Bergstrom Stateline
Bergstrom Stateline Quiz Bowl is a a high school televised quizbowl tournament in Rockford, Illinois hosted by WTVO Channel 17 / WQRF FOX 39. It was first televised in 2015 for Northwest Illinois high school teams. Then from 2017 to 2018, another separate tournament titled "Tournament of Champions" was held for all Illinois high school teams. Then in 2021, a middle school level "Junior Edition" tournament began airing. The tournament has held twelve seasons as of 2026, while the Junior Edition has held six seasons.
Broadcast history
Hosts
The tournament was hosted by Nick Toma a Eyewitness News Anchor, from 2015 to 2016 until his departure from the news station. He was replaced by Eric Wilson a Eyewitness News Anchor, who hosted the tournament until 2024, after which Brad Fischer replaced him partway through the season. Since Season 11, Greg Peterson has hosted both Stateline and Junior edition.
Format
The regular tournament is attended by thirty-two teams from Northwest Illinois high school teams. Junior edition is attended by 12 middle school teams. The "Tournament of Champions" was attended by eight teams from Illinois as a whole. Additionally, the regular tournament hosts an All-Star game each season with 1 or more players from each of that year's final eight teams.
Timeslot
Episodes air on Saturdays at 6:30 PM on WTVO. Sundays at 8:30 PM on MYNETWORKTV. Sundays at 9:30 PM on FOX 39. They are later posted to YouTube on MyStateline's channel.
Sponsorship
The tournament has been sponsored by Toni's of Winnebago, Lino's of Rockford, and GameStar Arcade. The sponsors offer giftcards to teams who answer a special question between the volleyball round and lighting round.
Questions/Rules
Since its creation, the high school tournament has used NAQT packet sets that are specifically used for television shows; however, the Rockford Quizbowl Company produces the Junior edition packets. The rules allows two teams to play against each, while only four players are permitted to play for each team. The standard tossup count is 40 (This is the generic denominator used to normalize scores for reporting purposes. That is, statistics under these scoring rules are reported in terms of points per 40 tossups heard. For rules that use timed games, it represents a typical number of tossups heard in a game, though variation exists. For rules that use untimed games, it represents the number of tossups that will be read in regulation in a standard game.)
Matches in the tournament is divided into four segments. The first segment is a "Buzz-in Round" where players answers questions for ten points, like in actual tournaments. The second segment is a "Volleyball Round" where each team is given a question that they can only answer. The team may discuss what the answer is but only the captain can answer. Each of the volleyball questions are for ten points. The third segment begins with a special question to acquire a giftcard to one of the sponsors, then continues into a "Lighting Round". A team then decides between three categories then answers the questions within the chosen category. Like the previous round, discussion is allowed but only the captain can answer. They must answer ten questions in sixty seconds. Any incorrect or skipped questions is then answered by the other team in thirty seconds. This team then chooses the second category and repeats the previous process. The fourth segment known as the "Final Challenge" has teams answers questions like in the first segment, but each question's points are doubled.
The questions' distribution can vary in the high school format, but the categories in the question set are generally literature, science, history, fine arts, RMPSS, geography, current events, and trash.
Results
Bergstrom Stateline Quiz Bowl
| Year | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | 4th Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Auburn | Belvidere North | Hononegah | Oregon |
| 2016 | Auburn | Newman Central Catholic | Hononegah | Byron |
| 2017 | Auburn | Boylan Catholic | Byron | Stillman Valley |
| 2018 | Auburn | Keith Country Day | Byron | Boylan Catholic |
| 2019 | Auburn | Belvidere | Winnebago | Galena |
| 2020 | Auburn | Morrison | Belvidere | Durand |
| 2021 | Auburn | Belvidere North | Belvidere | Keith Country Day |
| 2022 | Belvidere North | Auburn | Keith Country Day | Belvidere |
| 2023 | Winnebago | Auburn | Morrison | Belvidere North |
| 2024 | Belvidere | Belvidere North | Pecatonica | Dixon |
| 2025 | Keith Country Day | Dixon | Auburn | Winnebago |
Bergstrom Stateline Quiz Bowl Tournament of Champions
| Year | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | 4th Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | William Fremd | Metea Valley | Carl Sandburg | Boylan Catholic |
| 2019 | Auburn | Dunlap | William Fremd | Belvidere |