Clayton
| Clayton Greyhounds | |
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| Location: Clayton, MO | |
| Coaches | Adam L. "Da Berge" Bergeron |
| State Championships | 2015 MSHSAA Class 4
2022 MSHSAA Class 5 |
| National Appearances | 2010 HSNCT |
| Program Status | Active |
| School Size | Unknown |
| NAQT Page | link |
Clayton High School is a public high school in Clayton, Missouri. Historically a dominant factor in Missouri Quizbowl, the team experienced a resurgence in 2015. Under Omkar Venkatesh, the school went undefeated to win the 2015 MSHSAA Class 4 State Championship.
History
Under the leadership of Ikshu Neithalath, Clayton was widely considered to be the second-best team in the state in 2011, behind Ladue [1]. Excluding WUHSAC XIII, the team placed fourth or better in every in-state tournament it attended, either winning or placing behind Ladue at all in-state tournaments Ikshu attended. Clayton was the only Missouri team to place ahead of Ladue at any tournament (2011 Mort Walker Invitational) that season. Despite the team's strength in the 2011 season, due to MSHSAA districts being based on geographic proximity, Clayton was not even able to advance to sectionals in the 2011 MSHSAA State Championship series because it was in the same district as Ladue (which is only four miles away) [2]. They finished 32nd at the 2011 NSC.
From 2012-2014, Clayton experienced several coaching changes and declining appearance at area tournaments. However, the slump ended in 2015 with the team winning its first MSHSAA Championship, led by Omkar Venkatesh and coached by Daniel Glossenger. In 2016, Clayton placed 2nd at state after another strong season.
From 2017 to 2019, Clayton was unable to advance past districts, but continued to have good showings at local tournaments under the leadership of Justin "Todd" Guilak and Kate "Messiah" Lay. In 2020, the team began to improve rapidly under a strong junior class led by Isaac "the Farmer" Millians, Ty "the Farmer" Butler, Zach "the Farmer" Wang, and Tom "Farmer Patrick" Dupor. Though they were unable to attend 2021 districts, Clayton was voted #8 in the Missouri postseason poll [3]. They emerged as one of the best teams in the state in 2021-22, finishing 2nd at WUFAT despite a stacked field, and 1st at WUHSAC. Clayton would finish the season by winning its second MSHSAA Championship and coming in 28th at the 2022 NSC.
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