A Historic Moment: Super Bowl XVI

by Eric Tull

Yes, you read the title of this article correctly. In February of each year, the York Prep Pantherdome hosts the Annual York Prep Social Studies Super Bowl. 2020 marks the 16th celebration of that tradition, hence, “Super Bowl XVI.” The four Upper School classes knock heads together, answering questions about history, geography, government, and current events. The doughty contestants are chosen by their Student Government Organization representatives, and the questions are written and posed by history teacher Mr. Michael Roper. Winners are presented with bestselling books on a variety of history-related topics, and they also earn bragging rights for an entire calendar year. Mr. Roper is ably assisted by History Department Chair Ms. Christina Cox and the entire history team, while the officiating is covered by our
ever-reliable physical education coaches.

In York Super Bowl history, this epic battle has been won by senior, junior, sophomore, and even freshman classes. This year, the event was held on Monday, February 3, and it was a real nail-biter. In Round One, the Freshmen “Panthers”—in their first-ever Super Bowl—pounced on the Sophomores, beating them 42 – 28. The Seniors handily defeated the Juniors 44 – 34 in Round Two but had a much tougher time besting the Freshmen in the Championship Round Three.
The Freshmen were actually ahead at the outset, then tied the Seniors no fewer than six times, before the upperclassmen finally eked out a 38 – 32 victory, the difference being the equivalent of a single question. You could almost hear the Seniors sweating during this David-and-Goliath match-up. It looks like next year’s Sophomores may be the team to beat in Super Bowl XVII!
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