8 Young Brains Cram for a National Title : Scholars: Laguna Hills High’s Academic Decathlon Team is striving to win, after taking second in last year’s contest.

Their eyes were fixed on their books, but their focus was on one word posted on the wall: revenge .

Sequestered in hotel rooms at the Hyatt Regency, the state champion Laguna Hills High School Academic Decathlon Team has spent the week preparing for its second shot in as many years at the national title, to be decided this weekend at two sites in Los Angeles.

Last year, the team took second place in the nationals in Des Moines, Iowa, finishing just behind the state champions from Texas. The loss, though heartbreaking last year, has fostered a sort of “Remember the Alamo” spirit this year.

“We remember how much it hurt to take second, and we don’t want to go through that again,” said team captain Jay Kim, 18.

For a full year, the team has prepared for its revenge--poring over books, writing essays and practicing speeches for hours after school, during lunch, in the evening and on weekends.

“The other teams can’t have studied harder than we have, because I don’t think it’s possible,” said Sian Baker, 18, a Laguna Hills senior and a first-time participant in the national finals.

Decathlon champions from 44 states and the District of Columbia will gather at Occidental College and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising starting today for the finals.

The nine-member teams of 11th- and 12th-graders will be tested on math, science, social science, economics, language and literature, fine arts, essay writing, interview skills and speeches, culminating in Saturday’s Super Quiz, a round of questioning modeled after the television game show “Jeopardy!” This year’s Super Quiz topic is space exploration.

As Laguna Hills’ eight team members--one moved away, leaving the team one member short--tried to absorb immense amounts of knowledge for the coming ordeal this week, their once tidy Hyatt Regency rooms grew chaotic, littered with Oreo cookies and Mountain Dew cans.

The mood in the room was mostly serious, but, as in any situation in which teen-agers gather, the team’s six boys and two girls occasionally cracked jokes and phoned each others’ rooms with prank calls.

But whenever the horseplay got a bit out of hand, team captain Kim had only to point above his bed to the white sign with big, block letters that spelled revenge.

“As the day gets closer, we get more serious,” said George Danenhauer, 18, a senior. “By Saturday, we’ll be kind of like a football team going into the Super Bowl. We’ll have our game faces on. We do take this seriously. The teams that don’t take it seriously aren’t here.”

“I think that the Academic Decathlon team overall is a great answer to the question, ‘What’s right with education?’ ” said Roger Gunderson, 33, one of the team’s two coaches. “To watch our kids and their dedication to academics would restore anyone’s faith in today’s young people. We are extremely proud of them.”

The team is grouped into three levels, based on grade-point averages. Kim, Teddy Chen, 16, and Ryan Sakamoto, 17, are in the “A” group. The “B” group consists of Todd Faurot, 17, Danenhauer, and Baker. Robin Cheney, 16, and Kirk Brown, 18, are in the “C” group. The final team score is composed of the top two scores in each category.

Laguna Hills was one of the first teams to check into the Hyatt, arriving on Tuesday night after attending a rousing schoolwide assembly that team members said shook the gym.

Since then, they have stayed up studying until the wee hours of the morning, skipping meals and replenishing themselves from piles of junk food supplied by supportive parents.

The Laguna Hills team has a history and tradition of success in the academic decathlon, winning at the county level for five years running and at the state level for two years. Last year, the team was just 592 points shy of the national title.

Gunderson and coach Kathy Lane, 43, both English teachers and coaches of the school’s team since 1982, said the school also participates in decathlons at the freshman and sophomore levels, which they said helps hone the skills of its team members for more intense competitions as juniors and seniors.

“We instill the winning spirit in the freshman year and the kids like to compete and want to continue the program because they are recognized for their academic ability,” Lane said.

The winning team will be flown to Washington to meet with President Bush and will be guests on the “Tonight” show. In addition, $30,000 in scholarships will be split among top individual winners.

THE WHIZ KIDS FROM LAGUNA HILLS

Jay Kim,team captain 17, senior, A average

Plays basketball, loves movies; strong in social science, essay writing.

Coach says he’s so determined “you couldn’t stop him with a Mack truck.”

Teddy Chen 16, junior, A average

Weekend tennis player; strong in science and math.

One of the toughest in the Super Quiz event.

Ryan Sakamoto 17, senior, A average

Plays football, wild about amusement parks; strong in essay writing.

A team player who can handle competitive pressure.

Todd Faurot 17, senior, B average

Enjoys skiing; strong in science.

Look for him to land among top three decathlon players in nation.

George Danenhauer 18, senior, B average

Plays golf, sails and shoots skeet; strong in economics and social science.

Coach calls him “most remarkable” first-year decathlon player she’s seen.

Sian Baker 18, senior, B average

Pianist and swimmer; strong in fine arts, language and literature.

A first-time “decathlete” described as a motivated competitor.

Robin Cheney 16, junior, C average

Plays piano; strong in essay writing and fine arts.

Crucial player in filling gap left by departure of ninth team member.

Kirk Brown 18, senior, C average

A four-sport letterman (football, soccer, volleyball, track); a strong speech maker.

Missing a big volleyball tournament to compete in the decathlon.