FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) — Franklin Area School District will be well-represented at the Academic Games Leagues of America (AGLOA) National Tournament this year.

(Pictured above are seniors Kiaran Rios, Adam Taylor, Trevor Wood, and Maddy Bush.)

The 2018 AGLOA National Tournament will take place in Knoxville, Tennessee, from Friday, April 27, to Monday, April 30, at the Knoxville Convention Center.

Over 1,000 students in grades four through twelve will be taking part in this celebration of learning.

Franklin’s players represent students in grades six through twelve. Four seniors, a junior, two sophomores, two eighth grade students, one seventh grade student, and one sixth grade student will be playing the games of Equations, Onsets, Propaganda, Current Events, Theme, LinguiSHTIKs, and Presidents. The students hope to better their scores, defeat a personal rival, and represent their skills in the best possible way.

Each game is a set of skills that the students begin learning as early as fourth grade. Every two years the skills required to play the game are increased. Hours are spent learning new rules, new skills, and new strategies to play the games. Two or more victories in different games are required to advance to the National Tournament.

Senior Trevor Wood, who is playing in his ninth straight National Tournament, has been playing and practicing the games since the second grade. He regularly holds practices in his home, encourages the younger players, teaches his strategies to players from other schools, and has run the Nationals training day practice for high school students for two years. He holds two gold Thinker Statues having been a member of the national champion Onsets team in sixth grade and national Propaganda individual champion in his eighth-grade year. Trevor has also been nominated by two coaches for the Outstanding Senior Award.

Senior Adam Taylor playing in his seventh Nationals tournament, Kiaran Rios in his fourth tournament, and Maddy Bush playing in her second tournament round out the group making their final appearance at Nationals.

Sam Burchfield, the lone junior, will be competing in his second tournament.

Sophomores Tyler Wood and David Ferraro are each in their fifth straight tournament. Ferraro hopes to defend his National Championship in Propaganda at this competition.

In the middle division, Franklin has three competitors: Alyssa Shick, Christina Bullard, and Carlito Motter. Shick is back for her fifth tournament; Bullard for her third; and Motter is a newcomer.

Franklin’s lone representative in the elementary division is Kaizer Kadylak. Kaizer is a third-year player of the games and a first-year Nationals qualifier.