Santa Paula Wins Knowledge Bowl

After nearly two winless decades, Santa Paula High School won this year’s Knowledge Bowl finals.

Santa Paula defeated 11 other public and private high schools across Ventura County on Tuesday night in the long-running, “Jeopardy!”-style competition, sponsored annually by the Camarillo branch of the American Assn. of University Women.

Santa Paula last won the event in 1980.

“It was real close,” said team member Steve Reeder, 16, a Santa Paula junior. “There ended up being a three-way tie in the end, and we had to go extra rounds.”

After four Knowledge Bowl matches held weekly at different schools throughout the region, six-member teams from Oxnard, Simi Valley and Santa Paula high schools ended up tied with seven wins and two losses in the finals at Los Altos Intermediate School in Camarillo.

But following the “lightning round” elimination tiebreaker, Steve and teammates Sheila Zuniga, Brett Yeoman, Reid Yeoman, Tim Yuen and Nick Rericha ended up clinching the title.

Oxnard finished second and Simi Valley was third.

Terri Lisagor, president of the AAUW’s Camarillo branch, said the Knowledge Bowl has been trying to stump county high school students since the 1960s.

“The questions have always been exceedingly challenging,” said Lisagor, who was among several inquisitors bombarding students with questions that encompassed nearly 20 subjects--from geography and current affairs to math and the fine arts.

“If we didn’t have the answers in front of us, we probably wouldn’t know very many,” she said. “But the kids do.”