Laguna Hills High School Team Wins State Academic Decathlon
Laguna Hills High School in Orange County edged out El Camino High School of Woodland Hills to win the California Academic Decathlon, officials announced Saturday.
The Laguna Hills team scored 45,361 points in the two-day academic contest, to beat second-place finisher El Camino Real, which scored 44,829. El Camino Real represented the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The Laguna Hills team finished fifth in the Decathlon Super Quiz on Friday and was not considered to be a top contender for the overall title. Jeff DeWit, 17, a Laguna Hills team member, said he and teammates arrived at the awards ceremonies Saturday hoping at best for a spot among the top five teams.
“This is so amazing” said Jeff McCombs, captain of the all-male Laguna Hills team. “We knew we’d be in the top five, but we didn’t know how close we were.”
Wilson High School of Hacienda Heights placed fourth in the overall competition, behind third-place winner Palo Alto High School. Wilson, which represented Los Angeles County schools, finished first in Friday’s Super Quiz.
Ananp Sahai, 17, a senior at Thousand Oaks High School in Ventura County, had the highest overall point total for all categories.
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