Moorpark wins 4th Academic Decathlon championship

Moorpark High School took academic gold here Saturday, surpassing every other team in the country in a grueling battery of tests, essays, quizzes, interviews and speeches to win the national Academic Decathlon championship.

Moorpark’s fourth national championship further cemented California’s dominance in Academic Decathlon -- it’s the state’s seventh national title in a row, and its 16th since the competition began in 1982.

When their school’s name was announced, senior Zyed Ismailjee sobbed uncontrollably, Coach Larry Jones leaped onto a chair and junior Scott Buchanan hoisted senior Kris Sankaran into the air.

“There is joy, there is happiness, and there is winning the Academic Decathlon,” said Ismailjee, 17.

“It was a long road,” added team captain Neil Paik, a senior. “It was worth it.”

The nine-member team has focused on the Academic Decathlon for the entire school year, meeting after school, on weekends and during school vacations to study the subjects covered in the competition, including math, economics, science, literature and music.

“The kids have worked so hard,” said Moorpark Principal Kirk Miyashiro. “They really do deserve it.”

The students represent a mix of backgrounds, ethnicities and academic levels. Decathlon teams are required to have three members with A-grade-point averages, known as “honors,” three with B averages, known as “scholastic,” and three with a GPA of C or below, known as “varsity.” For the last category, Jones combed school records to find students with demonstrated smarts on standardized tests and lackluster grades.

Senior Sarah Thiele, 17, was among his finds. Initially reluctant to join the team because of the level of commitment required, she now says it was among the most fulfilling experiences she has ever had.

In competition, the lowest score in each level is dropped. When hers was eliminated at the state competition in March, Thiele redoubled her effort.

“All of my hard work paid off,” she said.

On Saturday, she won a $1,000 scholarship for earning the most points of any varsity player in the competition. Seniors Michael Fantauzzo, 18, and Sankaran, 17, also won $1,000 scholarships for earning the most points in their categories. Junior Danielle Hagglund, 17, won $750 and Paik, 17, won $500 in scholarships.

The team’s prowess was clearly on display at the awards banquet Saturday, when the students collected 30 gold, silver and bronze medals in individual events.

“She’s beginning to clank when she walks,” master of ceremonies Richard Ranta said as Hagglund collected six medals.

But another team’s name was called almost as frequently as Moorpark’s: rival Waukesha West High. Moorpark beat the Wisconsin school by a mere 23 points out of a total of 60,000 to win the national title in 2008. On Friday, Waukesha edged Moorpark in the live Super Quiz competition.

“Quite honestly, we were after them,” said Waukesha Coach Duane Stein. “I know how hard they worked, because my kids worked that hard. We’ll be back.”

“It was just nip and tuck, back and forth,” Jones added. “This is what the competition is about: competing with class acts.”

After all the medals and team prizes were handed out, everyone knew the competition was once again down to Moorpark and Waukesha.

Junior Sol Moon, 17, said Hagglund had a vise-like grip on his hand. “Me and Danielle were freaking out,” he said.

When Moorpark was announced as the 2009 winner with a total of 51,290 points, the team exploded in a jumble of embraces, screaming and tears.

Waukesha West came in second with 50,980 points. Burke High School from Nebraska placed third, with 48,064 points.

“It was close, it was really close,” Sankaran said. “I’m still having trouble processing it.”

After team pictures, as his teammates hugged and cheered, Moon sat on a riser looking dazed.

“I’m definitely floating,” he said. “I’m afraid I’m going to wake up, and it will have just been a dream. But it’s not, here I am with eight of the most fabulous people in the world.”

Others thought of the aftermath of the victory, which will probably include a trip to the White House.

“I want to meet Obama,” Paik said. “I want to shake his hand.”

After months spending every free minute preparing for Academic Decathlon, the completion of the competition left some students momentarily and uncharacteristically dumbfounded.

“This was it,” Thiele said, her eyes widening after the Super Quiz on Friday. “I don’t have to study anymore.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m going to lie down in the grass for hours and not do anything,” said senior Marlena Sampson, 17, adding that she planned to enjoy what was left of her senior year. “Two months.”

Sol, who used to play basketball weekly, is looking forward to revisiting the court after a five-month absence. Buchanan, 16, plans to spend time with family and friends, including playing a round of golf with his dad, which he has not had time to do this year.

“It was a sacrifice not only for me, it was a sacrifice for my family,” he said earlier in the month.

But the respite is temporary. Many of the students, including Thiele, Sankaran and Ismailjee, will be hitting the books when they return to California. After all, AP tests start one week from Monday.

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seema.mehta@latimes.com