So now that we're quickly approaching nationals, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at each team and classify it as contender, elite, adept, mid-level, lower tier, or "just going for lols". I'll take a look at the teams heading to HSNCT in this post (and maybe NSC in another) and rank them based on their results listed on the NAQT website. Please don't feel offended by anything in this post, but certainly feel free to send me messages if you do.
First a quick ranking of the 21 teams from the region set to appear at HSNCT. I made this ranking by first ranking the teams based on their highest ppb and then ranking them by their power rate at the tournament where they achieved their highest ppb. I then averaged the two ranks together and re-ranked the teams. This is probably (definitely) not a good way to rank, but I did it and now its really late at night and I'm just gonna go with it.
1. High Tech A
2 (tie). Bethlehem
2 (tie). Wilmington Charter A
4. Emmaus
5. Hunter
6 (tie). East Brunswick A
6 (tie). Livingston A
8. Kellenberg
9. Millburn A
10. Manheim Township A
11. High Tech B
12 (tie). Great Neck South
12 (tie). Millburn B
14. Ithaca
15. Livingston C
16. Manheim Township B
17. Wilmington Charter B
18. Livingston B
19. Mountain Lakes
20. Wilmington Charter C
21. MAST A
Now a run-down of the teams from each school:
Bethlehem: Elite
It's been rumored that Eric Wolfsberg will be attending HSNCT solo. With a full A team this team is a contender, but as a solo team he can still do a lot of damage and make a deep playoff run.
East Brunswick: Adept
It seems like Shravan's teammates are stepping up and contributing which means this team is set to make a decent playoff run at HSNCT. Emmett in particular appears to be leading the charge with his other teammates not so far behind.
Emmaus: Mid-Level
While Emmaus has great stats, that has not necessarily translated into wins. This is a team completely led by Ryan Bilger and if another team can lock him down in a match then this team is in for trouble. I think they will be a playoff team but won't make a deep run.
Great Neck South: Mid-Level
Great Neck South is a team which doesn't necessarily put up great stats, but knows how to translate their efforts into wins. Lucia Geng and Allan Lee seem to do the bulk of powering on this team while Aaron Engel and Chris Zheng lock down niche categories, translating into a well-rounded team. I expect them to make playoffs; anything less would be shocking.
High Tech A: Title Contender
If any team out of this region has a shot at winning HSNCT, it's High Tech A. Led by the fearsome Rohan Kodialam and his partner in crime Adithya Kannan, this team has ruled this region the entire season, rarely taking losses and instilling fear in their opponents (I remember once playing a team who were extremeley overjoyed that we were not High Tech
). Julian Gau and Sharan Kumar help to provide expertise in areas where this team once lacked making them even more of a nightmare match up. Expect them to still be in contention after lunch on Sunday at HSNCT.
High Tech B: Mid-Level
Andrew Huang has emerged as the leader of this team and has really become quite terrifying in his own right across this season. Kathryn and Christiaan also contribute quite a bit. Expect a playoff appearance from this team, maybe even an upset or two.
Hunter: Mid-Level
Luke Tierney.
Ithaca: Adept
Here is yet another team whose stats may be low but is still a team that has proven it can win many games. The power rate may not be all too high, but Casey and his crew work hard to round up all those lonely little 10s and give them a warm place to rest in the win column. His teammates Daniel and Andrey have improved tremendously. Expect a decent playoff run from this team.
Kellenberg: Mid-Level
Joe Levano has been around a long time with a lot of experience under his belt. His one man heroics are sure to continue come HSNCT which will hopefully translate into a playoff appearance.
Livingston A: Mid-Level
This team appears pretty balanced with Chris, Geoff, Sora, and Shira splitting up the work pretty well. They've had several upsets across the season and have the ability to make a decent playoff run, but more likely will make only a brief playoff appearance. Prove me wrong, I know you can.
Livingston B: Lower Tier
I'm not really sure who is on this team or how they've been so successful, but I'm thinking it may not last into HSNCT. My prediction: 5-5 or 4-6.
Livingston C: Lower Tier
IDK. Honestly, I'm super surprised this team is going to nationals (then again so are our C team chipmunks). Good luck
Manheim Township A: Mid-Level
Jake and Ahan form quite the duo with Piotr providing a decent degree of back-up. I'm not sure what to expect of this team, but I certainly hope they scale up better than their A team of last year. I'm thinking perhaps a playoff appearance, but I know that they can make a run given the right conditions.
Manheim Township B: Lower Tier
A decent team, but not one I'd see making playoffs unless Aaron Zuo or his other teammates improve a lot in the coming weeks. Anything's possible.
MAST: Lower Tier
If anyone else knows something about them feel free to share.
Millburn A: Mid-Level
Michael Tai has led this team to some pretty impressive finishes this season. They were certainly quite impressive when we played them earlier this season. They can most likely sneak into playoffs.
Millburn B: Mid-Level
Again a team I know little about. They seem to be improving pretty quickly, so there's that I guess.
Mountain Lakes: Mid-Level
This team hasn't had its strongest players play together yet. When Ron, Mark, and the rest of the gang join up at HSNCT (I am assuming they will), this team may have what it takes to make playoffs.
Wilmington Charter A: Elite
As far as NAQT sets go, we heavily rely on Varun Wadhwa and our newly crowned captain Rohan Narayan to lead the team (quite the opposite for PACE). Both of them are pure NAQT players with deep knowledge in geography and current events. But don't underestimate us in other categories
. Despite our team's inability to stay focused and extreme love of trolling each other in game, occasionally we can string together some wins. I think we'll certainly do better at HSNCT than NSC this year, hopefully being able to make a deep playoff run.
Wilmington Charter B: Mid-Level
Our full B team line-up has yet to compete at an NAQT event together, but they have what it takes to make a surprise playoff appearance. Jared Saquing is a master of science and the harder it gets the more he thrives. The same can be said about Mabel and her ability with fine arts. This team lacks in other categories but does get a slight boost from military history specialist Phil Kang who can be decent when he's not negging, sleeping, or persuading the other team to neg so they can get to lunch.
Wilmington Charter C: just going for lols
Hopefully our soph and frosh can learn something valuable from HSNCT. Probably not.
Please, please, please, use this opportunity to discuss our region. It would be super awesome to hear what others think. I'll do some NSC predictions when I get some more late night free time.