The bright minds of Morris High School are heading to one of the biggest stages in academic competition this weekend. Following a strong performance at the Aggie Invitational, the Morris Academic Bowl team is set to compete in the 2025 National Academic Quiz Tournaments’ Small School National Championship Tournament (SSNCT) beginning Friday, April 25.

Hosted by National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT), this elite event draws 148 teams from across the country to test their knowledge in a high-stakes battle of wits. The SSNCT is the only national championship designed specifically for small schools, with divisions tailored for non-selective public schools with 500 or fewer students in their top three grades, and another for schools with 350 or fewer students.

Morris High School is no stranger to the spotlight. This marks the fifth time the school has qualified for the SSNCT. In 2024, both Morris teams made it to the playoffs, with one team finishing an impressive eighth overall.

This year, Morris will again send two teams to the Traditional Public Schools Division: - Team A will be captained by Ean Merrill, joined by Gage Dixon, Nicole Gehring and Keyton Tiger-Harjo.

- Team B will be led by captain Braden Ramirez, with teammates Avery Berry, Grace Bowling and Maximos Frazier.

The teams are coached by Jeremy Avery and Diana Force, both of whom bring experience and enthusiasm to the competition.

The students will face off in quiz bowl matches - fast-paced, buzzer- driven contests where four-person teams answer questions across a wide range of academic subjects, including science, math, history, literature, mythology, geography, current events and even pop culture. It’s a game of quick thinking and deep knowledge, where teamwork is just as vital as individual brilliance. Several team members bring prior national experience to the table:

• Merrill and Tiger-Harjo competed at the 2024 High School National Championship in Atlanta.

• Bowling and Frazier participated in the 2024 Middle School Nationals near Chicago.

• Berry, Dixon, Gehring, Merrill and Tiger-Harjo were also part of last year’s SSNCT in Rosemont, Ill.

Fans, friends and family can follow the team’s progress throughout the weekend by visiting naqt.com/go/ stats/16001 and following #ssnct on Instagram for updates, photos and results.

With experience, determination and school pride on their side, the Morris High School Academic Bowl team is ready to make their mark on the national stage. For more information, contact Coaches Jeremy Avery at javery@morrisschools.net and Diana Force at dforce@morrisschools.net, or follow the Morris Academic Team on Facebook.