Difference between revisions of "Grail"

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A '''grail''' is a feat wherein one team correctly answers all tossups heard in a match. The team does not need to answer all of the bonus parts correctly to achieve a grail.
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In ''[[quizbowl|quiz bowl]]'', a '''grail''' is a term used to refer to the rare feat where one team correctly answers all tossups heard in a game. Generally, this implies a team answering 20 correct tossups, though in a [[timed games|timed match]] this can vary. The team does not need to answer all of the bonus parts correctly to achieve a grail. Grails almost always occur in situations where the teams playing are heavily mismatched. This may be due to one team missing its best players/being shorthanded, being a novice team, or playing a tournament where the questions being read are too difficult for them, even if they are not novices (e.g. [[ACF Nationals]]-level questions). As such, getting a grail is both dependent on chance -- that is, getting a match scheduled against a far weaker opponent -- and skill.
  
 
==Incomplete List of Teams That Have Achieved a Grail==
 
==Incomplete List of Teams That Have Achieved a Grail==
  
===Middle School===
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===Open===
*[[Middlesex Middle|Middlesex Middle A]] at 2015 [[Manheim Township]] Middle School Academic Challenge against Landisville Middle A (785-(-5))
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*[[Jonathan Magin]] and [[Rom Masrour]] at the 2008 Illinois Open Literature
*[[Miami Valley School (middle school)|Miami Valley School A]] four times: once against Willis at Olentangy Liberty's AQUILA I (645-(-10)), once at the 2015 Ohio Middle School State Championship against St. Mary B (700-0), once at the 2016 Harvest Prep Fall Challenge against Delaware Dempsey (760-0), and once at the 3rd Annual Copley Middle School Invitational against St. Hilary A (765 -(-10)).
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*A [[Jerry Vinokurov]]-led open team (consisting of [[Eric Mukherjee]], [[Andrew Hart]], and [[Dennis Jang]]) at [[Cardinal Classic]] 2008, against [[Berkeley]].
*[[Barrington Station]] twice: at 2017 SMV Fall Gladiator Open against [[St. Mary's Visitation|St. Mary's Visitation B]] [https://www.naqt.com/stats/tournament/game.jsp?game_id=776358 715–0] on November 4, 2017; and at 2018 Northwestern University Jr. Wildcat against [[St. Giles|St. Giles A]] [https://www.naqt.com/stats/tournament/game.jsp?game_id=821933 710–(-10)] on March 10, 2018
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*"Cherchez La Femme Nikita Khrushchev" (featuring [[Jake Sundberg]], Mark Morris, Dargan Ware, and Megan Patterson) at the 2011 [[HSNCT]] Mirror in Chattanooga (defeating [[Chuck Pearson]] and Eli Miles of Shorter, playing as Chuck Pearson Farewell Tour) (655-(-15))
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===College===
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*[[Virginia|Virginia A]] at the [[2011 SCT]] East Carolina site, defeating [[Virginia Tech]] 680--5 (23 toss-ups heard)
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*[[Penn]] ([[Dallas Simons]], [[Patrick Liao]], [[Saajid Moyen]], and Eric Mukherjee) at the mid-Atlantic mirror of [[QUARK]] (defeating [[Johns Hopkins]] B)
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*Virginia A at [[Michigan Fall Tournament]] against [[Liberty University|Liberty A]] (820-0)
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*[[Stanford|Stanford A]] at [[2013 ACF Fall]] against Berkeley D (690 to -10)
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*[[Chicago|Chicago A]] at [[DRAGOON]] against Notre Dame B (730-0)
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*[[Illinois|Illinois B]] at 2014 [[SCT]], defeating [[Northern Illinois]] 860-0 (24 toss-ups heard).
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*Virginia A at [[2014 ACF Nationals]] against Stanford (660 to -5)
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*Stanford B at [[2015 SCT|2015 DII Berkeley SCT]] against UC Davis (720-(-5))
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*[[Oklahoma]] at [[2015 ACF Regionals]] against [[Kansas State]] (580 to -25)
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*Stanford A at [[2016 SCT|2016 DI Berkeley SCT]] against Berkeley C (705-0)
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*Chicago A at the [[EFT|2017 EFT]] Michigan site against [[Michigan|Michigan C]] [https://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/5168/stats/prelims/teamdetail/#t8 (640-(-10))]
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*[[Princeton]] at [[Penn Bowl|2017 Penn Bowl]] against [[NYU|NYU B]] [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/4683/stats/combined/teamdetail/#t14 (560-0)]
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*[[Penn State|Penn State A]] at [[2017 ACF Fall]] against Rochester B (630-0)
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*[[Minnesota|Minnesota B]] at [[2017 ACF Fall]] against Drake B (740-(-5)).[http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/4536/stats/combined/teamdetail/#t12]
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*Minnesota A at 2018 [[SCT]] (combined field) against [[Grinnell]] (845-(-30)) (22 toss-ups heard)
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*Chicago B at 2019 [[Terrapin Invitational Tournament|Terrapin]] against [[Missouri|Mizzou B]] [http://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/5655/stats/all_games/teamdetail/#t4 (585-(-10))]
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*Chicago A at [[2020 ACF Regionals]] against [[DePaul]] (710-(-10))
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*[[Columbia]] A- at Southeast-Midwest Housewrite @ Mid-Atlantic against [[Rutgers]] A (725-(-20))
  
