A group of students got the chance to compete in WRAL’s Brain Game trivia show.

Brain Game is an academic game show that allows students grades 9-12 to answer questions written by a panel of former North Carolina teachers. Twelve regular season teams face-off to see who will advance on to the playoff round.  Six of the highest scoring teams move on.

Juniors Nick Fekaris, Salvador Chavero, Nyawira Nyota and Noah Robertson took second place in round one. The team defeated Southern Lee but trailed Athens Drive.

Their finish was enough to qualify them for the next round. They competed again Feb.27 in a head-to-head match against Panther Creek and NC Science and math for a chance to win a playoff title.

The team did not advance, but Fekaris says he had a great time anyways.

“I don’t mind that we lost. I’m just glad that we got to compete and be on T.V.” Fekaris said.

A lot of practice goes into preparing for the competition, since the questions include everything from math and science to current events and culture. A great deal of knowledge must be gathered. Each member is assigned a specific country that they are responsible for study all aspects of.

“It takes a lot of time to study for the specific country we are given,” Nyota said. “We study together after school for about 30 minutes every day.”

With a disappointing loss under their belt, the team is undergoing more vigorous practices.

“This year, with hard work and studying, we made it to the next round, and it’s going to be pretty interesting,” Chavero said.

The team members rely on each other to win the title. Their shared knowledge will be drawn upon.

Chavero said, “You have to work as a team to know your strengths and weaknesses.”