L.A. School Wins Decathlon; O.C. in Top 9

The rivals knew one of them would be the best in the state, and after two days of brain-busting competition, it was El Camino Real.

The Woodland Hills high school topped Ventura County’s Moorpark High on Sunday to become California’s representative in the U.S. Academic Decathlon. El Camino Real claimed its fifth state championship in 10 years, earning another opportunity to take back the national title it won in 1998. Moorpark was the national winner in 1999.

Orange County’s only entrant, Los Alamitos High, placed ninth.

For Moorpark and El Camino Real, the weekend of competition fueled a friendly rivalry with a trip next month to Anchorage, Alaska, on the line. When the results were announced Sunday, the top two teams hugged and cheered each other.

“When it came down to it, we would have been happy with losing,” said El Camino Real senior Alan Wittenberg. “They deserved it as much as we did.”

Southern California squads dominated the 22nd annual academic competition among 50 schools from throughout the state. El Camino Real’s team scored 45,450 out of a possible 60,000 points in an exhausting series of tests, speeches and interviews, highlighted by Saturday’s Super Quiz before hundreds of cheering students and parents.

Palos Verdes Peninsula High School took third place. Completing the top 10 were Marshall High in Los Feliz, the private Bishop Alemany in Mission Hills, West High in Torrance, Burbank High, North Hollywood High and Hemet High in Riverside County.

While Moorpark’s decathletes catch up on their sleep after weeks of cram sessions, El Camino Real’s team will study again this week to prepare for James E. Taylor High School, the Texas powerhouse that won last year’s U.S. title--and beat El Camino’s score from this weekend.