Casey-Westfield Jr. High Scholastic Bowl

05/10/2025

The Casey-Westfield Braves Scholastic Bowl team took their final road trip of the year, this one being the biggest and most important of the season -- the 2025 State Finals at the Peoria Civic Center. The task ahead was not an easy one; Pool B for Class A consisted of:

Aviston, making their 6th State Finals Appearance since 2009.
Ottawa Wallace, making their 8th State Finals Appearance since 2010
and Champaign Next Generation, last year's State Champ, making their 10th State Finals Appearance since 2013 and having won 3 State Titles in that span.
Then, there was Casey-Westfield, as the program stated, making their first State appearance in Class A (back in 1998 it was AA).

After a proper send-off and a long journey to Peoria, the Braves faced off with Aviston in the 1:00 game. The Braves got off to a solid start, answering 3 of the first 4 toss-ups, but it was clear it was still anyone's game, as the Braves took a 110-70 lead into halftime. The second half, however, largely belonged to Casey-Westfield, and a late run of Kolton Davidson toss-ups sealed a 215-110 victory in Game 1 and a bit of confidence that they could hang at this level.

Finding their way to the 2:00 game, which was starting late due to technical difficulties, the Braves took on Ottawa Wallace, a team which brought a 29-0 record to Peoria but had lost to defending champ Next Generation minutes before. Corbin Easton came out like a ball of fire, answering six questions in the first half, and the Braves took a 160-70 lead into halftime. The lead grew to 200-70 before Ottawa starting furiously chipping away, but two late Kolton Davidson toss-ups ended up clinching Game 2 for the Braves as well, with a final score of 235-155.

The 3:00 game then became a matchup of two 2-0 teams in pool play, with the winner taking a spot in the State Championship Game and the loser slated into the Consolation (3rd Place) match. The opponent, of course, was 2024 State Champ and currently undefeated in 2025 Champaign Next Generation, who ended the Braves' 2024 season at Sectionals. This private school was then, and still is, too much for the Braves to handle, as the 310-75 score would suggest. 75 points is, however, 50% more points than the Braves scored on them last season.

That meant that Casey-Westfield would play Peoria Heights St. Thomas for 3rd place, a team making their 3rd State Finals appearance since 2018 and one that came to State with a 16-1 record. The Braves, however, were unfazed by the opponent, and played the consolation game like a team that knew they belonged on this stage. A run of 3 straight Jackson Hayes toss-ups midway through the first half was a springboard to a 150-35 halftime lead. The second half brought more of the same, and when Corbin Easton correctly answered four toss-ups in the span of five questions, the game had been put out of reach. Back to back Chloe Taylor toss-ups put the icing on the cake, and the Braves clinched third place with a 280-115 shellacking of St. Thomas.

The high scorer for the Braves at the State Finals was Corbin Easton who answered seventeen toss-ups. Kolton Davidson followed close behind with fifteen, while Jackson Hayes added five and Chloe Taylor contributed four. Emmy Redman, Makenzie Patchett, Gabriel Cornejo, and Lexi Boyd rounded out the varsity squad at State and made multiple contributions on bonus questions.

This has been one heck of a run, and I hope these kids understand the enormity of what they've done. We've made memories that will hopefully last us a LONG time. A little school in Central Illinois took on perennial juggernauts, many of them private, and didn't flinch. Give these kids their kudos.

05/08/2025

It sounds like many of our family and friends are making the journey to Peoria tomorrow, and that's amazing. However, I know some of you are unable to make the trip. The IESA has a scoreboard on their website at https://www.iesa.org/activities/scb/scoreboards/index.asp?Year=2025 that you can access throughout the afternoon to keep tabs on how your Braves are doing!

I'm not sure if it's updated in real-time, just at the half and the final, or just as final scores come in. At worst, I'm sure the scores will be posted very shortly after completion of each match.

We thank all of you for your support this season. No matter the result, these kids have done something that hasn't been done at Casey-Westfield since 1998, and hasn't been done by ANY LEIC team since 2008. They're winners in my book either way.

If you encounter an error message, please contact our webmaster. Tell us your school, and be as specific as you can about the problem. Most helpful would any error information listed as part of the error page.

