County Teams Take 2nd, Tie for 3rd in Decathlon

Three Los Angeles County high schools and a Fresno school claimed top spots Saturday in the California Academic Decathlon.

Fresno’s Edison High beat 49 other schools from around the state to take first place in the last phase. The overall winner in the prestigious academic contest will be announced today.

The winner of the California contest will compete at the U.S. Academic Decathlon in Boise, Idaho, in April.

The Fresno team won the oral portion with a score of 55 points out of 60, edging out Woodland Hills’ El Camino Real High School, which earned 53 points. Taft High School, another perennial decathlon powerhouse from Woodland Hills, and Burbank High School tied for third with 52 points.

The Super Quiz questions were based on the Lewis and Clark expedition. With its victory Saturday, Edison positioned itself for a possible leapfrogging over El Camino Real and Taft for the top honor.

Teams of as many as nine students compete in 10 subjects during the Academic Decathlon. This year’s theme was “America: Growth of a Nation.” Other subjects included botany, art, music and economics.

Teams have been studying rigorously since last summer, devoting long hours after school and on weekends to the local competitions in February and then the state title.