 
===High School===
 
===High School===
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*[[Maggie Walker]] twice at the 2009 [[Weekend of Quizbowl]] in consecutive rounds against [[St. Catherine's]] (780–0) and [[St. Anselm's]] (565–(–5))
 
*[[Maggie Walker]] twice at the 2009 [[Weekend of Quizbowl]] in consecutive rounds against [[St. Catherine's]] (780–0) and [[St. Anselm's]] (565–(–5))
 
*[[Torrey Pines]] at the 2009 [[UCSD]] mirror of [[HFT]] against [[Canyon Crest]] (630–(–5))
 
*[[Torrey Pines]] at the 2009 [[UCSD]] mirror of [[HFT]] against [[Canyon Crest]] (630–(–5))
*[[Hunter]] in the ''finals'' of the 2010 [[Princeton High School Tournament]] against [[Bergen County Academies]] (765-0)
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*[[Hunter]] in the finals of the 2010 [[Princeton High School Tournament]] against [[Bergen County Academies]] (765-0)
 
*[[Copley]] at the 2010 FKT at Olmstead Falls against Southeast B (640-0)
 
*[[Copley]] at the 2010 FKT at Olmstead Falls against Southeast B (640-0)
 
*[[Liberty (MO)|Liberty]] at the 2012 [[North Kansas City]] Varsity Invitational Tournament against [[Lafayette (St. Joseph, MO)|Lafayette]] (565-0)
 
*[[Liberty (MO)|Liberty]] at the 2012 [[North Kansas City]] Varsity Invitational Tournament against [[Lafayette (St. Joseph, MO)|Lafayette]] (565-0)
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*[[Raleigh Charter]] at the 2012 [[GSAC]] XX against Dinwiddie B and at the 2014 Millbrook Fall Tournament against Cleveland B
 
*[[Raleigh Charter]] at the 2012 [[GSAC]] XX against Dinwiddie B and at the 2014 Millbrook Fall Tournament against Cleveland B
 
*[[High Tech]] at the 2012 [[FAcT]] (IS-121A) against Suffield B (775-0) and at the 2013 [[Princeton High School Tournament]] against Phoenixville B (755-0)
 
*[[High Tech]] at the 2012 [[FAcT]] (IS-121A) against Suffield B (775-0) and at the 2013 [[Princeton High School Tournament]] against Phoenixville B (755-0)
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*[[Kellenberg|Kellenberg A]] at the 2013 [[Princeton High School Tournament]] against Mountain Lakes C (630-(-5))
 
*[[Macomb|Macomb A]] at the 2013 Springfield Invitational against Bloomington B (655-0)
 
*[[Macomb|Macomb A]] at the 2013 Springfield Invitational against Bloomington B (655-0)
 