05/06/2025

This afternoon the Braves Scholastic Bowl team loaded up and ventured to Paris Crestwood for the 2nd time in a week, this time with a chance to go to the State Finals hanging in the balance.

First out of the chute, Casey-Westfield drew Sigel St. Michael's. Emmy Redman got the team on the board with a Holocaust question right off the bat, and a few questions later, the rest of the team found their footing and took a 160-45 lead into halftime. The second half brought much of the same, and the Braves ended up defeating St. Michael's by a score of 295-120.

The second team drawn was Fairfield Jasper, a team which had defeated Altamont in Round 1 by a sizeable margin. After 3 questions, Fairfield had punched the Braves in the mouth, leading by a score of 50-5. However, Corbin Easton answered back to back questions to close the gap, and suddenly, the unrattled Braves were back on a roll, taking a 170-90 lead into halftime and ending the match after 20 questions with a 310-120 victory.

That led to the final match of the evening, versus Altamont. This one was never in doubt, as Kolton Davidson answered early and often and the lead for the Braves at the half was 160-25. The team sort of put it on cruise control the rest of the way, and the match ended with the Braves victorious 270-135, and champions of the Crestwood Sectional.

The dynamic duo was at it again tonight, as leading scorers Kolton Davidson and Corbin Easton answered 19 and 15 toss-ups respectively. Chloe Taylor's been on the rise lately and added four toss-ups of her own, while Emmy Redman and Jackson Hayes each tallied one. Gabriel Cornejo, Makenzie Patchett, and Lexi Boyd rounded out the varsity rotation and they were helpful contributors on bonus questions.

This marks the first state Scholastic Bowl appearance for the Casey-Westfield Jr. High Braves since 1998, and only their 2nd in school history, according to IESA records.

The State Finals are this Friday, May 9th at the Peoria Civic Center. Regardless of what happens, these kids have done an amazing job and deserve a ton of credit for the work they've put in.

05/06/2025

Guess who's state bound??????

More details later!

05/04/2025

Here's the schedule for Monday afternoon/evening as your Braves take on three other Regional champions with the opportunity to advance to the State Finals!

I was absolutely thrilled by the great turnout of family and friends we had at Regionals, and hope we can get a similar or better turnout at Sectionals, which are also at Paris Crestwood!

I've been told the first matchup listed of each round will be held in the library, so all three of our matches will conveniently be in the same room. Round 1 will start at 4:00, Round 2 is scheduled to start at 4:45 and Round 3 at 5:30, though the likelihood is pretty high that those might lag behind a little.

05/01/2025

This evening the Braves Scholastic Bowl team ventured to Paris Crestwood, site of their Regional Championship last season, and took aim at defending their title.

In their first match, the slightly sluggish Braves trailed Martinsville 145-125 at halftime. After a surge gave the Braves a 70-point lead, the Bluestreaks quickly whittled it away. All twenty bonuses ended up being read, and when the dust settled, the Braves backed their way into a 230-225 "skin of their teeth" victory.

A bye in Round 2 gave Casey-Westfield a chance to eat and regroup. It could have been the pep talk, or it could have been the pepperoni, but after the layoff the Braves came out like their old selves again. Their Round 3 match with Oblong was never really in doubt, as an onslaught of Kolton Davidson toss-ups led to a huge 210-40 lead at halftime, and the match was called after twenty questions when the Braves finished off a 310-80 victory.

Giving them the victory in Pool A, Casey-Westfield faced off with Pool B winner Palestine-Hutsonville. After trading toss-ups for the first four, the Braves found their footing and pulled away, taking a 215-65 halftime lead and cruising to a 315-105 victory, passing the 300-point threshold in 19 questions. Thus, the Braves did defend their title, and are the Regional Champions for the 2nd straight year.

Leading the way for the Braves was captain Kolton Davidson who answered seventeen toss-ups. Second leading scorer was Corbin Easton who correctly gave ten answers. Chloe Taylor, Makenzie Patchett, Emmy Redman, and Gabriel Cornejo each added a pair of toss-ups, while Jackson Hayes added one. Lexi Boyd also played and contributed on bonuses. This was a total team effort, with solid contributions by all.

Sectionals will be back at Paris Crestwood next Monday, May 5th. Opponents are still yet to be determined.

