View source for Hoppes-Mikanowski limit

The '''Hoppes-Mikanowski limit''' (or '''H-M limit''') is broken when two players on the same team each score above 70 [[PPG]] in any format. It was first broken at the [[tournament]] 2000 [[NAQT]] [[IFT]] at [[Yale]], by its namesakes [[Jeff Hoppes]] and [[Jacob Mikanowski]] (stats from this performance are sadly lost to the sands of time<ref>http://www.hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=7127#p7127</ref>). Their accomplishment remained unmatched until the 2011 [[NAQT Illinois State Tournament]], where [[Kevin Malis]] and [[Zach Blumenfeld]] of [[Stevenson]]<ref>https://www.naqt.com/stats/tournament-individuals.jsp?tournament_id=3634&playoffs=true</ref> became the second pair of players to do so. 

Further investigation reveals that the stat in question may have been a pre-modern stat called [[PATH]] rather than PPG, and the original "limit" may not have been set at all; regardless, its power to inspire has remained.

==Performances exceeding the Hoppes-Mikanowski limit==
Players good enough to break the limit have become increasingly common over time as overall skill has improved, especially at the high school and middle school levels of the game. As a result, it has gone from a rare and exceptional event to something that happens several times a year.

Additionally, breaking the H-M limit shares many things in common with other achievements like [[grail]]s in that they are typically very dependent on the field and thus are much more common when there is a large mismatch between the best team in a tournament and their competitors. It is consequently of primary interest to provide as much context of the events as possible.

===Middle School===
[[Corin Wagen]] and [[Ethan Russo]] ([[Kealing]]) broke the H-M limit at both the 2012 [[TQBA]] Middle School State Championship<ref>https://www.naqt.com/stats/team-performance.jsp?team_id=42584]</ref> on the way to doing the same at the [[2012 MSNCT]].<ref>https://www.naqt.com/stats/tournament-teams.jsp?tournament_id=3924</ref> Corin and Ethan were lead scorers on the Kealing teams that won the 2012 and [[2011 MSNCT]], and would go on to be top scorers for [[LASA]] alongside [[Alex Denko]] and [[Forrest Hammel]].

Brothers [[John John Groger|John John]] and [[William Groger]] ([[Miami Valley School (middle school)|Miami Valley]]) broke the limit the first of several times while in middle school at 2015 [[Give Thanks for Quizbowl II]].<ref>https://www.naqt.com/stats/tournament/standings.jsp?tournament_id=6740</ref> Several years later, [[Arshaan Kahlon]] and [[Andrew Holzinger]] again broke the limit for Miami Valley at the 2019 [[Northmont Middle School Invitational]].<ref>http://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/5152/stats/combined_final_stats/standings/</ref>

[[Mihir Tadeparti]] and [[Thomas Catuosco]] ([[J.P. Stevens|John Adams]]) broke the limit at the 2021 [[New Jersey Middle School State Championship]].<ref>https://www.naqt.com/stats/tournament/team.jsp?team_id=307824</ref>

===High School===
[[Kevin Malis]] and [[Zach Blumenfeld]] ([[Stevenson|Stevenson A]]) became the second duo to ever break the limit at the 2011 [[NAQT Illinois State Tournament]].<ref>https://www.naqt.com/stats/tournament-individuals.jsp?tournament_id=3634&playoffs=true</ref>

[[Mohan Malhotra]] ([[Wilmington Charter]]) was able to break the H-M limit at the [[Delaware Fall tournament]] in both 2013 and 2015 with [[Jaimie Carlson]] and [[Rohan Narayan]] respectively.<ref>https://www.naqt.com/stats/tournament/standings.jsp?tournament_id=5174</ref><ref>https://www.naqt.com/stats/tournament/team.jsp?team_id=89341</ref>

[[Devin Shang]] and [[Colin Cantwell]] ([[Lexington (MA)|Lexington]]) broke the limit at the 2016 [[MIT Winter Academic Tournament]].<ref>http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/3486/stats/combined/teamdetail/#t14</ref>

