Charles Crane/MDN Eighth graders Sadie Lemer, Berthold Middle School, and Leon Yang, Erik Ramstad Middle School, ponder a question during the championship round of the Ward County MATHCOUNTS on Wednesday.

MATHCOUNTS is a non-profit that organizes a national competition series for middle school students across the country.

Seventh- and eighth-grade students from Des Lacs/Burlington, Memorial Middle School at Minot Air Force Base, Lewis and Clark-Berthold, and Our Redeemer’s Christian School and Erik Ramstad Middle School, both Minot, participated in the event.

The competitors began with a written test in the morning, with the top eight students going head-to-head to be the first to answer three questions correctly.

The final rounds introduced not only brain teasing questions, but also buzzers, a ticking clock and the pressure that can only come with a knockout round. Some of the brainiacs found themselves stumped by some of the arithmetic, leaving both students in the hotseat until one of them was able to claim a match point. Students were allowed the use of calculators if they wanted the, but none were used.

The championship rounds were contested between eighth graders Sadie Lemer of Berthold and Leon Yang of Erik Ramstad Middle School. A champion was crowned two questions later. Yang secured victory by being quick on the draw with his buzzer and instantly providing the correct answers.

The top scorers at the Ward County event could have their chance at the state-level MATHCOUNTS competition in March at the Ramkota Hotel in Bismarck if they rank well against the results from students around the state. The national competition is held in May in Washington, D.C., and is sponsored by the defense conglomerate Raytheon.