CHICAGO — It was a game during the final day of competition that ended Fairland High School’s bid to be the Quiz Bowl national champions.

But the Fairland students don’t regret the chance they had to compete at that high an academic level.

“This is fantastic,” Tanner Schenewark said Monday morning before the first game. “There are so many kids here. Some unbelievable teams and we have played some unbelievable rounds. We’ve done pretty well to have a shot at nationals.”

This year’s national High IQ tournament was held at the Four Points By Sheraton Hotel in Chicago with the final round of competition beginning at 8 a.m. Monday. However, Fairland lost in its first round against a team from Plano, Texas.

Monday’s competition was under the single elimination format. Fairland got to the nationals after winning the Ohio Valley Conference earlier this year and the High-Q competition that airs on Huntington, W.Va. television. Questions in the national games are from a wider range of topics than the local competitions.

The Fairland team started competing Saturday with two contests that day and four on Sunday. The team had to win four out of the six to go into the last day of the national finals.

Teams that Fairland faced in Chicago came from New York, Nebraska, Indianapolis and Texas.

“This has been great for all of the kids,” Tim Hayes, Fairland Quiz Bowl coach said. “They have had fun and met a lot of nice people. They have had exposure to a large city and have had the ability to meet kids from all around the country who are like them.”

Besides Tanner, playing on Fairland’s team were Hunter Schenewark, Ryan McCoy, Nick Mannon, Jonathan Brewster and Rob Hinshaw.

“This is the first time we have ever been nearly that close,” Hayes said. “They have played together consistently for the last four years. I have a pretty good bunch of kids.”