Jersey High School Scholastic Bowl Coach Brunaugh Says She Is Blessed With Kids Who 'Amaze' Her

JERSEYVILLE - Jersey’s top-notch scholastic bowl team has made a name for itself under coach Gwen Brunaugh.

Team members are Brittany Heitzman, Corey King, Matthew Wargo, Cole Martinez, Kaleb Setzer, Mason Gray and Jack Brangenberg.

Coach Brunaugh said while some sports are just starting, Scholastic Bowl has been in season since November.

“Practices and competitions this year have been remote and some timing issues had to be addressed by the Metro East Quad League that has the attached teams and records,” she said. “Overall the season has been running smoothly with a few minor hiccups. Our first quad competition of the year resulted in Jersey having to cancel the third match with Columbia when part of town including our school lost power.

“Many of the kids come to the school for competitions for a more reliable internet connection. Despite the challenges, the kids are doing great. We are performing as strong as we would expect. Co-captains Corey King (specialty math and science) and Matthew Wargo (specialty sports, history, current events) leads the pack with 22 tossups and 20 respectively. Matthew has been acting team captain during competitions and been doing a phenomenal job of solidifying our team bonus questions.

“Mason Gray (world history, geography) rounds up the returning seniors with 15 tossups on the year with the available stats. The biggest spark to the team though has been senior Brittany Heitzman. She has been a part of the team throughout her high school career but has had to balance work obligations with participation. This year, she is all about scholastic bowl and has a share of team high toss ups earned at 22. Her bonus play has been unbelievable and the entire team looks to her knowledge on all literature, fine arts, and many science questions.

“Rounding up our Varsity this year is first year starter Cole Martinex who is a junior, Kaleb Setzer (junior) and Jack Brangenberg (senior).”

Brunaugh said she could not be more proud or impressed with this team.

“They are some of the smartest, kindest kids in this school and the things they know amaze me,” Brunaugh said. “The nature game is very auditory, it is like a game of Jeopardy with minute long questions. The questions start with a very abstract or vague clue and then progressively gets easier until the very end of the question which has a pretty general knowledge fact. In years past, our team has really won many competitions based on some luck and reaction time.

“Some solid past players including: John Nairn, Caleb Manns, Oliver Johnson, Hannah Tonsor, and Josh Wilklinson really pushed the team to take the game seriously. Many teams we face have what I call ‘prodigy kids.' These are players who are gifted with some sort of photographic type memory. Our kids are also amazingly gifted naturally but I do not want to take away the hours they prep by watching documentaries, reading, preparing quizlets of random facts, and encouragement of each other.”

Coach Brunaugh said she could not begin to explain how amazing the Jersey students are that play on her team.

“Our district is lucky to have them and I am definitely one blessed coach,” she said.

More like this:

Local Mom Urges Repairs and Accessibility at Wood River Township Park

Jul 24, 2026

Two Edwardsville Students Grew as Leaders at Illinois FFA Camp

Jul 27, 2026

Jersey County Fair Promises Week of Fun

Jul 1, 2026

How Alton’s Sleep in Heavenly Peace Chapter Helps Children in Need

Jul 23, 2026

Alton Educational Foundation Brings Community Together to Support Alton School District

3 days ago