We're still a state heavily immersed in Chip, other irrelevant formats, and highly-modified or watered-down nonstandard NAQT questions. Phil Blessman, the founding and single driving force behind much of standard pyramidal quizbowl in Indiana, is unfortunately departing--which may deal a huge blow not only to Culver's quizbowl program, but also to tournaments and to pyramidal quizbowl in the State itself. The Saint Joseph Valley league, which made a brief stint with A-level NAQT questions this past season, also seems to be gravitating back to its four-quarter modified NAQT format. And, with the departure of coach Kiester from North White to Harrison, we see the last major tournament-hosting site with pyramidal questions being played in flux.
I could see the state going in several different directions at this point, but in almost every scenario St. Joseph's will probably have to step up and host some more tournaments and possibly attempt to draw some out-of-state competition from Illinois or Michigan.
And, finally, rankings:
1. Culver
Blessman is gone; this loss will be huge, although I can't speak for his complete effect on the program and also as to how it will go on in his absence. However, he has left behind a strong mark, including several very capable assistants and a firm foundation in terms of interest, current players, and the strong pool of talent that Culver always draws upon as a prep school. Muriel, Daniel, and Clare will be seniors this year; together they form a strong and balanced attack with very deep CE knowledge. As always, Culver will also remain good at history and as Muriel grows deeper on lit they may very well be capable of neutralizing me, especially at the IS-level. Phillip Yang is I believe Culver's fourth player whose speciality is science, so his growth in depth as a player will be very interesting to see. As our squad remains in flux, I believe that, particularly if Culver manages to recover from the loss of Blessman and continues to hold together and commit to improving, they could very well edge us out of a state title.
2. Saint Joseph
We will be very inconsistent, and could either turn out very good--or disastrously bad. With a full A-team we haven't lost a game in-state for two years, although I believe those days are just about over. We lose 4 seniors from this year's varsity squad, along with almost all of our knowledge in all categories except lit and history. Right now the ability of this squad will hinge crucially on the development of a group of freshmen and sophomores over the summer; the commitment, talent, and capability of these underclassmen will decide whether this team remains capable of competing on a regional level, and remains very much in doubt.
That being said, I'd like to note that I am still playing quizbowl and could depending on my interning and job and other things I do in the summer expand into fine arts, philosophy, and some science. And, especially if Culver doesn't get all their pistons firing and if I ever decide to put my heart and soul into getting decent at this game again, I wouldn't count us out of a third state title and another top-50 national finish.
3. Harrison
They had a poor year this year, but between the solid program that they have and Lynn Schneider's coaching I could see the resurgence of a weak third team. They appear to have some freshmen and sophomores who can answer questions, but I don't think they have the caliber to compete against either us or Culver, particularly if they continue to focus on NAC and the like.
4. Fishers
They lose Kyle Pratt, who is also attending NASAT, but they've been historically good at Chip Bowl and performed very well as a team at NAQT state, so if they do decide to do pyramidal and work at it they could be successful and perhaps extend some good quizbowl down south around Indy.
5. The Rest. All the teams around South Bend weren't all that impressive last year even with a bunch of seniors and when they leave I really don't know what it's going to be like playing against them; North White loses Kiester and I can't say what direction their program will go from there; other teams who play
exist and stuff, but nobody literally cares.