After five weeks of securing the first-place ranking going into the Jones College Bobcat Math League championship finals, Presbyterian Christian High School’s team managed to fend off newcomers to the competition and the second-seeded team, Petal High School, to become the 2019 Jones College Bobcat Math League champions. Besides a trophy, coach’s plaque and player medallions, the coach was awarded a $1,350 cash prize. The team members will split $1,500 and the high school will receive $250 for the victory.
“I have great students!” said Presbyterian Christian High School coach Melissa Brown. “They do all the work. I just help them get here to the competition.”
Brown’s teams from PCS hold the record for the most championship wins and runner-up finishes in the Bobcat Math League’s history with three championships (2013, 2014, 2019) and two second-place finishes (2012, 2018).
“Last year was tough because both teams knew the answer and Oak Grove just beat us to the buzzer. I think most of the credit goes to the students for their work ethic and their desire to learn new things, but credit also goes to the great math and science teachers we have here at PCS,” added Brown.
Every year new teams join the League and some drop out. This year the Petal Panthers proved they were contenders despite their lack of experience in the league.
“It was so fun as a coach to watch these students excel in this competition. Many of them do not get a platform to showcase their academic abilities and for them to have an opportunity to do so is really amazing,” said Petal High School co-coach Melissa Bonner.
Petal High School senior Thomas Sanchez said he really enjoyed participating in this unique, STEM-based competition with other high schools.
“This event is one of the very few where I actually get to use my math abilities competitively. STEM is essentially foundational now because of the new developments we see in the world, and for a group to support that and strive for excellence in the field is a great thing in my book. As for almost winning the whole thing in our first competition year, well, it was pretty cool!” said Sanchez.
The Regular Season and The Finals Round
Both Petal and Presbyterian Christian were both powerhouses during the regular season, as they were the only undefeated teams, were division leaders, and had the highest cumulative season points with 339 and 354, respectively. However, the PCS Bobcats may have the advantage in the final rounds of the championship with experience on their side.
“This year we had the dream team,” said PCS sophomore Sam Powell. “I’m glad I had the chance to be on the team with the seniors. All of them have competed here before, and I will miss them next year.”
In the double-elimination tournament, experience seemed to give the Bobcat team an advantage as they slipped past Quitman in the first round, 24-15. In the next round, the third-seeded Northeast Jones Tigers beat the Panthers, 22-10, sending Petal to the loser’s bracket. Petal battled back, however, beating Sacred Heart, Oak Grove and Northeast Jones in consecutive matches to advance to the finals.
“Clawing our way back from the loser’s bracket up to the championship was definitely tough, as well as something we’re proud of,” said Petal junior Raburn Paris. “We have to come in next year stronger and with a more diverse knowledge base.”
Petal and Presbyterian Christian had not faced each other before coming into the championship final round. After playing two rounds prior to the championship round, Petal seemed to lose steam as they entered the second round of the best of three championship matches. Petal won the first round 33-24, but PCS turned up the heat with seniors Matthew Rester, Carson Dorsey, Jennifer Jian and Grayson Nocera racking up the points. With those seniors leading the way, the Bobcats ran past the Panthers, 44-14, to knot the final series at 1-1 and then took the trophy with a 45-12 victory in the last match-up.
The win was especially “bittersweet” for PCS Coach Brown. “It has been an honor to work with such great students over the years. It is an amazing feeling to be the champions as I am retiring after this year. I am excited to see what our team will do in the future!”
All-League Team
Individually, the Bobcats had three members of the All-League Team with Grayson Nocera, Matthew Rester and Jennifer Jian, who also earned the Overall Most Outstanding Player. Jian received a laptop from Howard Industries for having the highest average of accurate answers during the regular season. Also on the All-League Team were Petal’s Wyatt Carter, Northeast Jones’ Lexi Berlin and Oak Grove’s William Mitchell.
Additionally, each of the 13 teams’ Most Outstanding Players who competed during the five-week regular season of the Jones College Bobcat Math League were also recognized during the championship finals at Jones College. The Leagues’ Most Outstanding Player from each participating team were: Columbia Academy-Ben Mitchell; Northeast Jones-Lexi Berlin; Oak Grove-William Mitchell; Perry Central Ale’Jah Bolton; Petal-Wyatt Carter; Presbyterian Christian-Jennifer Jian; Quitman-Logan Kelly; Raleigh-Emma Jones; Raymond-Joshua McGee and Shaun Williams; Sacred Heart-Javier Parada and Abigail Wiest; South Jones-Shelby Grunig; Wayne Academy-Parker Odom and Jennifer Shirley; Wayne County-Jared Powe; and West Jones-Lindsey Cole.
Sponsors for this year’s competition include Chisholm Foundation, Howard Computers and Corner Market. For more information about the Bobcat Math League contact Dr. Jessica Bunch (JC Bobcat Math League Commissioner) at 601-477-5422 or email at jessica.bunch@jcjc.edu.