Bridgeport High School students made sure that long-time Coach Barbara Judy’s last appearance as the coach for the Science Bowl team would be a good one. On Thursday at the RESA VII Science Bowl at Fairmont State University, Bridgeport High School was one of three groups to earn a spot in the upcoming state tournament.

 

“We qualified for the state event again, which is the first Saturday in February (Feb.7),” said Judy.

 

The top three teams qualified and Bridgeport finished second. Morgantown High School’s Team 1 and Team 2 both qualified, while University came in fourth. UHS will be the alternate team for the state meet in the event BHS or one of Morgantown’s teams is unable to attend. Morgantown Team 1 toppled BHS.

 

Bridgeport was able to fare well in the event thanks to the play of their five member team. Led by senior and captain Troy Pallay, BHS topped most of the field. Pallay ended up being the high scorer, while teammate MInahal Naveed, who has practiced with the team for three years, participated for the first time and finished as the club’s second highest scorer.

 

Three others helped the Tribe qualify for the state meet. Alex Bradley Popovich, Noah Romay and Jack Funk all participated and contributed to the showing.

 

The state meet is sponsored by the United States Department of Energy. The event will be held in Morgantown this year, inside the Mountainlair.

 

“I was really impressed with our team.  Troy did a great job of leadership and scoring and was assisted by the others on the team,” said Judy.

 

Bridgeport defeated several teams on the day. The Indians topped Lewis County, Fairmont Senior, University and Morgantown High’s Team 2. Two other schools from Harrison County – Notre Dame and South Harrison – also participated.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo, from left, shows Minahal Naveed, Jack Funk, Troy Pallay, Noah Romay, Alex Bradley-Popovich and Coach Barbara Judy after qualifying for the state meet at FSU. Bottom photo shows Popovich, left ,and Pallay sharing some knowledge during the competition. Photos by Lynn Vance of RESA VII.