by trbenedict » Mon Apr 18, 2016 8:14 pm
I agree with Bob that the top four in a vacuum are probably Solon/Sidney/Northmont/Copley in some order, with Solon a little ahead of the pack. As far as Tom's question about whether a "bracket of death" is possible, I think the field is deep enough to provide some fun matchups, especially with Sidney coming in as a 2-seed. For example, you could have:
Solon (NC-1), Copley (NE-1), and Walnut Hills (SW-1) all drawing into the same group with Sidney (WC-2), St. Charles (SE-2), and Bowling Green (NW-2), which would be interesting and also knock out one of my predicted "top four" before the playoff stage (I have no idea about how good Walnut Hills is, but I bet they could snake a win somewhere, and Sidney and St. Charles are probably the strongest two-seeds). The same "three-top-teams-for-two-spots" rule would be true of...
Solon (NC-1), Copley (NE-1), Liberty (SE-1) along with Sidney (WC-2), Mason (SW-2), and Bowling Green (NW-2). Not only does this eliminate one of Solon/Sidney/Copley before the playoff stage, but it also positions Liberty to play spoiler (see sidebar below). If that doesn't float your boat, you could have...
Solon (NC-1), Copley (NE-1), Northmont (WC-1) along with St. Charles (SE-2), Mason (SW-2), and Bowling Green (NW-2). This scenario, as well as the one directly above, might be more of just a rough draw for Northmont/Copley and not a true group of death, since you don't have the punch of both Sidney and St. C coming in from the bottom part of the division, but it certainly has teeth.
(Sidebar) As we make predictions, I wouldn't count out Olentangy Liberty's ability to have a say in the proceedings with a well-placed win or two...it might be a little odd to suggest that the SE champion would come in under the radar, but having read for OL (albeit only in NAQT format) I can attest that they're pretty well-specialized when they're at full strength. I don't know how deep their knowledge goes, which is necessary to consistently score points on the top teams on OAC state-level questions, but I could see them knocking off one of the "top four" over the course of the day and making the playoffs if they get a good draw.
Congratulations to all the teams that made it into this very strong state field, and best of luck in Columbus!
Tyler Benedict
Coach, Miami Valley School Quiz Bowl
OAC Committee Middle School Representative
OQBA NASAT and Matt's Buzzers Liaison
Miami Valley School '09