04/26/2025

This morning/afternoon the Braves started their postseason by participating in the LEIC conference tournament. As the 3 seed, the Braves defeated 6th seeded Oblong 215-105. That led them to a game against 7th seeded Robinson, who had upset the 2 seed Cumberland a round prior. The Braves dispatched their 2nd straight Crawford County opponent by a score of 195-60, leading them to the championship game against, you guessed it, #1 seed Marshall.

After falling behind 55-0, the Braves rallied to close the gap to 65-60 a few questions later. Marshall got on a hot streak after that, and never looked back, as Casey-Westfield fell 320-120 to take 2nd place. Other than the 4 losses to Marshall, the Braves are 22-1 against the rest of the competition.

Leading the Braves on the day was Corbin Easton with ten toss-ups. Kolton Davidson added seven, Emmy Redman had five, Jackson Hayes contributed two, and Gabriel Cornejo answered one.

Regionals will take place at Paris Crestwood on Wednesday, April 30th, starting at 4PM.

04/16/2025

With a trip to Lawrenceville this evening, the Casey-Westfield Braves Scholastic Bowl team wrapped up their regular season.

The JV team took one on the chin against Palestine-Hutsonville, losing 240-45 before losing a much closer match to Lawrenceville 110-65. Gabriel Cornejo answered five questions while captaining the junior varsity, while Lexi Boyd added a pair. The JV finishes their season with a 6-10 record.

In varsity action, the Braves were up 90-45 after 6 questions when Pal-Hut decided they had heard the questions before, sadly a common occurrence this year. Considering the game was meaningless in terms of seeding for any postseason event, the C-W team decided to go ahead and play on at a disadvantage. Falling behind 120-105 after 10 questions, the Braves rallied to take the lead at halftime and held Pal-Hut at arms' length the rest of the way, winning 225-205.

In their second match against Lawrenceville, a team which came in riding a ten-game winning streak, the Braves were up to the challenge, as they built a 120-75 halftime lead and extended that to a 285-155 victory. Both Corbin Easton and Kolton Davidson answered nine toss-ups to lead the way for the Braves, while Jackson Hayes added four.

Heading into the conference tournament, the Braves are 20-4 and will have the #3 seed, facing off with #6 Oblong at 11 AM on Saturday, April 26th at Newton.

04/09/2025

Another Tuesday means another week of Braves Scholastic Bowl action. This week Casey-Westfield journeyed to Palestine to take on Pal-Hut as well as their biggest nemesis in Marshall.

On the junior varsity side, the Braves dropped the game to Marshall 135-55 before defeating Palestine-Hutsonville 190-110. Makenzie Patchett paced the JV squad with ten toss-ups, while Lexi Boyd added a pair. The JV Braves are now 6-8 on the season, with just two more matches left next week in the junior varsity season.

In varsity action, C-W put up a strong effort, but fell to Marshall in the first game by a score of 210-155. In their final match of the evening, the Braves took out some of their frustrations by soundly defeating Pal-Hut 305-45. The evening's leading scorer was Kolton Davidson who answered nine toss-ups. Corbin Easton followed with seven, while Jackson Hayes had two and Emmy Redman and Gabriel Cornejo each had one. The Braves' varsity record now sits at 18-4, though three of those four losses have been to Marshall.

Next week, the Braves make the long trip to Lawrenceville for their last regular season matches, where they will face host Lawrenceville Parkview as well as a second straight week of Palestine-Hutsonville.

04/02/2025

This evening the Braves Scholastic Bowl team competed at home for the final time this season, as the rest of their matches will be away from Casey-Westfield. Today's action featured Paris Mayo and Oblong.

On the junior varsity side, the Braves dropped a competitive match to Paris Mayo 200-150 before rallying to beat Oblong 130-55. Gabriel Cornejo answered eleven toss-ups for the JV, while Ashton Huckaba added five. The JV record is now 5-7.

The varsity Braves built an 100-point lead after 7 questions versus Mayo and cruised the rest of the way, defeating Paris 230-120. In the evening's finale, the lead was 85 points after 5 questions en route to a 245-120 triumph. The varsity Braves were led by Kolton Davidson with nine toss-ups, Corbin Easton added six, Emmy Redman three, and Jackson Hayes one. The varsity squad is now 17-3 on the year.

Next week, the Braves make the long trek to Palestine to face Pal-Hut and Marshall.