NATCHEZ — Losing a shot on the on the field at another state title was difficult to swallow for Trinity Episcopal Day School varsity football players Joseph McClatchy and Wesley Gore, they said.

“It was very tough; unexpected,” McClatchy said. “You get so accustomed to winning.”

But the brainy athletes will soon be competing against schools across Mississippi to bring their alma mater a different kind of acclaim.

Instead of grabbing turf before the snap, these two will be clutching clickers to compete in a state championship tournament for the Mississippi High School Quiz Bowl.

McClatchy, a senior with a 3.7 GPA, and Gore, a junior with a 4.0 GPA, were picked this year to join the first quiz bowl team at Trinity.

The quiz bowl team, which also includes Murphy Aldridge, Sarah Simmons and Sarah Rodriguez, already defeated two schools in October to earn their place in the Sweet 16 competition in January.

They beat Copiah Academy in the first round and Mize Attendance Center in the second round during trips to Mississippi College in Clinton.

Gore said he will use the competitive spirit he gained as offensive guard on the football field under the scaled-down, but equally-intense bright lights of the quiz bowl arena.

“We won’t be going down without a fight,” Gore said of the trivia match up against Parklane Academy in January.

McClatchy, who played center for the Saints squad, said he applies his discipline and competitiveness on and off the field.

“We have to be prepared. We have to practice for a game just like we study for a test,” McClatchy said.

Quiz bowl questions test general knowledge, they said, including topics like philosophy, literature, history and geography.

McClatchy’s favorite subjects are history and government, while Gore prefers English and Biology. Pop culture questions come up as well, they said.

McClatchy’s memorable answer at a quiz bowl competition was “tax evasion” to a question about the charge for which Al Capone was sentenced.

Gore’s answer “Iberian Peninsula” helped seal a win for Trinity in a recent sudden death round about the location of the capital cities Lisbon and Madrid.

Both said they were glad to break a stereotype about trivia whizzes held by some of their competitors from Copiah.

“They were amazed when we said we were missing football practice for this,” Gore said.

Both scholarly athletes have other pursuits as well.

McClatchy is senior class president and vice president of the Key Club, and Gore is president of the Key Club and captain of the Science Olympiad. Both are members of the National Honor Society.

McClatchy, who plans to attend the University of Mississippi next year, said there is a lot about football he will miss.

“My brothers — the team, players, the events, all of the people, just the memories,” McClatchy said.

Gore said the toughest part about playing their last game against Simpson Academy Nov. 18 was realizing after the game ended it was the last time he took the field with the seniors.

But both said they can still get a taste of the heat of competition when they come face to face with Parklane in January.

“It’s pretty intense,” McClatchy said.

“We have tie breakers, lights and everything,” Gore said.

McClatchy is the son of Robert and Sherrie McClatchy, and Gore is the son of Wes and Karey Gore.