The Rockbridge County School Board took time last month to celebrate one of the high school’s standout groups of “student athletes,” the RCHS Academic Team, for completing a perfect season and bringing home a state title.
Coached by Chris McGrath (math and science) and Patrick Bradley (world languages), the team went undefeated in 2024–25, posting a 4-0 regular-season record, sweeping the region tournament 7-0, and going 3-0 at the state tournament to claim the championship.
“What even makes that more impressive,” Superintendent Phillip Thompson noted, “is that they finished the season undefeated … there’s no doubt that our student athletes are the best.”
Board members asked the team questions about how academic competitions work. Team members explained that the format is similar to “Jeopardy!” — individual rounds where players cannot confer and a middle “directed round” where they huddle to collaborate on answers. “It’s a question of getting kids to learn when to hit that buzzer, when to trust themselves, what works for them, and then how to work as a team,” the coaches said.
Bradley and McGrath emphasized that teamwork and trust are key. “We’ve been against teams that have imploded because the kids didn’t know how to work together,” Bradley said.
Bradley credited McGrath’s 18 years of coaching experience for helping players build confidence and cohesion. McGrath added that the program didn’t capture a state title until Bradley joined the coaching staff, an example of the teamwork and togetherness that led to such success.
The board congratulated the team for its third state appearance in six years (2019, 2022, 2025) and encouraged them in their goal to break their “every three years” cycle with this year’s team.
