How many times did the rooster crow before Peter denied Jesus?

Who was the son of Abraham and Sarah?

Those questions certainly did not stump high school students who participated in the first Catholic High School March Match Up, hosted on Covenant Network Catholic Radio in early March. The quiz game drew upon questions on theology, the saints, the Ten Commandments and Scripture, among other areas.

Students from eight Catholic schools — Bishop DuBourg, St. John Vianney, St. Louis Priory, St. Joseph’s Academy, Gibault Catholic in Waterloo, Ill., St. Dominic, John Paul II Preparatory and Cor Jesu Academy — participated in two days of preliminary rounds, which were prerecorded.

Six finalists competed in a live broadcast March 8. It was a close match, but Anthony Jones of St. Louis Priory School was declared the victor. The senior correctly answered all 22 questions in the

finals. He edged out Louis Rolwes, also a Priory senior, in correctly answering this one: “Who was a friend of St. Thomas Aquinas?” (Of the choices given, the correct answer was St. Louis of France.)

Volunteer Felicity Buckley had approached the station about hosting a quiz competition for teens. Covenant Network already has CataQuiz, a Catholic catechesis quiz-style program, hosted by Deacon Jim Sigillito on Thursdays at 3:30 p.m.

“I said this would be a good way to get kids and schools involved and introduce them to Catholic radio,” she said. “This has even helped continue to educate me on the faith.”

A traveling statue of St. Thomas Aquinas — who in his day probably would have crushed any quiz competition — is awarded to the winning school, which also will receive a half-hour of air time on Covenant on a future date. The final competition will be re-aired at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 23. (By the way, Peter denied Jesus three times; Isaac was Abraham and Sarah’s son.)