The evening started off with four preliminary rounds with each school being represented by one of their team members. Each round contained 30 questions, with the first student buzzing in and answering correctly receiving 10 points from their team. Each of the rounds was highly competitive and the score was close throughout.
After the first round, DuBois Central Catholic held a 20-point lead over Brookville, but each team was within 50 points of the lead. DuBois Central Catholic extended their lead after the second preliminary round, leading the way with 120 points total through the first two rounds. Clearfield charged up to second place with 80 points, Brookville and Saint Marys held a tie for third place with 70 points and Brockway was in fifth place with 20 points.
The third round saw the highest single round points scored, with Kai Caskey of Saint Marys securing 110 points for his team and helping them to the lead with 180 total points after round three. DuBois Central Catholic moved back to second place with 150 points, Clearfield found itself in third place with 100 points, fourth place was held by Brookville with 80 points and Brockway had 70 points which put them in fifth place heading into the final preliminary round.
Saint Marys made another strong effort in the fourth round, adding 80 points to take their total to 260 points. DuBois Central Catholic held on to second place with 180 points, Brockway and Clearfield found themselves tied for third place with 120 points and Brookville had 90 points on the board, putting them in fifth place heading to the final rounds.