*[[Cistercian|Cistercian A]] at the 2013 [[St. Mark's]] Invitational against [[Parish Episcopal]] (710-(-5))
 
*[[Cistercian|Cistercian A]] at the 2013 [[St. Mark's]] Invitational against [[Parish Episcopal]] (710-(-5))
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*[[Copley|Copley A]] at 2018 [[Battle Buzz]] against Keystone B (635-0)
 
*[[Copley|Copley A]] at 2018 [[Battle Buzz]] against Keystone B (635-0)
 
*[[Jesuit|Jesuit A]] at the 2018  [[LQBA]] Louisiana State Championship against Woodlawn (690-(-10))
 
*[[Jesuit|Jesuit A]] at the 2018  [[LQBA]] Louisiana State Championship against Woodlawn (690-(-10))
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*[[Ottawa Hills]] at the 2018 [[Beavercreek Fall Invitational]] against Clermont Northeastern B (730-(-5))
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*[[Copley|Copley A]] at the 2018 [[Hicksville Invitational]] against Hillsdale B (705-0)
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*[[Allderdice|Allderdice A]] at the 2018 [[SAGACITY]] against John Marshall B (690-0)
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*Troy (NY) at the 2018 Tri-State Tussle IV against Ithaca B (750-0).
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*[[Manheim Township|Manheim Township A]] at the 2018 [[Henderson Invitational]] against Smithtown East A (670-(-5)) This occured on the same day as the Allderdice grail, so there were two grails in the same state at different tournaments on November 17th, 2018.
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*[[Oak Park-River Forest]] against [[Morton West]] (860-20) in the IHSA West Suburban Conference on November 28th, 2018
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*[[Copley|Copley A]] against Barberton (770-5) during the 2019 [[Summit County Academic Challenge League]] regular season.
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*[[High Tech|High Tech A]] at 2019's [[PHSAT]] XXVII against Moravian Academy B ([https://www.naqt.com/stats/tournament/game.jsp?game_id=942069 765-(-10)])
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*[[Hallsville]] at the 2021 Tri-County Conference Tournament against Osage (690-30) (with [[bouncebacks]])
  
===College/Open===
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===Middle School===
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*[[Middlesex Middle|Middlesex Middle A]] at 2015 [[Manheim Township]] Middle School Academic Challenge against Landisville Middle A (785-(-5))
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*[[Miami Valley School (middle school)|Miami Valley School A]] four times: once against Willis at Olentangy Liberty's AQUILA I (645-(-10)), once at the 2015 Ohio Middle School State Championship against St. Mary B (700-0), once at the 2016 Harvest Prep Fall Challenge against Delaware Dempsey (760-0), and once at the 3rd Annual Copley Middle School Invitational against St. Hilary A (765-(-10)).
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*[[Barrington Station]] twice: at 2017 SMV Fall Gladiator Open against [[St. Mary's Visitation|St. Mary's Visitation B]] [https://www.naqt.com/stats/tournament/game.jsp?game_id=776358 715–0] on November 4, 2017; and at 2018 Northwestern University Jr. Wildcat against [[St. Giles|St. Giles A]] [https://www.naqt.com/stats/tournament/game.jsp?game_id=821933 710-(-10)] on March 10, 2018
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*[[Hunter|Hunter A]] at 2018 Bergen Winter Classic against [[Middlesex Middle|Middlesex Middle G]] 745-(-10)
  
*[[Jonathan Magin]] and [[Rom Masrour]] at the 2008 Illinois Open Literature
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==Incomplete List of Solo Teams That Have Achieved an Individual Grail or Near-Grail==
*A [[Jerry Vinokurov]]-led open team (consisting of [[Eric Mukherjee]], [[Andrew Hart]], and [[Dennis Jang]]) at [[Cardinal Classic]] 2008, against [[Berkeley]].
 
