In 10 years, there’s never been a closer contest.

The morning-long competition to decide a winner in the 2019 LCPS Elementary Battle of the Books on Friday ended with just three points separating the first-place team from the third-place team.

The champion’s trophy went to the team from Moss Hill Elementary School, which finished with 145 points and bested La Grange Elementary by a single point. Last year’s winner, Southwood Elementary, finished three points back in third place.

Also competing were teams from Banks, Contentnea-Savannah, Northeast, Northwest, Pink Hill and Southeast elementary schools.

The three-point difference represents the value of a single correct answer.

“There were a lot of perfect rounds,” said Charles White, the district’s director of media and technology and organizer of the elementary school battle.

The Battle of the Books challenges fourth and fifth graders’ knowledge of books from a common reading list of 15 titles through questions related to content. The nine teams compete in a round-robin format.

As the district winner, Moss Hill will represent the district in the regional competition later this month.

For Moss Hill coaches Melissa Small and Jodi Stocks, whose teams had finished second the past two years, the reason for this team’s success was simple.

“They love books and they love reading,” Stocks said.

The team started practicing before Christmas, the coaches said, and staged held intersquad battles every week. “We had weekly prizes for reading books – a little bit of encouragement,” Small said.

Battle of the Books was held in the gym at Lenoir Community College. Moderators were LCPS staffers Kim Hazelgrove, Ryan Gardner, Melissa Lynch and Rachel Whitfield.

Members of the Moss Hill team are Will Archer, Braden Barnett, Nathan Barwick, Anihya Bey, Reese Cash, Hayden Cauley, Kailey Jones, Lianna Robles and Caidan Smith.

The La Grange team was Gracelyn Cauley, Marissa Doyle, Hallie Fowler, Phillip Jefferson, Asher Ortman, Isabella Parker, Aiden Skoczylas, Layla Wentzell and coaches Judy Harrison and Cindy Pendergraph.

The Southwood team was Sage Jones, Michael Mozingo, Islynd Shirey, Kaylee Taylor and coaches Gail Outlaw, Lisa Jones and Angie Jarman.

The Banks team was Taylor Benton, Amiyah Best, Braden Griffin, Sammy Harrison, Christian Heath, Miguel Perez, Spencer Roller, Macy Schmidt, Alexis Towne, Adrian Vega-Cantarero, Melinda Wimbush, KoKo Yates and coaches Ashley Hood and Brittany Laur.

The Contentnea-Savannah team was Brooks Grady, Haley Hemby, Hermonie King, Jaimison Neal, Mariana Polomo, Jaden Powell, MacKenzie Suggs, Maddy White and coach Traci Banks.

The Northeast team was Jamaria Barrow, De’Mon Davis, Destinee Fields, Madison Green, Matthew Green, Shaniya Murphy, Kay’Ziya Williams and coaches Marissa Jones and Caroline Murphrey.

The Northwest team was Issabella Harmon, Gentle Haze, Grant Haze, Kyrah Lee, I’drez Parker, Gavin Simmons and coach Janis Skoczylas.

The Pink Hill team was Eli Arnette, Adam Garcia, J.T. Gautier, Allison Gomez-Cisneros, Alicia Gonzalez-Gutierrez, Carly Hill, Anna George McLawhorn, Lex Rouse, Lizeth Torres, Lovie Valdivia-Tucker and coaches Myra Aycock and Kelly Bluhm.

The Southeast team was Jaylnn Almin, Zion Berry, Nicholas Bobo, Jamirror Bullock, Angelina Godinez-Mendoza, Arron Grady, Calaysia Murriell, Jaleel Pegram, Nikera Sutton, Kenzya Williams and coaches Shanella Roberts and Katena Cherry.