[[Eliot Williams]] and [[Ethan Skinner]] ([[Davis]]) broke the limit together at 2016 [[Sacramento Fall Tournament]],<ref>http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/3864/stats/all_games/teamdetail/#t0</ref> 2016 [[California Cup]] #2,<ref>http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/4027/stats/varsity_finals/teamdetail/#t6</ref> 2017 [[California Cup]] #4,<ref>http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/4316/stats/varsity_finals/teamdetail/#t6</ref> and 2017 [[Sacramento Spring Tournament]] #4.<ref>http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/4378/stats/all_games/teamdetail/#t1</ref>

[[Richard Chen]] and [[Jacob Shapiro]] ([[Friends Select]]) broke the limit at 2018 [[Philadelphia City-Wide Quiz Bowl Championship]].<ref>https://www.naqt.com/stats/tournament/team.jsp?team_id=140521</ref>

While in high school, [[John John Groger|John John]] and [[William Groger]] ([[Miami Valley School|Miami Valley]]) broke the limit at 2018 [[MSU]] [[Harvard Fall]],<ref>https://stats.neg5.org/t/4rPn3QFqD/msu-harvard-fall-2018/team-standings</ref> the 2018 Thirteenth Annual [[Rowdy Raider Invitational]],<ref>https://www.naqt.com/stats/tournament/standings.jsp?tournament_id=9575</ref> and 2019 [[Comet Winter Clash Invitational]].<ref>https://www.naqt.com/stats/tournament/standings.jsp?tournament_id=9617</ref>

[[Ned Tagtmeier]] and [[Aayush Goodapaty]] ([[St. Mark's School of Texas|St. Mark's A]]) broke the limit at the [[2021 Small School National Championship Tournament]].<ref>https://www.naqt.com/stats/tournament/team.jsp?team_id=309015</ref>

===College===
[[Adam Silverman]] and [[Will Butler]] ([[Georgia Tech]]) broke the limit at the Emory mirror of the [[2013 VCU Closed]].<ref>http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/1271/stats/all_games/teamdetail/#t1</ref>

[[Sinan Ulusoy]] and [[Trevor Davis]] ([[Alberta]]) broke the limit at the Ottawa mirror of [[2013 Penn Bowl]].<ref>http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/1650/stats/all_games/</ref>

[[Matt Bollinger]] and [[Tommy Casalaspi]] ([[Virginia]]) broke the limit while playing short-handed at 2015 [[STIMPY]].<ref>http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/2940/stats/final_stats/</ref> Matt and Tommy were part of the Virginia teams which had won [[2012 ICT]], swept [[2014 ICT]] and [[2014 ACF Nationals]], and would go on to win the [[2015 ICT]].

[[Taylor Harvey]] and [[Tracy Mirkin]] ([[Florida]]) broke the limit while playing 22-tossup rounds at the 2020 [[Michigan Winter]]<ref>https://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/6300/stats/full_rr/teamdetail/#FloridaA</ref> (note that there is a potentially-irreversible statistical input error in these stats). Taylor and Tracy would play together on the Florida team which won the [[2021 ACF Nationals]].

===Open===
The H-M limit is rarely broken at the [[open]] level, due to tendency for such tournaments to be harder and have stiffer competition. As a result, many instances of the limit being broken are at single-subject [[side events]] by teams of strong [[specialist]]s in the category at hand.

*2015 [[Missouri Open]] (24-tossup rounds) [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/3304/stats/full/teamdetail/#t2 Minnesota mirror]: [[Rob Carson]] (128.5 PPG) and [[Andrew Hart]] (82.86 PPG) (open team; Andrew played 5.25 rounds of ten)
* 2018 [[FILM]] (included superpowers) [https://stats.neg5.org/t/r1eMU2sBX/film-at-uiuc/team-full#team_ByAkvhiHX Illinois mirror]: [[Matt Lafer]] (95 PPG) and [[Mike Cheyne]] (91.11 PPG)
* 2019 [[MUSES]] (included superpowers) [https://stats.neg5.org/t/DkzpoqQJb/muses-uiuc/individuals Illinois mirror]: [[John Lawrence]]  (76.36 PPG) and [[Auroni Gupta]] (72.27 PPG)
* 2021 JORDU [https://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/7051/stats/all_games/individuals/ Main site]: [[Aseem Keyal]] (85.83 PPG) and [[John Lawrence]] (78.33 PPG)

==References==
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[[Category:Statistics]]