*[[Chipola College]] ([[Dallin Kelson]] playing solo) at the Valencia site of the 2010 Delta Burke (defeating Mercer B in the first round of the playoffs 620-0)
 
*[[Virginia|Virginia A]] at the [[2011 SCT]] East Carolina site, defeating [[Virginia Tech]] 680--5 (23 toss-ups heard)
 
*[[Cherchez La Femme Nikita Khrushchev]] (featuring [[Jake Sundberg]], [[Mark Morris]], [[Dargan Ware]], and [[Megan Patterson]]) at the 2011 [[HSNCT]] Mirror in Chattanooga (defeating [[Chuck Pearson]] and Eli Miles of Shorter, playing as Chuck Pearson Farewell Tour) (655-(-15))
 
*[[Penn]] ([[Dallas Simons]], [[Patrick Liao]], [[Saajid Moyen]], and [[Eric Mukherjee]]) at the mid-Atlantic mirror of [[QUARK]] (defeating [[Johns Hopkins]] B)
 
*[[Virginia|Virginia A]] at [[Michigan Fall Tournament]] against Liberty A (820-0)
 
*[[Stanford|Stanford A]] at [[2013 ACF Fall]] against Berkeley D (690 to -10)
 
*[[Illinois|Illinois B]] at 2014 [[SCT]], defeating [[Northern Illinois]] 860-0 (24 toss-ups heard).
 
*[[Virginia|Virginia A]] at [[2014 ACF Nationals]] against Stanford (660 to -5)
 
*[[Stanford|Stanford B]] at [[2015 SCT|2015 DII Berkeley SCT]] against UC Davis (720-(-5))
 
*[[Oklahoma]] at [[2015 ACF Regionals]] against [[Kansas State]] (580 to -25)
 
*[[Stanford|Stanford A]] at [[2016 SCT|2016 DI Berkeley SCT]] against Berkeley C (705-0)
 
*[[Princeton]] at [[Penn Bowl|2017 Penn Bowl]] against [[NYU|NYU B]] [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/4683/stats/combined/teamdetail/#t14 (560-0)]
 
*[[Penn State|Penn State A]] at [[2017 ACF Fall]] against Rochester B (630-0)
 
*[[Minnesota|Minnesota B]] at [[2017 ACF Fall]] against Drake B (740-(-5)).[http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/4536/stats/combined/teamdetail/#t12]
 
*[[Minnesota|Minnesota A]] at 2018 [[SCT]] (combined field) against [[Grinnell]] (845-(-30)) (22 toss-ups heard)
 
  
==Individual Grail==
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Even rarer, an individual grail occurs when a single individual, playing solo or with teammates, answers every tossup in a regulation match.  
 
 
An individual grail occurs when a single individual, playing solo or with teammates, answers every tossup in a regulation match.  
 
 
 
===Grails===
 
  
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===College/Open===
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*[[Chipola College|Chipola's]] [[Dallin Kelson]] at the Valencia site of the 2010 Delta Burke (defeating Mercer B in the first round of the playoffs 620-0)
 
*[[Tristan Willey]] (then of [[Macomb]], but playing independently at the collegiate level) grailed against [[Central Michigan|Central Michigan A]] at [[2011 ACF Fall]] at [[NIU]]. [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/143/stats/combined/playerdetail/#p1_27].  
 
*[[Tristan Willey]] (then of [[Macomb]], but playing independently at the collegiate level) grailed against [[Central Michigan|Central Michigan A]] at [[2011 ACF Fall]] at [[NIU]]. [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/143/stats/combined/playerdetail/#p1_27].  
 
 
*[[Seth Kendall]] of [[Kentucky]] grailed against UTK B at the [[2005 ACF Fall]].[http://hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=2181&p=27529]
 
*[[Seth Kendall]] of [[Kentucky]] grailed against UTK B at the [[2005 ACF Fall]].[http://hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=2181&p=27529]
 
===Near-Grails===
 
*[[Jerry Vinokurov]] was one tossup short of this mark playing solo against [[Athens State]] B at [[2006 ACF Nationals]].
 
*[[Tom Waters]], playing as an individual against GW B at a Maryland tournament in 1995, similarly managed 19 out of 20 tossups
 
 
*[[R. Hentzel]] legendarily had an attempt at an individual grail foiled when he failed to identify an "Easy-Bake Oven."  
 
