Lower Lake High's Academic Decathlon team has been invited to the state competition. The team placed second in the Feb. 2 county competition. Courtesy photo.

LOWER LAKE – When Upper Lake High School's championship Academic Decathlon team journeys to Sacramento for the state competition next month, they'll have some local company.

Lower Lake High School's Academic Decathlon team, which finished second to Upper Lake at last Saturday's county competition, has been invited to the state competition as well, according to Lower Lake Coach Nancy Harby.

Harby reported on Wednesday that Lower Lake received a special invitation to participate at the state-level competition.

“It's because we're the top-scoring No. 2 team in our division, outscoring some other counties' winners,” Harby said.

Upper Lake's overall winning score at the Feb. 2 county Academic Decathlon competition was 34,939 out of a possible 60,000 points to take the win. Lower Lake High School scored 32,205 in their silver-winning performance.

Harby added, “We were also told that we are being included due to our sportsmanship.”

Instilling respect in her students for their opponents is key, Harby told Lake County News in a weekend interview.

Both Harby and Upper Lake Coach Christina Moore said over the weekend that the county's Academic Decathlon teams have achieved a very high level of competition.

Under Moore's guidance the team enjoyed an eight-year winning streak, including a 2004 state championship in Division 3 and a second-place state finish in 2005. Last year, Harby's team handed Upper Lake it's first loss in nearly a decade, which interrupted Upper Lake's longtime dominance.

In 2006, Lower Lake – which that year also had placed second to Upper Lake in the county competition – was invited to the state competition as part of its new 55-team format and thanks to its high score.

Moore's team already has begun the work of preparing for the state meet, which also will have the Civil War as its theme. Harby's students also will now dive back into the topic.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Lower Lake senior and Academic Decathlon standout Kate Lyons won 11 medals at the Feb. 2 county competition. Courtesy photo.

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