Contributing writer
After taking first place in pool play as well as logging three wins and two losses in the championship round, Goessel scholars bowl team took third in state on Saturday.
In pool play, team members Mark Schmidt, Heath Goertzen, Ben Wiens, Gentry Theisen, Erin Brubaker, and Zach Wiens went 4-1 and beat Pike Valley 50-20, Satanta 55-35, Macksville 35-25, and Centre 75-20, and lost to Stockton 40-25.
In the championship round Goessel lost to Frankfort 40-15 and Satanta 50-25.
However, the team beat Lebo 40-30 on a tiebreaker question on social studies answered correctly by Brubaker.
Goessel bested Macksville 50-25 by getting three of the final five questions correct, and won against Axtell 60-50 in a three-tiebreaker round, in which Ben Wiens correctly answered a question about foreign language.
This is the second year in a row Goessel has taken third in state.