On Feb. 5, Amador’s Science Bowl made an unforgettable memory by winning second place at the regional competition, an event that showcased their extraordinary skills.
“It felt great being on a team with some of the brightest people I’ve met, and it was incredible to watch them perform onstage,” said Dalbert Wu (‘27).
A Fight to the Finish
The Science Bowl is a buzzer-based competition that tests students’ knowledge across a wide range of scientific subjects. The tournament follows a Jeopardy-style format, with teams competing to answer questions in Math, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth & Space Science, and Energy.
Amador’s A Team advanced through the round-robin stage to the double-elimination finals, where they faced Mission San Jose High School, the reigning three-time regional champion. They secured an earlier victory against Mission, but when the two teams met again in the finals, Amador narrowly lost 112–118.
“We were aiming for first since that’s the only team that qualifies for the national competition, so getting second was definitely disappointing, especially since we barely lost. But at the same time, it was still a huge accomplishment for us,” said team captain Rohan Garg (‘26).
Training for Success
Amador’s rise in the Science Bowl scene is no accident. The team has been holding weekly practices since August, reading through past Science Bowl questions, playing practice rounds, and splitting subject areas among team members to maximize efficiency. Many members have even studied college-level textbooks to gain an advantage in the toughest rounds.
“Each of our practices is roughly two to three hours, and we have participated in 10+ tournaments/scrimmages this school year alone, with some of them exceeding twelve hours in duration,” said co-president Gaurav Gupta (‘26).
Looking Ahead
Despite the narrow loss, their performance marks a huge step forward for Amador’s Science Bowl. They’ve steadily improved, moving from third place to second in just one year.
“[This] felt great since this was overall Amador’s best performance of all time at this competition. This is the best performance of any PUSD high school at the Science Bowl regional of all time,” said Gaurav.
With their progress this year, the team is already looking ahead to next year’s competition. Given some more experience, practice, and determination, they’re hoping to come back even stronger—and finally secure a spot at nationals.
