Academic prowess was on full display Thursday inside Palmerton Area High School as the Carbon County Quiz Bowl returned after a several-year hiatus. Panther Valley High School emerged victorious while teams from Lehighton and Weatherly followed behind in second and third place respectively.

The competition, rekindled after a pandemic pause, served as a platform for students across the county to display their knowledge in a fast-paced trivia format. State Rep. Doyle Heffley returned to his role as quizmaster, guiding the teams through a series of questions spanning various subjects such as math, science, history, geography, literature, and pop culture.

“We used to have a Carbon County only event for many years, but it stopped in 2020 due to COVID,” Alex Knoll, Palmerton’s “Scholastic Scrimmage” coach said. “It used to be at Weatherly High School run by Dr. Katie Leach. We decided to take it over and it was a really great event today.”

Eli Maynard, a member of Panther Valley’s winning team, said the Panthers put in the preparatory work necessary to come out on top Thursday.

“We definitely practiced a lot for it, at least once a week since the start of the school year,” Maynard said. “We have a well-rounded team and I think that showed.”

To prepare, Maynard said, the team got lists of questions from previous Scholastic Scrimmage competitions.

“We play Kahoot, which is an online learning game,” he said. “We find a fun way to practice and maintain the knowledge. We felt confident.”

Panther Valley students managed their nerves throughout the competition, something Maynard said comes with practice.

“A lot of times people are scared to press the buzzer because they think the answer is going to be wrong,” he said. “I think we really did a good job of keeping our confidence up and it paid off.”

Knoll said he and the other area advisors are happy to have the event back and put the spotlight on academics.

“Academic competitions are important and necessary for a school,” he said. “It’s important to show off the knowledge of our students. We’re grateful to have an arena like this to showcase our students.”

Maynard said he hopes Panther Valley’s victory helps show people the pride the school takes in its academics.

“When it comes to academics, I think we’re often looked at as one of the lesser schools in the area,” he said, “and when we get a chance to show off our abilities, it’s really fun.”