The fifth annual Middle School Challenge Multi-County Championship was held Friday, May 22 at Clinton County Middle School gym before a huge audience. The event is hosted by South Central Kentucky GEAR-UP.

The championship match saw the Clinton Middle School 5th grade defeat the Wayne County 8th grade by a score of 214 to 128 to take the first place trophy.

MVP trophies were awarded to the top four players of each school. Those from Clinton County included Noah Stockton with 33 correct answers and Jacob Brown with 30 correct answers. Also tied for third/fourth was Corey Melton, Chris Claborn and Mary Cross with 19 correct answers each.

There were 40 students per team, with five-minute rounds, 10 rounds per match and one point per questions in a quick recall format with a buzzer system. The questions came from 10 individual categories, including Literary Terms, Science, Practical Living and Vocational Studies, American History to 1865, Geography, Math Terms, Social Studies, American History since 1865, Arts and Humanities and Government.

Coaches Kim Stonecipher and Tim Duvall said, “We are very proud of our team. For 5th grade to win the Middle School Challenge at our school is one thing, but to beat Wayne County’s 8th grade is a great accomplishment. I never dreamed we would win that big, but we did. What can I say? The kids on our team are awesome!”

These two teams made it to the championship round by defeating other grades within their respective schools earlier in the school year.