The De Soto High School varsity Scholars Bowl team attended its League tournament at Baldwin High School on Jan. 8.

The team had a rough start, but went on to win the tournament.

“We kind of got in our own heads a little bit. We lost the first round and that flustered us, but we calmed down and won the rest of our rounds,” senior Zach Yarbrough said.

Yarbrough attributes the come-back to the team’s coach, Philip Hamilton, as well as the determination that Hamilton has instilled in his team.

“Hamilton always reminds us that the most important round is the next round, not the last one,” Yarbrough said. “Being able to rebound from a loss and control the rest of the tournament really speaks to our abilities as a team and our determination.”

According to Hamilton, the team worked very hard to prepare for the League tournament, as well as the remainder of the Scholars Bowl season.

“In addition to practicing every day after school for two hours, the individual members of the league team volunteered for specific study assignments over break covering six different categories of study,” Hamilton said.

According to Yarbrough, this division of expertise gives the team a strong advantage.

“That’s another thing about our team: we’re all leaders. Cody is by far our highest scorer… but every member of our team is able to step up and answer questions in critical moments,” Yarborough said.  “We feed off of each other and that’s why we’re so competitive.”

The team still has two more weeks left in the regular season and is preparing to attend Regionals at St. James Academy on Feb. 1. DHS will be hosting State on Feb. 10.

“We need to work more on Fine Arts and Science, but there is room for growth in every category,” Hamilton said.