*[[R. Hentzel]] legendarily had an attempt at an individual grail foiled when he failed to identify an "Easy-Bake Oven."  
*[[Dylan Minarik]] playing solo at [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/3576/stats/prelims/teamdetail/#t3 MUT 2016] almost grailed against [[NIU]] C, after NIU C answered the first tossup correctly and Dylan got the next 19.
 
  
==High School Individual Grails==
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===High School===
 
*[[Eric Xu]] of [[Western Albemarle]] grailed against [[Mount Vernon]] B at [[RAYNOR]] (run by [[Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]).
 
*[[Eric Xu]] of [[Western Albemarle]] grailed against [[Mount Vernon]] B at [[RAYNOR]] (run by [[Thomas Jefferson (VA)|Thomas Jefferson]]).
*[[Alex Schmidt]] of [[Lehigh Valley]] grailed against [[Smithtown West]] A at Harvard Fall Tournament XII.
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*[[Alex Schmidt]] of [[Lehigh Valley]] grailed against [[Smithtown West]] A at [[Harvard Fall Tournament]] XII.
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*[[Kuo-Kai Chin]] of [[Walter Johnson]] grailed against [[Centennial]] C at [http://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/605/stats/playoffs/playerdetail/#p1_21 PSAT/NMSQT]
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*[[John John Groger]] of [[Miami Valley School]] grailed against [[Auburn]] at the high-school only UChicago mirror of [[ACF Fall|2019 ACF Fall]]
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*[[Steven Botos]] of [[Dublin Scioto]] grailed against [[Interlochen]] at [[DART Mainsite]]
  
==Middle School Individual Grails==
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===Middle School===
[[William Groger]] of [[Miami Valley School (middle school)| Miami Valley]] A grailed against St. Hilary A at the 3rd Annual Copley Middle School Invitational.
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*[[William Groger]] of [[Miami Valley School (middle school)| Miami Valley]] A grailed against St. Hilary A at the 3rd Annual Copley Middle School Invitational.
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*[[Robert Muñiz]] of [[Midtown Classical|Midtown Classical A]] grailed against Montford A at the Fourth Annual Fairview Egghead Invitational Tournament.
  
 
==See Also==
 
==See Also==

Revision as of 00:26, 7 March 2021

In quiz bowl, a grail is a term used to refer to the rare feat where one team correctly answers all tossups heard in a game. Generally, this implies a team answering 20 correct tossups, though in a timed match this can vary. The team does not need to answer all of the bonus parts correctly to achieve a grail. Grails almost always occur in situations where the teams playing are heavily mismatched. This may be due to one team missing its best players/being shorthanded, being a novice team, or playing a tournament where the questions being read are too difficult for them, even if they are not novices (e.g. ACF Nationals-level questions). As such, getting a grail is both dependent on chance -- that is, getting a match scheduled against a far weaker opponent -- and skill.

Incomplete List of Teams That Have Achieved a Grail

Open

College

High School

Middle School

  • Middlesex Middle A at 2015 Manheim Township Middle School Academic Challenge against Landisville Middle A (785-(-5))
  • Miami Valley School A four times: once against Willis at Olentangy Liberty's AQUILA I (645-(-10)), once at the 2015 Ohio Middle School State Championship against St. Mary B (700-0), once at the 2016 Harvest Prep Fall Challenge against Delaware Dempsey (760-0), and once at the 3rd Annual Copley Middle School Invitational against St. Hilary A (765-(-10)).
  • Barrington Station twice: at 2017 SMV Fall Gladiator Open against St. Mary's Visitation B 715–0 on November 4, 2017; and at 2018 Northwestern University Jr. Wildcat against St. Giles A 710-(-10) on March 10, 2018
  • Hunter A at 2018 Bergen Winter Classic against Middlesex Middle G 745-(-10)

Incomplete List of Solo Teams That Have Achieved an Individual Grail or Near-Grail

Even rarer, an individual grail occurs when a single individual, playing solo or with teammates, answers every tossup in a regulation match.

College/Open

High School

Middle School

See Also