Perennial Powerhouse BB&N Places Second in High School Quiz Show
By: Sharon Krauss
Showing grit and determination during its run through GBH-TV’s High School Quiz Show (HSQS) Season 16 bracket, the 2025 team made it the third year in a row that BB&N has advanced to the top berth.
In a repeat this past spring of 2024’s championship match, BB&N faced staunch rival Lexington High School and again came away the runner-up. The Knights had beaten the formidable opponent a year earlier in the semifinal before going on to win the 2023 championship.
Including a student from each grade, the 2025 team consisted of Asher Esty ’25, You-Yang Wang ’26, Andreas Bai ’27, and Dean Riaz ’28.
In what teammates and coaches alike considered to be a rebuilding year after graduating all four members of the 2024 HSQS team, the 2025 team proved in the heat of battle to be Knights on a quest.
“We had no idea what to expect this year,” says Sam Crihfield, English teacher and Trivia Club and Quiz Bowl Team co-advisor along with math teacher Chip Rollinson. “To have them march all the way back to the final was incredible! I think what impressed me and Chip about the team this year was their camaraderie, their teamwork, and their never-say-die approach to the competition.”
Nowhere were those characteristics more apparent than in the down-to-the-wire semifinal against Somerville High School.
After decisively besting Belmont High in the first round, the team had come from behind in the quarterfinal to beat Weston High, and they again found themselves in a nail-biting position against Somerville—down 100 points in the lightning round with just 30 seconds to go.
Before host Joe Hanson finished asking, “What French mathematician and philosopher is remembered for his statement—,” You-Yan buzzed in with a minor detail unearthed from his French class’s reading of Persepolis. With 7 seconds remaining and slight doubt in his voice, he replied “Descartes” to tie it up. Illustrating the team’s fellowship, Dean immediately turned to congratulate him. But there was still work to be done, as a little nudge from Asher reminded, and Andreas clinched the win by answering “Cyrillic” to the last 20-point question, ending the match at 430–410. BB&N had ripped through the final 6 rapid-fire questions.
“The Somerville game was just an absolute beauty, and for me, it was a huge joy to be a part of it,” You-Yan says. “We expected to win maybe one game this season and then call it a day, but there we were, heading to the final. It was just a moment to enjoy.”
The boys clearly understood that this experience was not about just a quiz show. “It was about supporting one another,” Asher says. “We knew that there were going to be errors. It’s how you bounce back from those that matters. When you have the support of the team, you can bounce back very easily and not dwell on past mistakes. It’s about more than competing together—it’s friendship.”
Closing the book on an improbably successful HSQS season, Crihfield remarks,
“They never stopped believing in themselves, and that made all the difference.”
