By DELBERT PETERS

Staff writer

Goessel placed third among 12 teams that converged Thursday at Kiowa for regional Scholars Bowl competition, earning a return trip to state.

The Bluebirds had five matches in the opening pool play round.

Goessel opened with three wins, as the Bluebirds looked poised for a chance at the championship round. In the fourth match, Goessel lost 25-35, but recovered in the fifth to advance with a 4-1 record.

The Bluebirds won against Otis-Bison by 20 points, then defeated Pratt-Skyline by 25. In a battle of pool champions, Goessel came up 15 points short of Macksville. Against St. Paul, Goessel won by 30 points. A win against Pretty Prairie would secure a spot at State. Goessel trailed by 10 points with one question to answer for a tie. Pretty Prairie interrupted the moderator for the correct answer and the win.

Macksville went undefeated for the first place trophy. Goessel, Pretty Prairie and Pratt Skyline tied for second, with only two spots left to qualify for state. Goessel edged out Pretty Prairie in a second-level tiebreaker, securing third place and another week of competition.

Gentry Thiessen serves as team captain. Seniors Erin Brubaker and Aaron Woelk, juniors Alicen Meysing, Zach Wiens, and exchange student Benedict Heyl from Germany will try to improve upon consecutive third-place finishes at state in 2013 and 2014. Brubaker, Thiessen and Wiens were competitors at state on the 2014 team.

The state tournament is Saturday at Centre High School.