Saint Stephen’s hosted, and its teams finished 1-2 in the fourth and final Manatee County Academic Team Challenge competition of the season on Tuesday, Dec. 6, once again earning SSES the county championship. Four Falcons – seniors Vanessa Yan, MaryAnn Placheril, Alex Siegal and sophomore Matthew Thomas – finished among the top six high-scoring individuals for the season, qualifying them to represent Manatee County at the state competition. Earlier this year, the Manatee County team featuring five SSES students and one from Lakewood Ranch High won the state title. The new group will be seeking a repeat when they travel to compete next April.