The St. Francis Xavier Academic Decathlon team took second place in a regional competition, earning a trip to compete in the state finals on Saturday, April 1, in Sacramento. The group of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders participate in the Catholic Schools Junior High Decathlon division.
On Sunday, March 5, the team competed against 104 other schools, earning first place in the Logic Quiz and third place in the Super Quiz, coming in second place overall.
Individual team members also placed in various categories: seventh-grader Connor Flynn won third place in Current Events, eighth-grader Mark Bargout came in second place in Math, eighth-grader Danielle Sanchez earned fourth place in Science and eighth-grader Alexandria Sorensen took fifth place in English.
The team, coached by Michele Flynn, Patrick Flynn, Debbie Sanchez, Jose Sanchez and Rose Sorensen, has been preparing for months. They practiced in two scrimmage matches in February to get ready for their first official competition Sunday.
The St. Francis Xavier Acadenic Decathlon team includes eighth-graders Bargout, Ben Caloza, Sanchez and Sorensen; seventh-graders Flynn and Gabriel Malong; sixth-graders Maddy Flynn, Christian Giron-Michel, Andrea Liwag and Christofer Sanrow and alternate Julian Maynes.
“The team has been working hard and preparing for this competition since the beginning of October 2016,” said the coaches in a group statement. “They have adhered to a rigorous and disciplined schedule and truly enjoyed the process.”
“They worked exceptionally well together and their efforts paid off as is evidenced by their performance this past Sunday,” the coaches also said. “The team is excited to represent the L.A. Archdiocese in Sacramento and will continue to work hard to bring home another win. All of their coaches, the school, their family and friends are so proud of them and their remarkable achievement.”
That “this team with four sixth graders bested several teams with older participants is extremely remarkable!” added coach Patrick Flynn.
The St. Francis Xavier Academic Decathlon team is comprised of students from St. Francis Xavier School in Burbank, which provides instruction for Transitional Kindergarten through eighth grade.
