subject areas,” according to NAQT, the organization that runs the national tournament.
Participation reinforces classroom learning while encouraging players to explore new intellectual interests.
Oswego East has made the trip to nationals once before, in 2022. This year’s team brings fresh experience: Jackson Cannon competed in the 2026 Individual Player National Championship Tournament in Rosemont, Illinois.
The seven-member roster includes Joshua Allgaier, Kushan Bonela, Jackson Cannon, Gabby DeArmond, Jocelyn Li, Raul Perez, and Vaidat Singa. Coaches Cody Fleming and Juan Leal will lead the squad.
The team may face familiar competition in Atlanta. Three other Illinois schools qualified for nationals: Fremd High School in Palatine, Homewood-Flossmoor High School, and the Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora.
Fans can follow the team’s progress throughout the three-day tournament at https://www.naqt.com/go/stats/17102 or on Instagram using #hsnct.
ABOUT NAQT
National Academic Quiz Tournaments, founded in 1996, organizes the premier middle-school, high-school, and college quiz-bowl championships in North America.
In addition to its national championships, NAQT provides questions to invitational tournaments, league championships, and television shows throughout the year.
NAQT operates out of the Twin Cities and Kansas City, but its members mentor coaches, host tournaments, volunteer their services, and share their expertise across the United States.