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Matthew Ramirez '26

Henry Hewitt (11) answers a question during the Hi-Q match on Friday, Feb. 6 at Strath Haven Middle School.

Strath Haven, Radnor, and Delaware County Christian School (DCCS) Hi-Q teams took center stage with “The Music Man” set in Strath Haven Middle School’s auditorium on Friday, Feb. 6, for a high-pressure competition in the last match of the regular season. Strath Haven tied with the Radnor Raptors and defeated DCCS for a final score of 54-54-38.

Friday’s Hi-Q match shifted to the middle school amid scheduling conflicts with the PMEA District 12 Band Festival in the high school’s auditorium. Even with the stage set for the middle school musical, flexibility between school administrators allowed Hi-Q to take over the space. 

According to the Hi-Q website, each school hosts one contest during the regular season.

“When you’re the host team, the logistics are on you to make sure that the match happens,” Hi-Q adviser Mr. William Rothenbach said. “[Middle school principal] Dr. Christopher Matsanka and [middle school music teacher] Mr. James McLaughlin couldn’t have been any nicer, and any more accommodating, especially since their musical is going on.”

The Panthers entered the match cautious of their competition. Delaware County Christian School and the Raptors were placed first and second place in the league, respectively, while the Panthers sat in fourth place behind Penncrest, according to Rothenbach’s email after the match.

“Radnor and Delco Christian are both always very strong schools. It’s always very close when we go against them both,” junior and Hi-Q captain Clark Kerkstra said. “I had no idea what was going to happen.”

“We have practices every week, where you just hang out, study, and eat some Smarties,” senior and Hi-Q captain Yuhang Li said. “We prepared for the hard (questions) because the third competition means that typically the questions are harder. I guess you can’t really bank on that home-field advantage.”

The match ended with the Raptors and Strath Haven in a tie, while DCCS sat at the bottom of the score sheet. The Panthers decided against filing a score appeal after the match because they did not want to lose two points for a rejected appeal.

“We weren’t expecting to do egregiously poor,” Yuhang said. “It’s tough competition. A tie is a tie.”

Rothenbach attributes the Panthers’ success to their devotion and readiness as learners and competitors.

“They (the team) do all the heavy lifting,” Rothenbach said. “And they do it exceptionally, as they proved today.”

The postseason looks bright for the Panthers. The next competition date will be announced after all the teams in the league complete their regular season matches. The Raptors stand in first place, DCCS in second, and the Panthers in third, only behind by one point.

In 2025, the Panthers earned both the Delaware County and national championships.

“I think we did really well overall and I’m really proud of how our team did,” Kerkstra said.”I think we have a chance to contend for the title again.”