Accounting I winners.

Top accounting students from seven area high schools used their brain power to battle for trophies while demonstrating their numerical ability and problem-solving skills at McHenry County College’s 14th annual High School Accounting Bowl.

A total of 120 students were divided into two levels, Accounting 1, which included first-year accounting students and Accounting 2, for those competing two years of high school accounting. The students took a one-hour long paper and pencil test that included true-false and multiple choice questions. Students also participated in an accounting Jeopardy game and a scavenger hunt to find classrooms and student support offices at the college.

“I was very impressed with how close the scores were,” said Don Curfman, MCC accounting instructor and accounting bowl organizer. “There were only seven points separating first and fifth place. The teachers did a really good job this year getting the students prepared.”

Accounting 2 winners.

Guest speaker was Shane Slusin of Crystal Lake, a 2013 MCC graduate who transferred to Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. He shared how he decided to pursue accounting studies after originally majoring in meteorology at the University of Oklahoma. He plans to work as an auditor during a summer internship for the Crowe Horwath firm in Oak Brook.

Harvard captured first place in both the Accounting 1 and Accounting 2 team categories, defeating second place finisher Crystal Lake South in Accounting 1 and outscoring McHenry by only two points in Accounting 2.

Harvard team members included: Accounting II: Morgan Anderson, Brian Aquino, Gavin Bruha, Noah Carlson, Gilberto Castaneda, Bryton Crosby, Mauricio Espain, Luis Garcia, Diego Hernandez, Max Miller, Johnny Peterson, Pati Sanchez, Ashlyn Stricker, Sophie Stricker, Mason Thompson and Kenzie Welch; Accounting I Team: Caleb Overlee, Tyler Perkins, Alex Wiltshire, Elizabeth Wright and Leah Brookner, Ana Calixto, JD Gerhardt, Brittany Hannon, Alfredo Juarez, Morgan Olbrich, TJ Smith, Josh Fiegel, Freha Gehrke, Dylan Hildreth, Rosa Mercado, Liz Kirk, Emily Hartje, Linzee Proffitt and Cosette Nawrocki.

Alden-Hebron won third place in the Accounting 1 team category, followed by Woodstock, fourth and McHenry, fifth.

Individual winners in Accounting 1 were: Thomas Baldwin, Alden-Hebron, first place; Josh Fiegel, Harvard, second; Emily Webber, Alden-Hebron, third; Taylor Glenn, Alden-Hebron, fourth; Dylan Sambrano, Crystal Lake South, fifth; Adam Mayber, Crystal Lake South, first finalist; TJ Smith, Harvard, second finalist; Freya Nadjeschda Maria Gehrke, Harvard, third finalist; Chris Krennrich, Johnsburg, fourth finalist; Blake Martel, Crystal Lake South, fifth finalist.

Individual winners in Accounting 2 were: John Bicek, McHenry, first place; Trevor Redlin, Alden-Hebron, second place; Sophie Stricker, Harvard, third place; Morgan Anderson, Harvard, fourth place; Ashlyn Stricker, Harvard, fifth place.

“I think it’s nice for the students to be able to participate in this competition. It gives them a break from school, but they’re still learning,” said Teresa Eick-George, business teacher at Alden-Hebron, whose team won first place in the accounting Jeopardy game.