CCHS competes at national quiz bowl tournament in Atlanta

On the weekend of Saturday, May 25, Carbondale Community High School joined 319 of the top high school quiz bowl teams at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis for the 2024 High School National Championship Tournament.

The team was captained by Danial Pitafi, who was joined by Ryan Dai, Theodor Martin and Dillon Robertson. The team was coached by Sharon Robinson Lorinskas, who in April was inducted into the Illinois High School Scholastic Bowl Coaches Association (IHSSBCA) Hall of Fame

Carbondale was one of 18 Illinois teams competing at the national championship. All made it into the playoffs.

Carbondale finished the preliminary rounds with a 6-4 record, which qualified them for the playoffs.

There were some tense moments. Carbondale suffered a heartbreakingly narrow loss to Westview from San Diego, Calif., 285-270 during round 6.

Carbondale's path to the playoffs wasn't easy. They were on the brink of elimination when they defeated Round Rock from Texas in round 19 to stay alive. Carbondale's shot at the title ended when they lost to Ocean Lakes from Virginia Beach, Va., in round 21.

Carbondale Community High School finished in 97th place.

The tournament champion was the A team from Barrington High School of Barrington, Ill.

The 2024 High School National Championship Tournament's field featured 320 teams from 38 states, the District of Columbia and China.